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To ensure your stem plants always look their best and to create dense, lush hedges, you should regularly trim and replant the top portions. Lower portions of stem plants naturally deteriorate over time, and they won’t recover. Lower leaves will develop holes and become ragged in appearance. Lower sections of the stem will become thinner and weaker, and less able to produce side shoots.

The sudden appearance of holes all over plant leaves can lead many hobbyists to assume they have a deficiency in their planted tank. The problem is that it is difficult to diagnose a deficiency just by looking at a leaf – you would really need to measure all nutrient levels to confirm.
While true that holes in leaves can be indicative of a nutrient deficiency such as potassium, more often than not this leaf damage is actually caused by hungry herbivores.

The EI method of aquarium fertilising, using products such as LCA All in One Premium, aims to supply an excess of all nutrients so that plants can grow without deficiency. At the end of each week of fertilising, a large (50%) water change is performed to reset levels back to baseline. 
So why use the EI method of fertilising? It’s tricky to precisely measure how much of each nutrient any planted tank will need, as different plants will have varying nutrient requirements, along with variables of lighting, CO2, water parameters – you get the idea!

What's the right amount and can you have too much? Most people will recommend your filtration should have a turnover of around 10x the total volume of your tank per hour. So for example, a 100 litre tank should have a 1000lt/h filter running on it (if not 1200lt/h to make up for filter media/hose length reducing this rate).
This is to ensure good mechanical and biological filtration, providing the best foundation for great water quality. Debris/organics will be more likely to be removed by the filter, and beneficial bacteria in the filter will benefit from the flow. A larger filter also means more filter media, which allows for a bigger bed of bacteria to grow. It’s a win all around!

The plants in your aquarium need a supply of both macro and micro nutrients to grow lush and healthy. Without sufficient levels of these nutrients and a host of other considerations, plants will deteriorate. But how can you tell what nutrients you are lacking?
Let’s first have a look at the most important nutrients in planted aquariums so we can understand the roles they play, before examining the best methods for diagnosing issues.

Root tabs suit many planted aquarium systems and can provide an excellent boost to plant growth over a long period of time, creating lush, healthy stems, vibrant colouration and strong leaves.

For particularly nutrient-hungry plants, root tabs are an ideal solution to supply targeted nutrition directly at the root feeding zone.

It’s commonly asserted by planted tank hobbyists that dosing increased amounts of Iron in your aquarium will improve the red colouration of your plants, or make them more vibrant. Unfortunately this is a myth, although it is not altogether incorrect.
The role of Iron in planted aquariums is complicated, but two of the main metabolic processes it contributes to is the production of chlorophyll and the ability to produce pigmentation.

In this Algae Part 2 Guide we look at the different types of Algae you may encounter in an aquarium, and what the suggested treatments, are along with some great products developed here at Liverpool Creek Aquariums to help you get your plants looking their best. As always, it's all about balance. Good luck and may The Force be with you!

Plants melt when stressed, which can be caused by a variety of triggers. In this stressed condition, the plant starts to scavenge nutrients from older, unhealthy leaves in an attempt to grow healthy new ones. Dropping old leaves that don’t suit the current conditions also helps the plant focus on providing nutrients to leaves that are still reasonably strong.
On rosette plants like echinodorus, the outer leaves will melt first. On stems, the lower leaves will melt. The leaves will lose colour, turn translucent and disintegrate.
If you can identify what is causing your plant to melt and rectify the condition, new, healthy leaves and growth will emerge and melting will stop.
If not, the plant will continue to scavenge from its oldest leaves until conditions for survival are met. If your plant continues to be stressed, it will keep melting until eventually the entire plant dies.

If you’ve ever kept stem plants in your aquarium, at some point you have likely noticed fine white roots growing sideways from stems into the water column. Sometimes stems put out quite a few! They’re unsightly, and might make you wonder if your plant is getting all the nutrients it needs. So why do they form, and do you need to do anything about them?

If you’re keeping a planted aquarium, you know your plants need a stable amount of light, nutrients and CO2 to really thrive. So what do you do when all of these parameters are perfect, but your plants are not looking their best?
There’s one other variable to consider that is often overlooked, and that’s temperature!

Dealing with an Algae issue? There are many causes of Algae so in this Part 1 guide we will look at some of the main causes and easy solutions to help you. From excess organics, ammonia, and too much light, through to not enough filtration, not enough cleaning, not enough water changes and not enough fertilisation, it's all about finding and maintaining balance. Make sure you check out Part 2 as well.