VPP 322: Aquatic Animal Diseases, Health Care and Management (1+1)

PLANTING 

• The advantages of plants in an aquarium are several.
  • They provide shade, shelter and sanctuary for fish.
  • Besides decorating the aquarium tanks, they also serve in spawning and as food for certain fish.
  • They also utilize the waste of fish like carbon dioxide and liberate oxygen through photosynthesis.
• Several types of plants are available. Among them, the important ones are the tall-rooted plants such as Vallisneria and Myriophyllum. Before planting, the plants must be well-washed; otherwise the disease causing parasites may attack the fish at a later stage. Plants may be disinfected by rinsing in 0.1 per cent solution of alum (potassium-aluminum sulphate) followed by a good washing in water. The roots are trimmed and are kept between wet newspaper sheets to prevent them from dying before they are set. The plants are carefully installed using a forked wooden piece. Large, wide plants such as Vallisneria may be planted at the back while the bushy plants be placed in the corners or at sides and small ones in the middle. The floating plants may be necessary for tanks where gouramis are bred; the fragments of these plants are used by these fish for the construction of bubble nests for breeding.
• After planting is complete the water-filling is continued and the maximum water level may be around 5 cm below the top of the tank. The fish may be introduced two days after the setting up of the tank.