Freshwater

Before you go yanking up any plants at your local stream, make sure that their
removal won’t have any detrimental effects on the natural environment. You
should also check with local authorities about endangered species and other
regulations to ensure that your liberation of the plants doesn’t cause your own
removal from home to jail.
Buying from a dealer
Before purchasing any live plants, you should have a good idea of which
types and sizes best suit your project. Write out a list that includes the total
number of plants you need to reach the design effects you desire. It is possible
that your local fish shop won’t have all the plants you’re searching for.
Include substitute species on your shopping list just in case the shop cannot
order them for you.
Start out by purchasing just a few of the plants on your list. Remember that
plants usually grow very quickly. If you buy too many in the beginning, your
aquarium may end up looking like an Amazon rainforest in a couple of weeks.
If your gardener has to come in and trim your aquarium plants back so you
can open your front door, you may want to thin them out a bit. One general
formula to obtain the total number of plants for your aquarium is to calculate
one plant for every six square inches of gravel area. Simply multiply the
length of the aquarium by the width (in inches) and divide by six to get the
number of plants you need.
You also need to use a little common sense when you buy your plants. Some
species are naturally “fuller” than others and take up quite a bit more space.
After you become familiar with a particular plant species, you’ll have a better
idea of how much room the plants occupy when they are full grown (see
Chapter 17 for more).
Getting plants home in one piece
To maintain your plants’ good health, you need to make sure that they don’t
dry out on the way home from the shop. Ask your dealer to bag your plants
in water or carefully wrap each one in wet newspaper. If it’s cold out, transport
your new plants in a cooler so that the water remains warm.
Achieving acclimation
Chapter 16: Live Plants for Freshwater Aquariums
When you arrive home, place your plants in a pan of water that contains a 10
percent solution of potassium permanganate. Potassium permanganate is a
substance that kills unwanted germs and disinfects plant surfaces. If you
213