Decorating an aquarium is one of the most enjoyable parts of setting up a new tank. Different size tanks pose different problems. Ornaments and plants often must be rooted in gravel to keep from floating up. It is not uncommon to have to replant something several times. Then just when we think we have everything in place, poof, something again pops to the surface.

Often when attempting to plant a beautiful live plant, it is easy to break or damage the tender roots of the plant. The challenge is to help the plant recover from the damage. If the plant can not recover, the roots will decay and the plant will die.

One of the best tools is the common aquarium plant weight. Commonly called lead weights, they are not actually made out of lead, but rather a tin composite. These weights can be gently wrapped around the roots of a plant and pressed into the gravel thus holding the plant in place.

The beauty of using a plant weight to hold the plant is that the weight frame also provides a place that allows us to gently cover the parts of any roots that should be covered in gravel. Thus we can gently cover roots without worry about damaging or bruising the roots.

It is best to not use metal because most metals will leach into the water and may be toxic.

This is also a more healthy way to plant roots as this allows us to spread the roots out so they can grow more naturally and healthily.