Is your tank planted, (apart from algae)?

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

"Hey! Here he comes again...lets see if we can flog 'im that jar of aerator bubbles!"

 

[fishyfun&fans]

"Hey! Here he comes again...lets see if we can flog 'im that jar of aerator bubbles!"

I’m waiting for the magic beans to come back in stock!

 

[itiwhetu]

You all know how I voted. I don't need to explain why.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

All of my tanks for the past ten years or so have been heavily planted, low-ish tech tanks. I have plants because I enjoy living things and the interactions between them. The main thing that fascinates me about this hobby is the creation of a miniature ecosystem. Plants are part of that. I like them.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes, all of mine do. (For both aesthetic and filtration reasons)

 

[Byron]

Lower plants to varying degrees depending upon the habitat I am recreating, but regardless, in all tanks floating plants are in my view mandatory. The water quality they provide, plus the real benefit of shading the overhead light which is a much more serious issue for most forest fish than some realize, is why.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

My 1/2 gallon has fake plants, my 3 gallon has fake plants and my 22 gallon has real plants, so my biggest tank has live plants.

 

[itiwhetu]

My one gallon has Cryptocoryne nevillii growing in it and when it flowers I'm going to jump up and down. On another thread I called it Nana but I knew that was wrong so have looked it up. You can only positively identify Crypts when they flower.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Yes, I have plants in every tank. Plants, especially fast growing floating plants are a HUGE benefit in achieving and maintaining high water quality included in my article The Very Best Aquarium Filter. Plants will use ammonia as their source of nitrogen and also take up other nutrients (aka pollution) from the water column. Some plants will even use nitrates.
Now some plants, especially rooted plants down deep in the water, may require more powerful lighting than found in many aquariums where lighting is primarily for fish viewing. But floating plants, because of their distance from the light, do well under nearly any light.
Oh, and even though it's often considered a scourge, ALGAE is just a lower form of plant life that ALSO aids in water purification (Mulm, and Algae, and Snails, Oh My!)
Every aquarium benefits from living plants.
---
Memory lane: There was a time, with the lower level lights that came with the 60g ensemble that I only had plastic plants. Once a month or so they'd get run through the dishwasher with either white vinegar or bleach and they remained pristine...fake...but pristine. But quite frankly, and I'm not aquascaper by any means, but nothing looks more natural and better than a planted tank.

 

[imw]

Planted tank with a number of floating plants - just some seachem flourish added now and again.

ATB

 

[Bruben]

Mines planted but only with plants marked “easy”

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

My one gallon has Cryptocoryne nevillii growing in it and when it flowers I'm going to jump up and down. On another thread I called it Nana but I knew that was wrong so have looked it up. You can only positively identify Crypts when they flower.
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I take it that's where your Oscars live?

 

[fishyfun&fans]

Mines planted but only with plants marked “easy”

Same here

 

[TwoTankAmin]

7 of my 8 community tanks are planted, pleco breeding and grow tanks (12) are not. I did a pressurized co2 added high light tank for about a decade and then gave it up.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Every single of my tanks that I've had have always had live plants some low tech and som high tech as believe to be far more beneficial for a tank to have live plants for a whole range of reasons.

The only time I've ever used fake plants is for my quarantine tanks and I gave fake plants for my neice for her goldfish tank, also gave her the tank as well!