How soon can I introduce live plants into my tropical aquarium?
You can of course add in plants into your aquarium at any point. But I do advise that its a good idea to put in the new plants after you have a well established a filtration system working along side a community of fish at hand. Reason being is that by this time the waste produced by your fishes would have successfully converted from Ammonia> Nitrite> Nitrate. Plants cannot take up nitrogen (essential for thier growth ie protein sysnthesis) in the form of ammonia or nitrite but take up nitrate very easily via their root system. So to ensure your plants have the best chance in growth and proliferation I would suggest that you take a sample of your tank water to your nearest aquatics retailer where they can check your water perameters (usually for free). What they will check for is the levels of Ammonia Nitrite and Nitrate in parts per million. In your already established tank you should have Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate:0-2ppm. This will mean you have a perfect eco system for bot
