Q about artificial plants and other stuff

[sarahh]

is it cheating to have only artificial plants? It seems that most people here have real plants, and i am wondering if it makes a difference to fish life.

I wonder mainly because i have cherry barbs, and they seem to like the silks, but generally avoid the plastic ones.Are they likely to lay eggs on the silks? I ued to have live plants, but the fish were eating them and becoming quite overweight. Plus every time i added one, they came with these tiny snails that were prolific breeders, and the tank got quite dirty with slime too.

Anyway, moving on. I wonder if my plecos and clown loach will eat the eggs, and also if they will eat any fry from the mollies and platys.

and for the last thing, once my 120 is fully stocked from the 55, we will have an empty 55!! we're taking delivery of a 75 any minute now (delays etc) with cichlids (i think i am hooked btw) So we'll have the fresh community, the cichlids.. is there anything i should try as the next step? I don't want to torture any extremely difficult to keep fish, but i AM going to an auction soon, and i would love to branch out, so to speak.

I still consider myself quite the newbie, so i want to make sure i do it right.
tia for the input.

 

[Zagz]

It is not cheating to have artificial plants. It entirely is a personal preference.

I don't know if your barbs would lay eggs on the silk plants. They might. The plecos and loaches will eat the eggs but probably not the fry. However the mollies will and can eat their own fry.

For a 55 gal you can have pretty much a large variety of fish. You might want to consider doing a tangynikan tank.

 

[7Enigma]

I'm partial to puffers myself and in a 55 you could get just about any commonly traded species. You'd be limited to a small number and need it heavily decorated, but IMO few things are as interested as a puffer. Otherwise a large invert tank would be awesome.

 

[sarahh]

good ideas! you know, 7enigma, i thought puffers were salt water until about 5 seconds ago. oops. they are quite a funny looking little fish. i'm definately going to go to this auction with several tank ideas

and Zagz, i looked up tom's tangynikan's online, i had no idea that there were that many.. The one that looks like a frilly albino pleco is beautiful!

thanks to you both

 

[Viper]

Be careful with puffers, most species are pretty aggressive.

As for the fake vs real plants, real plants can help keep the water parameters consistent unlike fake plants. Also, fish can tell the difference between real and fake plants and can possibly feel less stressed when around real plants. If plants being eaten is your only reason for not having real plants, try getting the more hardy kinds of plants, such as java moss or java fern just to name a couple.

In my personal experience, I've experienced that real plants are more aesthetically pleasing than fake plants, but there is no real harm or shame in having the fake kind.

 

[sarahh]

thanks Viper

As it turns out, i got a 75 setup and it turns out i have tangy inamogst them, so it looks like the decision is made.

Thanks Zagz for the inspiration! i actually decided to do a planted tank, and as the black red moorii is vegetarian, it seems perfect

 

[Aquarium1]

Also, not all puffers are fw. Most are brackish or salt water. Dwarf puffers are one fw species tho and they need to be kept in a species only tank since they're so aggressive. Also you need to know that they rarely accept flake or pellet foods and usually eat frozen/live foods. Don't forget to do some research

 

[jimv8673]

artificial plants

What no real plants In 30 years of keeping fish, i have never really been successful with live plants, that hobby is something all its own if done right. Im not saying it cant be done, and live plants are one of the healthiest things you can do for your tank, but it can add expense that some dont really need or want, Plastic plants are perfectly acceptable, and in fact add some to your bio by way of giving bacteria more surface area to attach to. I am just now giving serious thought to setting up maybe a 40 breeder for a live planted tank, but i want to really make it the focus, a hobby of its own, since i have the fish parts pretty well figured out finally.

 

[sarahh]

yick! A1, i think I might steer clear of the puffers for now. I think my hands are a little full with grumpy fish for the moment lol.They're so dang cute though

My husband has recently become obsessed with the 120 gallon, which has freed me up a little to focus on a decorative tank. He's using his engineering mind for a new focus... water parameters!! lol.

Depending on the research i put into it and the time frame (and lets be honest, the likelyhood that we'll have another tank) i may make the planted tank a mix of live and fakes.. but we'll see. I'm very focussed on making the fish happy and comfortable.

Will start a photo journal the SECOND we move into the new place

 

[discus_lover]

What no real plants In 30 years of keeping fish, i have never really been successful with live plants

oh my lord!!!that's crazy....

 

[7Enigma]

I've said it before but since keeping a planted tank for a couple years now there is nothing better but it is a SIGNIFICANT additional investment in time. Unless you go the low-light slow growing setup you will quadruple your time spent. Other than the 50% water changes (which are as much for the plants as the fish) all of my time is spent pruning, dosing ferts, etc.

It's a great hobby, but definitely realize what you're getting into!

 

[sarahh]

hmm.. that's a very good point there 7. For right now, that's fine by me, but as soon as summer is here, the tank could get a little out of hand. Do you think it would be ok to switch to low light over summer to slow it down?

I am a stay at home mom with a job for 4 months in the year... i REALLY need to fill the other 8 months, otherwise i would turn into the pillsbury doughboy lol.

I definately need a little more research though.. until about a month ago, i thought i was rubbish at live plants because the mondo grass kept dying.. yep, that's me

Thanks for the heads up.. much appreciated

 

[7Enigma]

hmm.. that's a very good point there 7. For right now, that's fine by me, but as soon as summer is here, the tank could get a little out of hand. Do you think it would be ok to switch to low light over summer to slow it down?

I am a stay at home mom with a job for 4 months in the year... i REALLY need to fill the other 8 months, otherwise i would turn into the pillsbury doughboy lol.

I definately need a little more research though.. until about a month ago, i thought i was rubbish at live plants because the mondo grass kept dying.. yep, that's me

Thanks for the heads up.. much appreciated

Depends on what you are willing to do to get to that low light. Many plants that grow well at higher light do not tolerate low light, and problems can arise when using low-light slow growers such as anubias and java fern/moss under higher light conditions. So are you willing to swap out plants? I wouldn't recommend stocking the tank for low light and then suddenly increasing to medium/high lighting and vice versa.

What I would recommend is trying your hand at low light plants for a YEAR. No special equipment is needed and you can learn the basics in terms of plant care, algae monitoring, and you can have a very nice looking tank even under stock canopy lighting (I had a beautiful thick planted tank with just anubias, java fern, java moss, and moneywort).

Then if you decide the upkeep is acceptable you can venture into the crazy world of high light, CO2 injection, fertilizer dosing, etc. That gets expensive and is much more prone to disaster but is much more rewarding.

HTH

 

[sarahh]

great! That really does help, and quite a bit

I had the shopping list for the auction, with money wort, ludwigia and java . fern, but i"m happy to stick with those four for my first foray.

brilliant, and thanks again

 

[Mark Hewitt]

As others say, fake plants are better. As I'm interested in keeping fish, not plants. And they take enough work as it is.

 

[Viper]

As others say, fake plants are better.

That is a matter of opinion and one that many many aquarists will not agree with

 

[mfdrookie516]

As others say, fake plants are better. As I'm interested in keeping fish, not plants. And they take enough work as it is.

i dont think anybody is saying fake plants are better. It's all in how much work you're willing to put in to it. I, personally, love planted tanks. I cant keep plants in my 150g because my fish love plants just a little too much. I did have a 55g planted, now i just have a 10g planted. I dont do high light setups with the co2 setups and all that. I just have a simple low-medium light setup that requires me to dose ferts once a week (not hard at all) and be watchful for algae. I do 50% pwc's anyways, and i think they should be done in ALL FW tanks ( just my honest opinion on that one)... As 7 stated, for a full blown high light setup, there is alot of work involved, and also alot of money. It all depends on what you want. Personally, i feel that the fish enjoy the real plants more because it simulates nature much better than plastic. I strive to have my tanks look and feel as natural as possible. No corny decor from petsmart, no neon gravel, no air bubblers. The only equipment i have in my tanks that take away from the natural look are the filters and heaters, and of course theyre a must. There are no real disadvantages to fake plants other than the potential for algae growing on them, the possibility of their sharp edges cutting or ripping the fins of some fragile fish, and the overall un-natural look of them. If you're not willing to invest alot of time in to your tank, you shouldnt have one to begin with, and a planted tank is definitely not for you (not directing that to anyone on here)

 

[TwoTank]

Thanks mf, I've been reading this thread and you all have answered alot of my questions.

 

[mathhhausin]

I use Sydeco Artificial Plants And Displays and Marine Plants And Corals in my aquarium...