Aquarium Plants Care & Maintenance: The Weekly Routine (India)

Live plants need less aquarium plants care than most people think, but they do need consistency. A tank whose plants are dosed, trimmed and topped up on the same day every week outgrows one that's fussed over hard and then forgotten for a month. This is the simple weekly and monthly aquarium plants maintenance routine that keeps a planted tank in India green, dense and algae-free.

New to planted tanks? Start with the pillar aquarium plants for fish tanks and our best plants for beginners guide, then use this post as your ongoing operating manual.

The weekly routine (30 minutes)

Do this the same day every week. Sunday morning is what most of our customers use.

1. Water change (10 minutes)

• Change 25–30% of the water.
• Match temperature to the tank.
• Always dechlorinate. Indian tap water is chlorinated (some cities chloraminated) — both are toxic to fish and plants:

  

2. Clean the front glass (2 minutes)

A magnetic algae scraper or a plastic card wipes the front glass in seconds. Do it every week whether it looks like it needs it or not, by the time you can see algae, biofilm has already set in and it's much harder to remove.

3. Trim what needs trimming (10 minutes)

• Stem plants (Rotala, Hygrophila, Ludwigia): cut the top 5–10cm off. Replant the cutting into the substrate, it becomes a new plant.
• Floating plants: scoop out excess. Never let them cover more than 60–70% of the surface.
• Mosses: trim if it's getting too thick to let light penetrate.
• Java fern, Anubias: remove any yellow or damaged leaves at the rhizome (not the whole leaf, cut where the leaf meets the rhizome).

4. Dose fertilizer (2 minutes)

Water changes remove nutrients along with the water. Dose all-in-one fertilizer immediately after the water change to replenish:

Dose again mid-week (Wednesday or Thursday). Twice a week is enough for most low-tech planted tanks. Full details in aquarium fertilizers explained.

5. Check on the fish (2 minutes)

Watch them eat. Any lethargy, colour loss, clamped fins or breathing issues, investigate before the water change next week.

6. Test the water (5 minutes, optional)

Every few weeks, test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. In an established tank on a routine like this, ammonia and nitrite will read zero, nitrate should be 10–20 mg/L before the water change.

The monthly routine (60 minutes)

Once a month, add these on top of the weekly:

1. Root tabs into the substrate

For heavy root feeders (Amazon sword, Vallisneria, Crypts), push root tabs into the substrate around them:

2. Clean the filter

Rinse the sponges in a bucket of tank water (never tap water, the chlorine kills the beneficial bacteria you're trying to preserve). Don't clean too aggressively; you want to remove sludge, not sterilise.

3. Deep-clean the substrate

Use a gravel vacuum on any bare substrate zones. Skip areas dense with roots, you'll uproot plants.

4. Replace any burnt-out light bulbs

LEDs degrade slowly over years and lose intensity. If your fixture is 2+ years old and plants aren't growing like they used to, the light may be the cause, not the fertilizer or CO₂. See our aquarium plant lighting guide.

Aquarium plant problem checklist

Something's off? Work through this list before changing anything drastic:

New leaves pale or yellow

Iron or trace-element deficiency. Dose all-in-one more consistently, or add a dedicated iron supplement.

Holes in older leaves

Classic potassium deficiency. Bump potassium.

Stunted, twisted new growth

Trace-element deficiency or CO₂ issue. Dose micros, or add liquid CO₂:

Leaves melting after purchase

Normal. Most farm-grown plants are grown out of water and shed their emersed leaves in your tank. Trim off the melting leaves, dose fertilizer, wait 2–6 weeks for new water-grown leaves. Don't panic-throw the plant away.

Algae on leaves

Imbalance between light and CO₂/ferts. Fix in order: (a) reduce lighting hours to 6, (b) increase plant mass with fast-growers (Water Wisteria, floating plants), (c) dose ferts more consistently, (d) add Amano shrimp or nerite snails to graze.

Long, thin, leggy stems

Not enough light. Upgrade the fixture or trim off the leggy part and let the base regrow denser.

Everything looks fine but not growing

Likely light or CO₂. If your fixture is 2+ years old, it's probably the light.

When to change your routine (seasonally in India)

• Summer (April–June): water evaporates faster, top up dechlorinated water midweek. Watch for temperature spikes; move the tank away from windows and use a small fan on the surface if the tank gets above 30°C.
• Monsoon (July–September): humidity is high, evaporation is slower, but power cuts are more common. If you lose power for more than 4 hours, plants are fine but the filter's bacteria colony can suffer, do a small water change after any long outage.
• Winter (December–February): in North India, room temperature drops. Add a heater if the tank goes below 20°C, most planted-tank plants slow dramatically below 22°C. Cut fertilizer to once a week during colder months to avoid nutrient buildup.

The routine that fixed a struggling tank

A customer in Nashik had a mid-size 60L planted tank that never quite came together. Plants survived but didn't thrive. Algae came and went. The tank looked "OK" but never great. We asked about their routine. They told us: "I do water changes when I remember. I dose fertilizer when I see the plants looking pale. I check the fish sometimes."

We asked them to try one thing for six weeks: the exact routine above, on Sundays, no exceptions. Six Sundays in a row: 30% water change, dechlorinator, glass scrape, trim, dose Vibrance. Wednesdays: second Vibrance dose. That's it, no new gear, no CO₂ upgrade, no plant changes.

Six weeks later they sent us the photo. The Water Wisteria had filled the entire back corner. The Cryptocoryne wendtii was throwing new deep-red leaves. The Java fern had three baby plantlets. The algae was gone. They hadn't done anything harder, they'd just done the same thing every week. Planted tanks reward consistency more than they reward effort.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I do aquarium plant care?

Once a week for the main routine (water change, trim, dose fertilizer), once a month for the deeper care (filter, root tabs, substrate vacuum).

How do I keep aquarium plants alive?

Three things: proper planted-tank light on a 6–8 hour timer, weekly water change with dechlorinator, twice-weekly all-in-one fertilizer. Get those three consistent and almost anything grows.

How often should I fertilize aquarium plants?

Twice a week for most low-tech tanks, once immediately after your water change, once mid-week. Root tabs monthly for heavy root feeders.

Do I need to trim aquarium plants?

Fast-growers yes (weekly). Slow-growers like Anubias and Java fern only when leaves die, no scheduled trimming needed.

Why are my aquarium plants dying?

Usually one of: buried rhizomes on Anubias/Java fern, inadequate light spectrum, missed fertilizer, or emersed-to-submersed transition after purchase. Check that list before assuming the plant is bad.

How do I stop algae in a planted tank?

Cut lighting to 6 hours, dose fertilizer consistently, add fast-growing plants (Water Wisteria, floating plants), and add grazers (Amano shrimp, nerite snails).

Related reading & shop

• Pillar: Aquarium plants for fish tanks (India guide)
• Aquarium fertilizers explained · CO₂ setup guide
• Aquarium plant lighting
• Best beginner plants · Betta plants · Floating plants
• Java moss · Java fern · Anubias, wisteria & hornwort
• Shop: Aquarium Fertilizer · CO₂ & Plant Nutrition · Water Conditioners · Planted Tank Setup