Can I use plants found in my lawn/woods/yard in my aquarium?

Question

Can I use plants found in my lawn/woods/yard in my aquarium?

Answer 1

Yes you can.  When choosing plants, you need to be sure they can survive in higher water areas if not they may rot in your tank.  Some boxplants and button plants make good tank additions.  Of course, going to a local lake you can find duckweed, horse hair, water cress, anacharis, milfoil, lysmachia.  (That is to say you have them)

Answer 2

i dont think so.

Answer 3

No because it'll cloud up your water and it may have parasites or chemicals on them. They can kill the fishes too if the chemicals get to them.

Answer 4

You need to use aquatic plants - ones that can live in water.  Check at your local pet or aquarium store.

Answer 5

Ha! - everybody else seems to think NO.

Interestingly, I have tried just that (along with aquatic plants from the pet shop), and have had varying results.

First, if you put anything in the tank from the wild, you have to be very careful that they aren't carrying parasites. This can be dealt with.

Second, don't put anything in that has been treated with chemicals that aren't good for your fish, like pesticides and various other chemicals used in gardening.

Some plants are classified as bog plants and like to keep their feet wet. Anything that grows in a swampy area that is always wet would fit here. This would include a whole bunch of different species, including watercress purchased at a grocery (just be careful to remove any snails that might be present).

As long as the leaves are emerged above the surface of the water they will grow. Some need more light than others, but that can be supplied with various flourescent approaches. You can have the plant growing out of the top of the tank, with a compact flourescent shining on it, or getting daylight on it.

If the tank is too deep to put the roots in the gravel you can put a pot containing the plant and suitable gravel, etc., on a stand in the aquarium to raise it to a suitable level.

Another approach I have tried is to put something like a plastic drain basket in the top of the tank so that its bottom is submerged about an inch or whatever seems to work. Then you put the plants in this tray/basket so that their roots are submerged and their leaves are above the water level.

Think about this: There are plants that you take cuttings from and place them in a jar of water to root. Some of these you can forget about and leave in the jar of water for a long time if not indefinitely. They only lack food. If instead they are growing out of the fish tank they are being constantly supplied with the best possible natural fertilizer, broken down fish waste. It also helps use up the excess nutrients in the water. This is good for the fish as well.

You could also consider this to be a variation on growing the plants hydroponically.

Besides the plants you would try rooting in water, I have had good results with Peace lilies and similar plants.

If it is free, experiment a little. If it is expensive, Google the species to see what it needs for good health.

If it is a water plant from the wild, I would put it in a different container to observe it and treat it for parasites that might attack your fish.

Have fun! If you try it I would like to hear from you how it is working out.

Answer 6

No. It will kill your fish because there will be parasites on them and the plants won't live. When they decay it will cause the water to become toxic. Your local petstore will have what you are looking for.