Live Plants vs Hiding Caves, Hollow Logs, etc.

[HopefulHobbiest]

Is it better to have more live plants or decor in a tank? i have a 55G tank with several fish in it and I have two bubbler decor pieces, a hollow log a cave and two fake plants. along with that I have two small live plants but i don't remember the name of one of them and the other i think is an amazon sword leaf or something like that...


but my real question is which is better to have, more plants or more decor?

 

[Samzter]

I personally say plants.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

thats what I was thinking... I may remove the cave and the two fake plants but leave the log and bubblers and add serval more live plants varying in size...


although I hate to ask the stupid question but I'd rather ask and look like a fool then not know at all... do live plants provide any benefit in a tank aside from hiding spots?

 

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

Live plants help maintain water quality they feed off of waste and nitrates they also add some oxygen to the tank. So yes live plants do benefit your tank. Let's see a picture of what you have maybe we can help.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

I'd be happy to post a pic, sadly I'm at work for a few more hours... I can add a pic after work if you'd like...

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

also i was wondering what chemicals the live plants keep balanced... my assumption would be all of them but i want to make sure 100%

 

[LyndaB]

but my real question is which is better to have, more plants or more decor?

It depends entirely on the species you are keeping in this tank. Some benefit by having a planted tank, some by having hidey holes.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

very true, i'm still trying to figure out what to do with the cave but i know i'm going to pull out the two fake plants and add real ones in there place, plus a few more

 

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

I think the cave may be ok to stay just add some driftwood and live plants around to make it look real.

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

plants i can get from petsmart, but where would i find driftwood??

 

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

You can order some online I suggest manzanita driftwood. Try theplantedaquariumstore.com

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

awesome, i'll start looking now so when payday comes around i can just buy the one i want/need.

i greatly appreciate everyones input/advice

 

[maxwellag]

IMO it is best to have both hidey holes/caves and plants. Different species do best with different layouts, so you could also choose your scaping material based on how you stock the tank. Usually the goal is to make the tank as close to the natural habitat of the stocking as possible.

 

[bud29]

You could get mopani wood from petsmart, mine looks great. You can get a piece for 7 bucks. The only bad thing IMO about mopani is that it has so many tannins. I had to boil and soak mine for quite a while before it was tank ready.

 

[shellieca]

IMO, it's good to have both. I have more plants than decorations but my decorations are mostly natural looking & cave like so they give my fish places to hide if they want to. I love watching them weave their way through the plants. Although its kind of creepy to see my one fish lurking in the opening of the one structure all you'll see is her just barely sticking out. LOL

 

[hpiguy]

A combination of everything is what I prefer.

I use real driftwood and fake driftwood. A combination of fake plants and real plants too. In fact, I stock my entire tank with fake plants (silk and plastic) to begin with and start swapping in real ones as I go. I never have to look at an empty tank that way. As things grow, more fake stuff comes out. Some of it stays forever, like silk red-leafed plants, as I don't keep my lighting high enough for those.

If done tastefully and a bit of planning, you can really make a tank shine and look natural.

 

[Tetra1990]

I completely agree. Depending on your type of fish stock, find a good balance of plants and hiding spots. And ditch the fake plants. They are just tacky, unless you have fish that will eat your plants.

 

[hpiguy]

And ditch the fake plants. They are just tacky, unless you have fish that will eat your plants.

Tell me more about this "tackyness"..... I'm very interested.

 

[shellieca]

Tell me more about this "tackyness"..... I'm very interested.

I'm with you. If they're done right they look great!

 

[HopefulHobbiest]

Very very nice, your setup looks amazing. I do favor the live plant route a little more but that tank looks amazing