When starting to play with aquascaping, it seems we don’t pay much attention to temperature or perhaps see it as a secondary factor, like having a thermometer just for aesthetics and professionalism, but we don’t really understand how important temperature is or how it affects the growth and development of plants and animals in the tank! Today, Aqua Plants Hub would like to clarify the questions surrounding this temperature issue!

First, we need to distinguish between tropical and temperate plants!

Tropical plants, like those from our country, are mostly cuttings sold today, grown in normal outdoor climate temperatures.

Temperate plants: These are plants originating from countries with temperate, cold climates, so when grown in our conditions, a different temperature system needs to be invested in.

Secondly: After classifying the types of plants, it seems that for cuttings, if the climatic conditions inside and outside the water environment are similar, the plants will grow more easily. Therefore, we will briefly discuss this issue. The next issue is how temperature affects the plants.

• For newly set up aquariums, due to the new microbial system developing along with abundant nutrients, metabolic activity occurs strongly, resulting in higher temperatures than initially, leading to root rot in plants.
• For stable tanks, stable temperatures will help plants adapt to their environment. Note that plants are different from us; our bodies have stable temperatures, while plants’ temperatures change according to environmental temperatures, so their colors also change accordingly. Therefore, stable temperatures, even if not in ideal conditions, still allow plants to grow.

We will delve deeper into the impact of temperature on aquatic plants. We take an example in stable tank conditions:

The plants in the tank are always affected by surrounding factors. Additionally, the machine that helps plants grow and develop stably is chlorophyll.

♦ In conditions where the temperature is above 30oC, the chlorophyll cells die! leading to the phenomenon of blackened leaves! For tropical plant species, this temperature, while not ideal, still allows most of them to grow and develop. However, for temperate plants! those imported from the Netherlands, Germany, or Japan will gradually lose their cellulose structure, leading to not only chlorophyll death but also branch and leaf breakage.

♦ In conditions where the temperature drops too low, around below 12oC, the cellulose structure remains intact and the chlorophyll in the leaves stays the same. However, they will gradually stop photosynthesis due to the phenomenon of plant freezing when the temperature drops too low. But this low condition is usually not something we need to worry too much about because the temperature in our country, except for some highland areas, does not typically drop to this level.

So how can we bring our tank to ideal conditions?

The ideal conditions for an aquascaping tank fall within a range of: 22 – 28 oC; this is the condition for plants to grow and develop well with beautiful colors, as aquascaping enthusiasts often call it “the right tone”.

Ways to maintain the tank in standard conditions:

1. Using a chiller: This is the most optimal method for aquascapers. It helps maintain the tank at a stable condition, but it also has the ability to turn on and off if the tank temperature exceeds or drops below the standard condition, usually maintaining around 25oC. However, currently, the prices of these types are quite high, ranging from 2-5 million VND. Therefore, those with limited budgets may find it hard to access.
2. Using a fan: This is a fairly traditional method with low costs, but the temperature reduction is not significant and hard to maintain! The temperature drop from using a fan is around 1-2oC. The fan works by replacing the existing air temperature on the water surface with a cooler air temperature from another area! So the temperature of the fish tank will decrease! However, it also causes the tank to lose water quickly, so be sure to top up the water!
3. The third method: This method is less feasible, but sometimes when it’s too hot, it is used to put ice from the refrigerator to lower the temperature. In this case, try to add it evenly, but the aesthetic aspect is also limited.

Above are 3 methods we suggest for you to lower the temperature depending on your economic conditions and requirements. Choose the method that suits you.

WISH YOU SUCCESS!

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