What's so cool about a planted tank?

[BrianNY]

I suppose I consider myself a hands on guy. I enjoy interacting with my tanks. That's why I keep discus as my primary fish. They almost won't allow you not to interact with them (but I digress).

The planted tank offers the aquarist a wonderful challenge. Learning the proper water chemistry whether high or low light is all part of the challenge in getting things "right". As the plants grow they need to be pruned, thinned out, rearranged and the like. It's a constant work in progress. There is never a final result.

The coolest thing to me is that I get to be creative. Aquascaping a tank is like painting with plants. When I arrive at something I like I get to sit back and enjoy the living beauty that I've created. If I don't like or tire of the result, no problem. I can wipe any portion of the aqua canvas clean and start over. It's truly a hands on and rewarding endeavor.

 

[travis simonson]

You couldn't have said it better Brian. I am not an artistic person by nature but for some reason plants help me express what little talent I have. They seem to do all the work for me. I just plant them and get to watch them grow. A little judicious pruning and I can claim that I have done something wonderful. And of course I don't give them enough time to grow in before I'm moving them around again and looking for something new

 

[travis simonson]

And I'm with you on the interactive fish species. My Africans are like my dogs. They run to the glass when I come home and will make direct eye contact with me as if to say, "We're starving Travis! How can you neglect us like this? Do you see all of these pretty plants. They won't be pretty for long if you don't feed us!"

 

[malkore]

I find myself still interested in planted tanks, but bored with my SW setup. Its just...boring. I can't constantly manipulate it...stability is key for SW.

Next week I'm going plant shopping at this amazing little spot only me and a few people know about

 

[Steven A]

Hi guys, I to am still very interested in freshwater, I to have discus and they are evry very smart, they get fed every morning at around 7.00 Am when the light gets switched on they are all waiting at the end where they get fed it is so cool to see.

I have been doing some reading on planted tanks, because my discus tank is but I want mine to be stunning like travis' especially a carpet plant. So I have found myself reading on CO2, plants and gravel etc ...

There is never a break in the hobby thats what I like, and I love spending money which is a good thing really lol

 

[workfortheman]

Ha BrianNY, really hit the nail on the head. In fact, here's a quote from the "Why Planted Tanks?" portion of my website:

V. Plants Add Dynamic

What do I mean by that? Well, in this day and age with A.D.D. being prescribed at infancy and commercials on TV being about 3.7 seconds long, it's harder and harder to keep interest and attention in something. Consider a fish-only tank with fake plants. The rate at which most fish grow is fast enough to capture the continued interest of only the most focused youth. I confess that many species of fish I've kept are not interesting enough to capture my interest.

How do plants help? Well, they add dynamic. They are something that typically grow quickly, and require almost weekly attention. Many may see this as a nuisance, but I would argue that it serves as a healthy reminder that ALL aquariums need weekly maintenance. Whether it be trimming, replanting, adding new plants, trading with friends, or selling clippings back to the fish store, the plants in an aquarium offer something on which to focus your attention and efforts.

 

[Jchillin]

WFTM - That statement is priceless. It goes along with everything that is positive about aquaria and planted tanks especially.

Kudos to you!

 

[czcz]

I have been thinking about this since reading your post, Brian. My answer to nonaquarium types is that its fun like golf -- you know the rewarding feeling of a great shot after hours of trouble? I feel that way when a plant does something I had not seen in person before -- but it is more than that. More than what you and Ernie have said so articulately (and better than I could). Maybe it is simple: they're just cool.

 

[TankGirl]

This is such a simple yet loaded question!

All I have to say is that I have three tanks upstairs and three tanks downstairs, all with plants, and all having widely different requirements and problems - all for different reasons - so it is quite a job to meet the different needs and see the plants flourish. The plants are like fish in that you watch them and react to their needs, and scratch your head and do more research when things don't go like you want.

When my SW friends come over and question me about my setups, trying to feel superior because they are keeping reef tanks, I update them on why the plants are pearling, or why they are not, and what I have to test for in each setup, room by room, their eyes widen and they realize that I do every bit as much work on my more "persnickety" setups as they do, if not more, lol. I'll bet there are more than a few SW reef keepers who think they are the only ones who know the meaning of the word "dose" when it applies to fishkeeping.

The payoff is when my kids or my husband, who are all somewhat desensitized to the whole aquarium thing (let's call them jaded ) remark to me at how good the plants look, and how healthy the tank looks - that's worth all of the struggle. It is an art and I am happy to say I am still learning, and that is a huge part of the fun.