Are Planted Tanks Better?

[paul123]

Just wondering are planted tanks better for the fish than unplanted tanks?

and how do you clean planted tanks ?

 

[blodhi74]

Plannted tanks do well for the fish.
They help absorb some harmful agents from the water.
Fish do appreciate it.

Plants also need additional nutrients to grow well.
Planted or non-planted ..... provide a pristine environment for your fish.

 

[Corleone]

My community was originally fake plants. It's been much more stable, particularly with algae growth, since I planted it up. It also gives you something else to channel the constant temptation to add more fish into.

It does depend on your fish - some fish will eat live plants, others will uproot them, or just tear them apart.

 

[rhostog]

I'd definitely recommend real plants. They look good, add interest as they grow, and can help the water quality: nitrate in my tap water is about 25; in my community tank it's less than 5. This is with a basic low tech set-up, no added CO2, standard built-in lighting, feeding once a week with liquid aquarium plant feed.

Cleaning is not a big problem. You gravel vac as usual, just be a bit careful around the roots of the plant. You occasionally need to prune the plants, pull off any dead leaves etc. If you do get algae on the plants, obviously it's harder to clean them than fake plants, but as long as the plants are fed and growing well, you stand a good chance of keeping one step ahead.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

while i do recommend real plants just based on my personal preference i don't think we can say that they are better for the fish, yes the plants will remove some nitrates etc but a good routine of maintenance and effective filtration will work just as well to keep the water conditions healthy.

fish do need some cover, but they really couldn't care less if that's a bright pink sunken shipwreck ornament or real plants and wood.

It just comes down to personal preference of asthetics and maintenance.

It is perfectly possible to run a tank without live plants and the fish to suffer no ill effects, likewise you can go OTT with the plant stuff and jeporidse the fish.

But run correctly both ways works well.