Plastic plants???

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RussSerio

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Oct 20, 2014
Messages
52
Location
Salina, Kansas
For freshwater tanks I highly recommend them. No fertilization and less sick fish. But DO NOT BUY THE ONES AT THE PET STORE, unless you like wasting money. You see, even if you keep them clean, they eventually loose color, and look even more fake.

Instead, go to Hobby Lobby. They sell all kinds of decorative fake plants that are created to look real. Pick out a few of the all plastic ones that mimic what underwater plants look like. I try to find those that are 50% off when I go in.

They have wire in them so they can bend and stay bent. Cut to size and trim about 1/2 inch or so of the plastic off the end so the bare wire shows. Put a bullet style fishing weight over the wire and bend the end. I can get 4-5 plants off each one I buy.

Super cheap and more realistic than the ones made for fishtanks. And instead of tedious cleaning, I just throw them out and get new ones. Less than a quarter of what you pay for the others, and easy to make.:dance:
 
Do you have any issues with the exposed wire in the tanks?

I have also started buying all my fake plants at hobby lobby during their frequent sales.
 
Awesome idea. Definitely gonna have to start doing this!
 
The wires will rust away, but by then you will probably need to replace them anyway. But I usually get a few from each plant i buy, so not a problem. Watch for the sales usually 50% off. The bigger problem with some is that the branches can pop off some, so check them out good at store.
 
How are there less sick fish with fake plants? Real plants take up nitrate in the water creating a healthier environment.
 
I have seen tanks with both plastic and silk plants
the plastic ones looked so fake I couldn't take a second look
the ones I've seen with silk plants looked more realistic but up close you could tell they were fake too , another thing I've noticed with silk plants you can see how they allow algae growth leaving black spots every where

Another think to consider are all the toxins leaching out of those fake plants
a lot of times these things are over looked , same goes with some of the rocks we find
not all rocks are safe for our tanks , some contain minerals that are toxic to fish

I look at things differently if you want to create nature use living things not fake
not only do we know it's fake so do your fish ,fake plants don't produce oxygen but can hold and produce both nitrates and phosphates and other toxins , now with live plants you have a mini ecosystem that converts all those nitrates and phosphates into oxygen , which in return helps break down the ammonia , producing nutrients that both your plants and fish need

leading to a happy healthy tank
 
For freshwater tanks I highly recommend them. No fertilization and less sick fish.
:

Less sick fish? What is this statement based on? Certainly not science. If you like fake plants, fine, but don't make ridiculous claims. As for fertilization, if you have fish in the tank you have fertilizer being produced. There are lots of varieties of plants that don't require any additional fertilization, or even a fertile substrate.
 
1) I have never had problems over the rust- not enough of it to cause problem (10 years running)
2) FERTILIZERS ARE BAD!!!!!!
3) You don't have that a fertile substrate in a new setup.

Look, not everyone wants to put that much work into a tank. (fishtank vs. ecosystem)
I just put out what MY experience has been (40 yrs freshwater tanks). Information, yes: argue, no.
 
1) I have never had problems over the rust- not enough of it to cause problem (10 years running)
2) FERTILIZERS ARE BAD!!!!!!
3) You don't have that a fertile substrate in a new setup.

Look, not everyone wants to put that much work into a tank. (fishtank vs. ecosystem)
I just put out what MY experience has been (40 yrs freshwater tanks). Information, yes: argue, no.
Where do you get your information about how ferts are bad?
 
From using them. Have had bad experiences. But it's a choice and I will admit it was a long time ago. Probably new products out there now. The point is that some people don't want to mess with that stuff, and for them.... plastic is easier. With the ones I get at Hobby Lobby I have had MANY people that thought they were real.
Fish tank or ecosystem. It's up to you!
 
A fish tank is an Ecosystem whether there are fake plants or real plants.

I certainly agree that live plants aren't for everyone, and that different people want to put in different amounts of work.
 
From using them. Have had bad experiences. But it's a choice and I will admit it was a long time ago. Probably new products out there now. The point is that some people don't want to mess with that stuff, and for them.... plastic is easier. With the ones I get at Hobby Lobby I have had MANY people that thought they were real.
Fish tank or ecosystem. It's up to you!
It goes along with proper research before doing something with your tank. all in one ferts contain either ammonia or nitrate. Nowadays people mix their own solution nitrogen free.
 
A fish tank is an Ecosystem whether there are fake plants or real plants.

I certainly agree that live plants aren't for everyone, and that different people want to put in different amounts of work.

I really must agree with Aqua_holic...
I myself am not a novice aquarist either. Also active for over 40 years now. As long as there's no biological balance within a tank, there's a bit more energy to put in there for yourself to get things right. If the balance in a planted tank is okay, there's hardly some work to do. I can tell you guys that all my tanks (60 currently) are planted and I really don't have to do that much to maintain those tanks. Still enough time left for a social life! I don't use extra fertilizers at all and my plants are doing all well. The only fertilizer that appears in those tanks are coming from the waste of my livestock.

I myself am not a fan of fake plants at all. With all respect who do keep them! That's totally up to every individual...

It seems also that in the US fake plants are much more common in freshwater tanks than overhere. In western-europe we do have fake plants but they're not sold that well. Manufacturers will say differently but they're just looking at their own sale rates to wholesale dealers instead of those rates to aquarists themselves. In general the western-european aquarist will choose real plants. I myself am also an exhibitor within the aquaristic field at vivaristic events in Holland, Belgium and Germany. And I also help certain lfs's with buying their stock. And I can assure you how low the sale rates are of those fake plants and even in general for all fake items in a tank like e.g., divers, crocodiles, boats, treasure trunks, houses, etc...

But, as I've already mentioned: anybody should make their own choice wether they're chosing fake or live plants...
 
It's always interesting to hear how it's done in other cultures :) I remember hearing that in holland, 10 gallons is the minimum for bettas while over here we debate the finer points of a 2.5 gallon.

I must confess, I meant the opposite of what I think you think I meant. I don't do live plants; my 400+ gallons require very little time and work to maintain. From what I gather from others, much less than their planted tanks.
 
Hi,

I know what you mean...
But my statement was just if the biological balance is okay, there's hardly some maintenance to do... For a lot of people think it will take a lot of time to keep everything in balance...

It's true that in Holland they look completely different at aquaristics... But you know even as being dutch myself, even I don't agree with how most dutch aquarists look at aquaristics in general. And maybe that has to do with the fact that I've been to certain countries to explore the aquatic world in free nature and don't use all that's been written in books over the years. For a lot are based on theories instead of actual facts. The best way to learn about specific fish and plants is to observe them in free nature and talk to locals.

Grtz, "S"
 
I do water changes weekly. I add Ferts after adding new water. I replace DIY Root Caps every 4 months.
I have Low Light/Low Tech set ups.

No Algae. My plants help keep that in check. I do trim a plant on occasion before water change. I do get breeding behavior from my fish when I switched to real plants.

Once I went real, I can't stand looking at fake. But YMMV.

Of course it's fine if people want to use fake. I'd freak out at the thought of rust in my tanks, but that's me.

Heck it's fine if you want to use Clown Puke for gravel.

My tanks are my Zen.
This is an old vid of one of my tanks.
http://youtu.be/aptmdICahvM

Please post pics of your tank. I promise not to be rude. I've had tanks for 40yrs as well. Really went fully planted about 4 yrs ago. Joined a club. Almost all my plants are free.


Smoke signals from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Who are you asking Coursair? So, that we know who's to post some pics of their tank...?

Asking the OP Russ to share tank pics. I'm sure many members would like to see a tank with nice fake plants. Many folks aren't into live for now.

If the OP wants others to post well done tanks, I'm sure he'll ask.

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