Live or fake plants?

[aaw1218]

I am starting a 20 gallon aquarium, i am broke so i couldnt afford good lighting. I have heard that live plants need at least LED lighting/good quality lighting. I plan to put 1 mystery snail, 1 betta, and a pleco. Should I go for fake plants, they would also be easier on my budget.

 

[Fresh2o]

Nothing wrong with fake plants. You can't kill them. Putting a pleco in a 20g would be more of a problem (assuming it is a common pleco).


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[rlederer]

I am starting a 20 gallon aquarium, i am broke so i couldnt afford good lighting. I have heard that live plants need at least LED lighting/good quality lighting. I plan to put 1 mystery snail, 1 betta, and a pleco. Should I go for fake plants, they would also be easier on my budget.

Plastic plants are ok and certainly cheaper, but they look cheaper as well and they get covered with algae eventually. You can get low light needing live plants. Some fish like to nibble on them. Makes for a nicer tank, IMHO.
I'd also stock the tank with a dozen barbs or tetras or a group of other fish rather than one betta and one catfish and one snail. A group of fish are more attractive and lively.

 

[mPhish]

I love live plants, but plastic is totally fine. Maybe you could have a betta and some neons or similar small schooling fish, as the person above said, more schooling fish look really nice. I love bettas, so i think that's a great choice. and, yeah, a common pleco can get really big, like a foot, so that is probably not the best choice for an algae eater in your tank. Cory cats are cute and they school too.

 

[Coursair]

You can grow easy live plants under almost any light.
Java Ferns
Anubias
Crypts are all low light plants.

Crypts like a fert tab near their roots every few months.

If you want a Betta you would get silk plants if you go fake. Cheap plastic plants can snag or tear their fins.

This was my last 10g Betta tank. I was perfectly happy with just him

I have used screw in mini CFLs, you can use a T8 fluorescent, LEDs are just the newest and most energy efficient. But for plants, the better LED fixtures do get expensive. You can use 2-3 clamp light fixtures with 6,500K CFLs if you want really cheap.


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