When it comes to keeping live aquarium plants, most people think of lighting and water chemistry as the most important factors for plant health. Choosing a good heater and maintaining the correct heat for your plants is vitally important for their well being and continued health.
In most cases the best option for the aquarium is a submersible heater that you believe to be reliable. Depending on which species of plants that you intend to keep and the needs of the other inhabitants of the aquarium, you will need to change the temperature the aquarium is heated to. How much heat your heater needs to provide is also based on the ambient temperature of the room the aquarium is kept in. As a general rule of thumb, most plants need a temperature between 75 to 88 degrees, although you will need to heat the aquarium to the conditions naturally experienced in the wild.12 volt aquarium heater
As many aquarium heaters will not heat the bottom of the aquarium, if your aquarium is affected by the cold then it is likely to be a good idea to put the tank on an insulative material. Something simple would work well in this regard, Styrofoam or cardboard would be acceptable to try and prevent additional heat being lost from the bottom of the aquarium. Heat loss from this part of the tank is generally the biggest problem for glass tanks, particularly glass tanks which are kept on a hollow stand. For plants which grow in the substrate heating becomes particularly important; this is where their roots are located.
Although acrylic tanks are popular, glass aquariums are still recommended, although ultimately it is a matter of preference. Heating issues are more likely to be a problem in glass aquariums, however acrylic aquariums offer a small amount of visual distortion and can scratch easily which can make movement problematic. When keeping live aquarium plants, before you purchase anything, try to do as much research as possible into the needs of the species you would like to keep. The more you understand about the conditions they find favourable the more success you will have with them.
Providing that a good quality heater is chosen and that the optimum level of heating is maintained for the aquarium, all the inhabitants will fare well. Some hobbyists recommend keeping a backup generator for heating and lighting in the event of a power-cut, to ensure that you need never fear water conditions changing too much.