Here are the 7 steps to grow huge aquarium plants:

Pictured below: My 30 gallon tank. 3 foot wide sword.

There’s a bit of algae because I was experimenting with the water parameters.

Here is my 30 gallon monster plant experiment. I wanted to see how big I could get an aquarium plant to grow. There are actually 2 swords and a java fern in the pot. I filled the pot with aquarium gravel.

There is a little of algae in this picture. I probably was experimenting with the plant nutrients in the water, hence the algae.

Picture doesn’t do the plant size justice. These plants were enormous, plus there were about 5 or 6 flower stems growing above the water.

If you need to, read this, and skip the rest.

You may not like what you’re about to read because it is expensive to buy the equipment needed to grow monster plants.

It took decades but I now have a system that works for me to grow giant healthy freshwater aquarium plants. Here’s what I do for my 30 gallon tank.

1. Use mostly reverse osmosis water.

The less stuff in the water that I put into my aquarium, the less algae will grow.

2. Plant and grow big plants

Big fast growing plants take up the nutrients in the water (none for algae). Throw some small plants in for decoration.

3. Pressurized CO2 run from 5:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Add as much CO2 as possible, but without freaking the fish out. Helpful hint to save CO2: I have a little powerhead pulling the CO2 in from the CO2 diffuser into its impellers and out into the aquarium. This creates a very fine mist of CO2 throughout the aquarium.

4. Bright lights left on 12 hours a day.

5. Add a sterilizer or two.

I’ve added two high quality UV sterilizers ran by two strong cannister filters. Those are on 24/7. If a UV bulb burns out, I know it because I start seeing hair algae showing up.

6. Change out at least 75% of the water each week.

I do this by changing out 5 gallons of water daily from my 30 gallon tank. This reduces the nitrates and ammonium in the water, which helps starve out the algae.

7. Be very aggressive in removing anything that might turn into nitrates.

I vacuum out food and poo daily. I’m very careful about feeding my fish. I remove any dying leaves. You’re trying to starve the algae. The aquarium plants take up the little nitrates are still present in the water.

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"If you look closely, in the middle of the picture of my 2 gallon, seen through the water, is a black wire coming up from the heater. This heater lays flat underneath (not in) the aquarium bowl..."