Moneywort, also known as Bacopa Monnier, is one of the most popular aquarium plants. They are one of the easiest plants to maintain, as moneywort adapts well with other plants and fish species, which makes them fun to grow and enjoy in your fish tank.
Moneywort in aquarium thrives easily in low-tech environments, though it requires moderate lighting, nutrient-rich soil, and clean water. It’s a beautiful plant, often flowers, with further enhances the visual appearance of your aquarium as a great background plant.
When you prepare your aquarium to plant moneywort, it’s essential to ensure the conditions are accommodating, with a pH level between 6.5 to 7.5, a temperature of 72 to 82 degrees, and this aquatic plant flourishes best towards the middle or background of the fish tank.
Moneywort is a flowering plant that belongs to a family or group of plants called Primulaceae and originates from Southeast Asia. It’s also known as herb twopence, twopenny grass, and creeping jenny.
The Benefits of the Moneywort Plant
There are many reasons to add this stunning aquarium plant to your tank, whether you have African cichlids, guppy fish, or other varieties of fish and plants:
- They are easy to prune, and trimmings can be replanted and grown in the same tank.
- Moneywort is versatile and grows well in many aquarium environments
- It’s an ideal plant for beginners and works well in low-tech settings, including paludariums
- Moneywort grows quickly when it’s rooted in nutrient-rich soil
- It’s an inexpensive plant and is commonly available in most aquarist shops.
Moneywort is a hardy plant, which means it will survive in many environments, and water temperatures. While moneywort requires moderate to high-level lighting, it can grow in low light but may be a bit slower.
It’s an excellent paludarium plant and ideal for most freshwater aquariums. This live plant doesn’t require extensive care, such as additional fertilizer or CO2, which makes it easy to maintain.
What You’ll Need to Get Started
If you’re preparing to add moneywort to your aquarium, it’s essential to acquire all the right supplies and proper equipment before you start:
- The aquarium or tank size should accommodate a minimum of 10 gallons
- You’ll need proper lighting equipment to produce moderate light. LED lighting is a good option. You’ll need to provide a minimum of 10 to 12 hours of light daily and a spectrum between 5,000 to 7,000. If you prefer low light, carefully monitor your plants, as they will develop a bit slower.
- Water parameters are essential; you’ll need equipment to measure and monitor the tank’s temperature and water condition. Ideally, you’ll want to avoid extreme temperatures or conditions in the tank to best accommodate your moneywort.
- Trimming shears and equipment to maintain your plants and set new plants from cuttings.
How Moneywort Helps Fish in Your Aquarium
Many aquarists find that this prolific plant offers many benefits for fish, including protecting them with a hiding place, and as a floating plant, it’s a great shelter. The texture of moneywort is like a dense carpet, which allows smaller fish to feel greater security and grow safely.
It’s also a visually exciting plant for fish and enhances the appearance of shorter plants in your aquarium, giving your pet fish many places to explore and enjoy.
How to Plant Moneywort in Your Aquarium
Moneywort can be planted in aquarium soil, gravel, or substrate. If you choose to plant your moneywort in gravel or sand, it may not take root well, as it tends to float, making it challenging to set or root in your tank.
When you place the young moneywort plant in your tank, you can use rocks, pebbles, or tweezers to keep it in place, especially if you prefer to use sand substrate or a similar gravel material in your aquarium.
When you set your plants in the tank, make sure they are placed at a depth of at least one inch into the sand or substrate and spaced a minimum of two inches apart. If you’re not concerned about securing the plants to the base of your tank, you can have floating plants, which can be fun and protective for your fish and take less preparation and care.
While moneywort plants don’t require much preparation, it is essential to ensure they have enough space to grow to develop, whether they are settled at the bottom of the tank or become floating plants.
If you have more than one tank or a planted aquarium, you can take trimmings from existing plants and replant them to expand your aquatic garden or add them to a pond or similar environment. The more you prune your new plant, the more you encourage it to grow and produce more plants from the original stem.
Maintaining Floating Plants
Whether you grow your moneywort plant from a seedling or buy them already grown, you’ll find they make an excellent midground or background plant in your aquarium.
If you plan on allowing your plant to float, it’s crucial to ensure that your fish have enough light and access to fish food while providing the nutrients your plants need to provide coverage for your pets. Potted moneywort is an excellent stem plant for your pond, planted aquarium, and tanks of various sizes and shapes.
If you choose to float your plants, the stems should be carefully separated so they can float freely on the water’s surface. You can also allow some plants to float while others are rooted in the soil or sand, where you can grow new roots.
It’s essential to keep your moneywort spaced adequately in the aquarium, especially if it’s a medium or smaller tank, since this plant is dense and can easily block light, limiting it from reaching the middle and bottom areas of the aquarium.
Final Thoughts
Moneywort is an excellent aquarium plant for beginners and a beautiful plant to add in between other plant life in your fish tank or pond. It’s a great plant that works well with various fish species and adapts well to various environments, making it a great way to decorate your tank while adding great benefits for your fish and their habitat.
