How many of you use plastic...

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pondmom

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 5, 2002
Messages
267
Location
Minneapolis, MN / Las Vegas,NV
Plants in your aquariums?
I'm still debating over live or plastic.
I don't want to invest a lot of $$ in live plants to just have them die on me.
I found a "very" cheap place that sells plastic plants online(dirt cheap)
Please give me advice :)
Thanks
 
I used to use only plastic plants until I realized how forehead-slappingly easy and beneficial it is to have real plants.

You don't need to have col Co2 diffusers and stuff, in fact I just usually buy the dry freshwater plant bulbs (you can even get them from Wal Mart)and give them to my kids and ask them to throw em in. How much easier can you get than that.

I still have plastic plants in my FW tanks just for the heck of it. But with a little pinch of fish poop, some plant bulbs, and some warm water and light, you're on your way to growing some fine live plants for a very low cost.

Of course, don't actually pinch the fish poop that was just a figurative thing. :wink:
 
What kind of fish in the tank? Some fish will destroy live plants.
 
be wary of the very cheapest of plastic plants, for often their coloration and design are painted on, and after a few cleanings, you'll be left with the stark white/gray of the plastics' natural color.

if that is your pond pictured on your account info, then I must say you have a good talent for gardening.

gardening underwater is no more difficult than gardening above it, but it follows a different set of rules. of course, investing in the tools to accomplish the results you desire may be expensive, but there is also a lot of new information on more natural means on aquatic gardening, which do not rely on expensive lighting, fertilizer or fancy equipment.

Diane walstad's "ecology of a planted aquarium" has some very intriquing ideas, but I'm not sure I trust myself enough to allow nature to take it's course in my aquarium, so I have to save my pennies and rely on technology to bend nature to my will ;)
 
Live plants can be a pain; you'll need to do some research to be sure the plants will survive with your parameters. And be sure your fish won't dig em up anyway LOL goldfish are notorious for diggin em up, as are a number of cichlids.

Flip side is, they look great and are wonderful for helping to keep water parameters in check, as they use nitrogenous waste as food.
 
I do - for some tanks

Where the fish would otherwise daily mow down live plants - like my goldfish tank. I know some people use live plants with goldfish and just plant some tender, choice plants for them to eat, hoping they'll stay away from the others. I don't have the time or inclination to replant daily though, so the goldies get plastic.
 
I am lazzzy so I have plastic plants. If you decide to go the plastic route, my two cents of advice would be:

1) Splurge a little more for the nicer ones that aren't so stiff, so they move more naturally in the water.
2) Go for the natural looking ones, not the ones that are bright pink or purple; if you want color there are various shades of greens, browns and deep reds.
3) Like justDIY said, make sure the plants' colors aren't painted on.

Good luck!
 
I've used live and plastic plants in my tanks at one time or another depending on the tanks piscine inhabitants. Obviously it isn't in the plant's best interest to be put into an aquarium with a notorious plant uprooter (cichlids) or a dyed-in-the-wool plant muncher (think Tinfoil Barb) so in the past my tanks with those types of fish contained plastic plants.

My old pride and joy 450gal Congo River tank, on the other hand, was heavily planted with live plants (mostly Aponogetons) because the fish in the tank (Polypterus, Erpetoichthys, Ctenopomas and Congo Tetras) liked the cover and weren't interested in eating the plants.

The only tank I have right now has a combination of live and plastic plants. I've got the beginnings of a nice stand of Java Fern and a rapidly growing Aponogeton ulvaceus as the centerpiece. I've got a few natural-looking clusters of plastic Anacharis in the corners just to round things out. I'll probably replace them eventually.
 
I don't want to get into pruning, lighting, CO etc. It's bad enough that I have to stop by the store for RO water, I'm trying to keep it simple so it doesn't get old or to be a real pain. When I restarted up my awuarium recently, I tried for a more natural look. While I'll never get better than nature, I'm happy with the results.

That said, I think I'm going to try floating Hornwort or Foxtail, which are allegedly easy, so that I can diffuse my light more, and get the benefits that live plants do provide. Pics of my fake tank in my gallery.
 
You can always mix and match. Some live plants are no work at all. Java Fern grows on the slow side, needs low light and very little care. Just stick the roots in the gravela nd walk away. It will use up a lot of the nitrates in the tank and help keep the water cleaner longer. Occasionaly a leaf will die and you can remove it. Thats about it. And it even makes new little plants for you occasionaly.

I prefer the silky plants though as the plastic plants can have rough edges that snag fins. Bettas shouldn't be kept with plastic plants.
 
I started out with a couple little plastic plants, and I too was leery about putting in extra work for live plants. My solution was silk plants! They look better than plastic, come in many shapes, sizes and colours, and move well in the water. I have a few small fish who love to hang out in them.
 
I got some of those aponogeton bulbs at Wal-Mart. They are pretty simple to grow and care for. The only work that I have to do is occasionally cut off the flower-like things. They grow to the top of the tank and then fall over and I think they look kind of ugly that way. It seems that they grow right back though.

I also got a live anacharis from Pet Smart for a betta tank, but it kind of died on me. I was able to save a couple of small pieces and put them in my 10 gallon and one of them has another piece larger than it growing from it now. So they seem to be another easy plant to take care of as I have to do nothing to them.

I don't like the look of artificial plants at all and I try to keep my tanks as natural as possible personally. Not to mention I know that the plants help keep the tanks clean. In my 10 gal before I had plants, the water would get cloudy quite often. Now with some plants it never gets cloudy, and in fact the water sparkles.
 
tkos said:
I prefer the silky plants though as the plastic plants can have rough edges that snag fins. Bettas shouldn't be kept with plastic plants.

I'm just going to reiterate what tkos said. Somebody gave me this tip when looking for fake plants for my goldfish tank (since they chow on live plants) and I'm very thankful I didn't spend money on those heavy plastic plants. I got the cloth ones so they don't rip Monster's long, pretty fins :]
 
WOW~
Such wonderful advice :) Thanks.

My tank has 3 Angels, 6 Gourami's, 2 Pleco's, 2 catfish and a tetra of some sort.
My problem with live plants is that my setup is "custom made" and space ontop of the unit is "very" limited for lighting. It's also 71" from floor to top of hood. The tank alone is 24" high. I have to use a step ladder to clean the tank and my arms arn't the longest :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
The plants are called " Tetra second nature" (are these good?)
6" are .99
9" are $1.39
12" are $2.29
15" are $2.89
18" are $3.69
Hope this helps. Let me know if these are ok to use.
As always~ Thanks!!

PS~JustDIY~ YES, that is my pond. It's also a very relaxing hobby. I do enjoy it very much.
Thanks for the nice comment.
 
i have a mix of both fake and live plants. i hope to have all live plants eventually but it is hard. i really would like some java fern that everyone in here raves about but i can't find it anywhere neer me. i have had great luck with hornwart and my guppies love it. the tetras seem to like the other planted plants in the tank and go down under cover as soon as something else larger then them comes neer. but with a light mix it gives you the ability to have plants in there for people who aren't helping to look at but you can also have real ones in there for yourself and if some of the real ones die the tank doesn't look bare.
 
I am definately a fan of live plants because hey are natural for fish which helps reduce stress, they are self filters eating away some baddies here and there, they aren;t that hard to take care of, and if you doyour research hey won't typically die on you. They also make the hoby fun for me, I hate it when there is nothing that needs to be done with the tank, and plus there are plants for all types of enviroments. As of right now I have just constructed a DIY canopy (will post pics in my profile later today) that only had a 65 watt compact flo in it (another DIY project). Java ferns and all sorta will be in my tank (little maintenance and require any light you can give them), that and they can even be backish :wink: - But yeah deifnately live plants.. I'll go back to my hole now :mrgreen:
 
I have a mix. Some Amazon swords and some fake. It's my first crack at live, previous tank was cichlids, so it's a starting point. If they do well I know I'll be getting more and getting better lights.

Then, if she who must be obeyed lets me, I'll probably need a bigger tank too.
 
I think ultimately if your goal is a natural looking aquarium then you'll never be satisfied with artificial plants. Fake plants, no matter how good the quality, always look fake. There are plenty of "easy" types of plants out there that look terrific, do not require expensive lighting, co2, maintenance, and are relatively inexpensive. I personally love java ferns and anubias, as they do not require to actually be planted. Instead you can tie them to driftwood or rocks, or in even better cases you can just wedge them into little crevices and in time their roots take hold. Anubias are also pretty slow growers so you don't have to really worry much about trimming, plus they come in a nice variety of sizes and shapes. You can buy pretty decent size anubias plants for just a few dollars too. Take the plunge with low-light plants! It's worth it!
 
Umm this thread is 9 years old guys lol I hope they have this figured out by now
 
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