Are real plants hard to look after?

[Foley_chcc]

I have got some plastic plants in my tank at moment and I was wondering as I am new to fish keeping are they hard to maintain?

 

[rvm]

No, not really. depends on the type of plant you go for. I don't know any of the names, but I get the ones I like the look of. If they do well, I keep them, if not, I get others that do. Bit of trial and error really!!! I don't have any plastic plants in any of my tanks now (although I may have to get some for my Severum tank as he tears real ones to shreds!!) and they look much better, and the fish like them better as well (I think!!!)

 

[Foley_chcc]

Do the fish mind when you put ur hands in to plant them?

 

[rvm]

No, sometimes it may take a bit of time for the fish to get used to your hand, and make sure they are clean and free of any soap. But I have my hands in my tanks loads, whether it is to plant (or replant) plants, clean the tanks or hand feed the fish, and they don't mind. Most of my fish will come and swim straight to my hand as soon as they see it cos they think it's got food in it!!!

 

[yhbae]

Get yourself java ferns - they attache to stones easily hence you don't even need to plant them. Plus they thrive under low light condition and are very hardy. Since they taste terrible (don't ask me how I found out! ) most fishes don't eat them either...

Plant from heaven for novice aquarist...

 

[yhbae]

Oh try clicking on the 25g tank link in my signature if you want to see what they are like. The ones near the bottom and on top of the wood are java ferns.

 

[MRshouty]

Java ferns are cool like yhbae said but kind of expensive.

Depenending on what kind of plants you get when you first put them in they gte leaves EVERYWHERE!

My white clouds don't really mind when I put my hand in but my platies do if it's in there for a while they eventually come over to see if it has food.

 

[yhbae]

Expensive? I must be lucky, as I bought a handful for $3CA about a year ago, and I ended up with tonnes of them in every tank... Perhaps you can find one relatively cheap in your area too...

 

[Undawada]

Yes, Java ferns are definitely good beginner plants.

for variety you might also consider:

Pennywort (Hydrocotyle leucopetela)

Hygro (Hygrophila salicifolia or Hygrophila stricta)

Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)

Anubia (Anubias barteri var nana or Anubias barteri var barteri )

I included the latin names, some stores sell different plants using multiple names. Try looking up their picture on the internet before you buy, to make sure it's what the name says it is.

The Java Moss is also very bad tasting to fish, and won't get eaten. It's also very dense so it's good if you're considering breeding.

All of these plants are fairly forgiving, and I bought each plant at my LFS for $3 - $5 CDN.

Java Moss can be split into several bunches that will each grow into a full sized bunch. Penny Wort and Hygro can also be propegated by simply cutting off the upper portion and replanting it in the substrate. Java ferns propegate by growing entirely new baby plants on the end of their leaves, which can be trimmed and discarded or replanted. Just buying one of each species and propegating it to fill your tank is cheaper in the long run.

I grow all these species in my 30 (US) gallon tank using only a standard hood with one bulb. (Aqua-Glo 20W 18,000K) and they are doing so well they need frequent pruning. The only things I add to my tap water are dechlor / stress coat mixture, and Plant Gro iron enriched aquatic plant fertilizer. (0.15 - 0 - 0). I don't bother with C02 or anything special and they do just fine.

Basically, if you can afford a very small investment in time when doing your regular water changes to prune dead leaves / excess growth and add a capful of fertilizer, theres usually no more to it.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead with the planting

 

[Undawada]

I got overly enthusiastic and found pictures and info of the plants for you. I'm a geek, I know.

Pennywort link

Hygro Salicifolia

Java Moss

Anubia (nana)

 

[Liliano]

If you are not sure try swopping out the plants one by one. Get used to looking after the one plant before planting more.

Take them out of their pots to plant them as you don't want to mess around trying to cut away the put when the growth is stunted by lack of room for roots.

Ensure you add Aquarium Fertilister to assist in their growth and prune them to stop them taking over your tank.

 

[Kitt_81]

Do the fish mind when you put ur hands in to plant them?

Just to add don't put your hands in the tank if you have any cuts/scratches of any sorts coz it can lead to infections if there's any problems developing within the tank, get someone else to do it for you or wear gloves.

I'm not trying to scare you and its not likely you'll come across it I think it's pretty uncommon but there's a post on the forum somewhere about Fish TB....quite an eye opener! Have a hunt it doesn't hurt to know about it.

Hope all goes well, I have plastic plants as well...I would love to put real plants in but I don't want the critters that sometimes come with them so I stick to plastic.