Live Or Plastic Plants?

[Jed67]

Hi again
Should i have live or plastic plants??
I think i would prefer live as i think they look better but hey i am new and need to learn
Thanks
Jed

 

[highfire]

Well, it really depends on what sort of fish you have. If they are likely to eat live plants then either go for plastic or try live plants that have leaves that don't lend themselves to nibbling!
Personally I much prefer live plants. When I upgraded my tank a few months ago I switched from plastic to live and have been really pleased with the way things look now.
Also, live plants all contribute to the healthy set up of the tank.

 

[Fwapp]

Have a look in the planted tanks section. you'll see to lovely tanks to give inspiration, and you'll get loads of advice!

Real plants (if you can) all the way!

 

[mark.w.jones]

Be really careful about what live plants you get. I had to completely strip out 75% of mine recently cos it got so overgrown and all my mineral levels etc. went all over the place. I also bought a few plants that just didnt suit the conditions of my tank which just grdually wasted away and died. Check out the beginners plant link in my sig. for bomb proof plants and also the plant guide on this website has a link for very easy to grow plants:

http/www.plantgeek.net/

 

[Boxa]

If you do go with live plants don't get the cheap £1.50 ones you find in most Aquarium shops as they turn the water green and die within a month, Java moss is good if you have small fish they can then hide in it and it more or less grows in any conditions but you need to watch it as it can outgrow the tank.

 

[andywg]

It depends on your stance on fish keeping. If you prize the fish you keep and want the more interesting and larger ones then you will be better with plastic.

If you don't mind lower stocking levels and smaller fish then go for live plants.

 

[dgwebster]

im currently in this dilemma myself.

having had my fish tank with fish for 9 months, MTS hit. i now have 4 tanks going and just moved the fish from my 20 gallon to the 47 gallon as a simple way to move home too.

my new tank is now faced withthe issue - live or fake. the only reason I question is i had no plants from the 20 gallon left, the dwarf gourami stripped them all for a flaming bubble nest.

So I shopped around.

Previously, a woman 25 miles from me supplied plants dirt cheap (I got about 200 plants for less than £20) and they were in extrmely good condition.

Fake plants were costing (decent ones) about that for 10 plants.

I decided at that price, I would rather go for real plants as they offer greater benefits over fake plants, look better and if I have to spend £10-£20 every three months replacing some of them that I love (because my favourites are also the gouramis) then so be it, a not so major cost that also means my tank gets a redecoration every few months or so.

 

[Jed67]

Hi there,
Thanks for all the great replies
I have only 7 days to decide what i am going to do as i get my tank in 7 days time (cant wait)
I am leaning towards live plants and as i don't have anything yet i can get my fish and plants to suit each other (i am hoping my shop will be able to help with this)
I hope this is not a dumb question but hey i am really new at this
When i cycle my new tank (yes i learnt all about that this week ) do i have my plants in the tank
Thanks again
Jed

 

[Boxa]

Previously, a woman 25 miles from me supplied plants dirt cheap (I got about 200 plants for less than £20) and they were in extrmely good condition.

Being that cheap though do they mess the water colour up like that of the cheap ones found in shops?

I hope this is not a dumb question but hey i am really new at this
When i cycle my new tank (yes i learnt all about that this week ) do i have my plants in the tank
Thanks again
Jed

You can but they wont live as long as they would if you put them in a fully cycled tank, best of waiting for it to cycle unless you intend to add plants that can live in any conditions, Check ebay out for Java Moss or Marimo Moss.

 

[Creature Seeker]

If you do go with live plants don't get the cheap £1.50 ones you find in most Aquarium shops as they turn the water green and die within a month, Java moss is good if you have small fish they can then hide in it and it more or less grows in any conditions but you need to watch it as it can outgrow the tank.

So where can you get better plants? Fish stores only seem to stock the £1.50 plants.

...

 

[Boxa]

Well that is true as most of the ones round here only stock the cheap bargain bucket plants, you could try Ebay as they seem to have some decent ones on there and not too badly priced, you could also try finding a specialist or just a few randoms, I find a good one but its down in Hastings which isn't too far but an hour drive just for plants..well its getting annoying now so my next tank is going to just have some Java Moss.

Of course there is nothing wrong with cheap plants just depends how much you value keeping the water clear, it used to keep annoying me seeing my tank look pee colour

Try http/stores.ebay.co.uk/ABBEYMERE-WATER-GARDENS She does some decent plants and also sells Mussels which are great and funny little things for the tank.