Changing Plants??

[Trickerie]

Hey all,

When I first started up my tank, I had no idea that plastic plants were a problem to some fish. I originally wanted to stock some neon tetras, but instead opted for a betta. I've heard a lot of talk that plastic plants are very bad for betta, because it could tear their fins. All the plants in my tank are plastic though! Is it possible to change these without disrupting their habitat? Could I switch to real plants? Or should I go with silk. I've also recently added an ADF to the mix, which plastic plants are also a problem for. :|

 

[absolutangel04]

Its certainly safer to switch over to silk or real (especially with a betta's delicate fins). You can switch that up without hurting anything. Lots of aquarists change their tanks up, it won't hurt anything.
If you want real plants, make sure to check what kind of light you have to see what you could grow.

 

[Trickerie]

Its certainly safer to switch over to silk or real (especially with a betta's delicate fins). You can switch that up without hurting anything. Lots of aquarists change their tanks up, it won't hurt anything.
If you want real plants, make sure to check what kind of light you have to see what you could grow.

Thanks for the quick reply! This is my first tank, and it was given to me as is, so I'm not sure what type of light I have :| I also have sand substrate, does that change anything?

 

[absolutangel04]

Nope, sand substrate doesn't change anything. For the light, turn it off and then look at it. Is it incandescent? Fluorescent? Is there anything printed on the light bulb itself?
Put up a picture if you need to.

 

[Trickerie]

Ok! The sticker on the back says 16" Fluorescent Aquarium Reflector, 40 watt.

I'm going to be hitting up the fish store today for some frog food, so I'm hoping to get this settled as well.