Have we learned everything about our aquariums and how to keep aquarium plants?

[Art]

These days, it feels like we have the answer to keeping healthy, growing aquarium plants in our aquariums. Going over to Facebook and seeing the amount of eye candy aquariums, it makes you feel like we've done it! We figured it all out.

Unfortunately, Facebook does have a tendency of promoting someone's "best life" while the truth is something... ehem.. different.

I'm so glad that we've all made some findings that today allow many to replicate great results with planted aquariums. However, I still think there is plenty for us to still learn and our collective observations are still required.

What areas do you think still need more study and understanding?

 

[Art]

One area that I think we know very little about is the substrate. It is a very different place than our water column and little study of it exists.

We know bacteria are there but we are starting to learn that more things exist in that environment. For example, only recently has study been done on mycorrhizal fungi in the aquatic environment. It is well know that this fungi is extremely beneficial to terrestrial plants. It is starting to be seen that certain types have benefits to aquatic plants as well.

I put a recent study into our Resources section that contains a pdf if you want to read it. It's interesting. However, it is studying a natural environment and not our aquariums. Nevertheless, is it too far fetched to think that such type of fungi enters our aquariums via the plants?

Do we care, if it's working? I'm not a black box is OK type of guy so I do want to understand what's going on. I can see someday having a fungi powered that we all add to our substrates much like we used to add laterite in the old days. Amano used Power Sand Special for a reason.

 

[Achi]

One area that I think we know very little about is the substrate. It is a very different place than our water column and little study of it exists.

We know bacteria are there but we are starting to learn that more things exist in that environment. For example, only recently has study been done on mycorrhizal fungi in the aquatic environment. It is well know that this fungi is extremely beneficial to terrestrial plants. It is starting to be seen that certain types have benefits to aquatic plants as well.

I put a recent study into our Resources section that contains a pdf if you want to read it. It's interesting. However, it is studying a natural environment and not our aquariums. Nevertheless, is it too far fetched to think that such type of fungi enters our aquariums via the plants?

Do we care, if it's working? I'm not a black box is OK type of guy so I do want to understand what's going on. I can see someday having a fungi powered that we all add to our substrates much like we used to add laterite in the old days. Amano used Power Sand Special for a reason.

I agree with substrate. I have been using many different types Amazonia v1 best imo, landen, platnum, Tropica, and sand, sand is the one I been playing with for a year but not the best at all, good soils will make much healthier plants. I think Amazonia had my Eriocaulon growing the best while I can grow it in sand it’s just not as healthy. I think If you do stems and root feeders aquasoils are bes. If you are doing bucephalandra heck you can grow those in bare bottom tanks. I would like to see a good aquasoil like v1 Amazonia but with less breaking down to dust like landen.

 

[BigWave]

I once tried to create a transparent substrate aka agar like TC plants come in but it failed because eventually the water would dissolve it. The objective was to be able to actually see the root zone and how long it took the plant roots to grow.
Water parameter measurement is coming along fast. Its expensive but you can buy equipment to measure every ion now. Hopefully we will be able to also measure hormones, contaminants, etc soon too.
The advancement of marijuana these last few years has propelled the lighting aspect into the 21st century. Think BML (Build My LED) so this isn't an issue like it was in the past.
There still isn't much done with the actual plants yet. Eg the Rotala species. We know there are Rotala Type 1 - 4 possibly 5 & 6 depending upon who you ask but nothing is published about which 2 plants crossed to make say Rotala Type 4 Mini Butterfly. This goes for all the species Ludwigias etc. Someone needs to create and populate a Aquatic Plant Database liken to a plant wiki.