fake, real, or both?

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pros: filter water, create natural environment for your fishies, look so much cooler than fake plants, you can sell them when they grow,

cons: having to buy ferts, picking the right plants for your light level,

i deff say go for real plants! what kind of lighting do you have?
 
Pros, all of the above mentioned and they provide such satisfaction when you are able to grow them.

Cons: the learning curve of growing them.

That being said, I have 12 planted tanks. I say go for it. Of course you could assume I am a bit biased. :D
 
That being said, I have 12 planted tanks. I say go for it. Of course you could assume I am a bit biased. :D

Or just a bit crazy. ;)

I would go with live myself. The benefits and satisfaction when they grow well, make them worth the extra work. And if it doesn't work out, you can always go for plastic. :)

I only keep lightly planted tanks right now but...

The pros to me are a more natural looking tank, as well as the benefits of nutrient export.

The only con for me is the constant trimming involved when they do grow well.
 
I don't know...between my cats and I all living green things (except the mold in the back of the fridge) has slowly wilted and died. I don't know if my thumb is green enough to keep aquarium plants alive.

You actually have to do stuff like trim them?!?!?

I have a stock hood w/fluro light that came in the kit I bought.
 
i doubt you would have to trim your plants more than once every 2 months since you have probably a 15W or 10W light. good low light plants are all anubias, java ferns, java moss, and crypts. those require no trimming at all really.
 
i have a 16g planted tank, and i am pretty new to it also, but it gives the aquarium a whole new interesting aspect and you wont get bored. start out w/ some of those beginner plants. change the bulb in your hood to a flourescent reef bulb (50/50) it's still kinda weak but it'll be way better than the standard one, and you fertilize your plants once a week. I use leaf zone, once a week when i top off or do my water change, and i have my lights on a timer ($4 at walmart) and the tank gets about 14 hours of light, that way you dont forget and they will always have light! i'll post some pics soon of mine!
 
If you stick with the stock lighting, then the most you would probably need to do is add some Potassium (Flourish Potassium, K2SO4, or KCl [NoSalt]) and a good trace fert (Flourish "Comprehensive", Tropica Plant Nutrition, or CSM+B) after your water changes.

A timer for your light so that it's on a consistant 8-12 hours each day.

I find it much easier to take care of aquatic plants since I don't have to remember to water them. Picking the right plants for your setup will go a long ways towards helping you to be sucessful.
 
Since I have both in my tanks I thought I would weigh in with my opinions. I think it really depends on what you want your tank to look like. I have many fake plants in my tanks and only a few live ones. I can tell the fish enjoy the live ones a lot more than the plastic/silk ones. I like the effect the currents have on real plants, looks like they are getting blown by the wind. The fake plants, even the silk ones, are too stiff unless placed directly in the current to create the same effect. I simply love watching my juvy cories checking out my Amazon Swords.

I love the moss in the foreground of my 30g long but without buying some new lights I would never have background plants as tall as I do with the fake plants. It's all about what you like! :)
 
Def go with real. The work they take pays off so much when they start growing and such. And don't put both because that will just make it look bad.


Deff go with real plants!
 
both may look okay.. I gotta say that since I planted my water changes have gone down! I still do them once a week to give the plants the minerals from the water and freshen the tank, but since planting my tanks my nitrAtes have gone WAY down! my fish love to play in them and are always munching on the microorganisms that grow in them..

only con I can think of is I LOVE to seriously vac my gravel, and with plants it's not quite the same.. (roots and what not don't like being impailed and pulled up..) But then Im just a wacky for water changes sop this may be fantastic for most other people!)
 
Update. So I now have 100% real plants in my tank. I've got tons of anabis (?) spread across the back of the tank (hopefully it will fill in quickly). I just bought some Java moss and have wrinsed it and spread it out a bit. I also have a Crypt. The problem is that i just can't figure out whether I need to remove the plastic plant cup it's roots are wrapped around. My substrate is not terribly deep, so I won't be able to cover the entire potting plant.

Help please?
 
your supposed to remove it from the plastic cup and remove the wool(something like that?) from the roots also. I guess it can cause the roots to rot, I dont have much substrate(just reg gravel) in my tank and crypts are just fine. I pile it up around the plants a little so some spots are lower.

Oh and a couple leaves of the crypt are going to "melt" on you, they do it pretty much every time you move it, so dont move it alot or wait a couple weeks in between.
 
Thanks,

The roots are all grow into the wool. Should I dig all the wool out?

I need to get it in the tank before my cat eats it all. I've already torn a few leaves of and given them to her to keep her away from the rest of the plant!
 
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I say go for the real thing...
Do you find plastic plants in nature?
If the fish have to live in a tank shouldn't you give them them an environment that is the most natural you can?
So, maybe it just comes down to.... (Dramatic Pause) How much do you really LOVE your fish?
Plus, you have to think that if nature has it so there are plants in the water there is a reason for it not just to make it look good, Right.
Added Bonus ~ It does look SO much better.

Con: Some bottom feeders may knock them lose, but really would that really be that bad?
 
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