going from plastic to live plants

[jericho]

My aquarium started out with plastic plants only - I didn't want to have to worry about yet more stuff - but now that it's been up and running for a while I'd like to switch to real (low light, low maintenance) plants like Java Fern, Java Moss, Wisteria, etc. Basically plants that can deal with the existing substrate (fine gravel).

Now here's my dilemma: Since I assume that quite a bit of bacteria are sitting on the half dozen fake plants, I'm a bit worried about possibly starting a mini cycle when removing and replacing them with live plants all at once . Needless concern? Or do I need to replace them one at a time, spaced several days apart? I'd rather do it all at the same time, though...

Thanks for your input!

 

[IMCL85]

Wisteria is not consider as low lighting req plants as matter effect I think they req 2-3 watt per gallon of water to grow healthy. I dont know how other do. But I dont use plastic plants at all. So when I put plant in I put them all at once. Just make sure when u bought them from store have them in a bucket of clean water for 12 - 24 hours.

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

yes most plants (live) at the store are ready to go into your tank, i would take it slow to be safe, take out like 2-3 fake, and replace with real, if you have over 6 plants take your time, if not then dont worry about it, just watch the levels of amonia, and nitrite to make sure they are ok, and watch the ph as well.... heck watch all the levels..... lol

but i recomend buying a high wattage bulb and getting a plant bulb, i have made the same decision you have not too long ago, i put in a african sword and micro sword grass, the amazon sword grew and sprouted another so i cut if off and put it next to my driftwood, i currently have 4 dif. plants in my 20 gallon with only one 15 watt light blub runing and i have seen massive growth, although i highly recomend buying another hood with two light strips on it, i should do the same, but cant find one

and dont pay attention to CO2 if you have less then 30 gallons, or if you dont have billions of live plants, just make sure you have enough lighting and good iron subplaments, (liquid fertalizer, and dirt fertalizer work great...)

good luck and always have fun...

 

[@ombomb]

Have a look here: http/www.plantgeek.net/plantguide.php

It has some good info on plants and you can look just at the plants that require low lighting.

 

[jericho]

thanks for the replies!

Let me re-define "low light", though: On the tank 20G in question I currently have 2.5WPG and am not ready to go the high wattage-CO2-required route. I have wisteria in a 2.8WPG setting (different tank!) and it's growing like crazy with no extra help - no ferts, no CO2 - I love it !

BUt my question wasn't really about which plants or lighting requirements, but if I should worry about possibly removing vital amounts of bacteria with the fakies.

 

[nodding_dino]

unless you have an absolute mass of fake plants, I (personally) would not be too worried about losing bacteria by taking them out. If your a little wary of doing it, I would be inclined to take out a few at a time...

 

[houndour]

this is just my opinion but I would have thought that most of the necessary bacteria is in your gravel and filter, so removing your plastic plants shouldnt upset things. But that said I don't want to be responsible for a mini cycle!

 

[Mondego]

don't always look for watts per gallon. i believe it's luminescence that balances the lights/gallons equation.

you can have a 15 watt bulb in a 10 gallon tank and consider it high watt due it's much higher luminescence than when you have 75 watts in a 50 gallon tank. it depends also on where the light is and how deep the water is. if the plant is directly below the light in shallow water, it will grow much easier than if it was angled too far from the bulb (as in the corner of the tank) in deeper water.

 

[FishSticks]

I changed all 75 lbs of substrate in my aquarium 2 months ago and it hasn't been through a mini-cycle. I wouldn't be too worried over plastic plants.

 

[Yenko]

The plastic plants have a small surface area compared to the glass, upper layer of gravel and the biological filter media, I wouldn't worry about it.