Live Plants Vs. Artificial

[ddnomore]

I have been searching the forum and can't seem to find a topic that answers my questions. I don't think I understand how you make the decision on which is better or which you would rather have...live or artificial plants. I have a freshwater tank. 16 gallons bowfront. Can someone share the pros and cons with me or direct me to a topic on the site?

 

[Tropical_Noobie]

I have been searching the forum and can't seem to find a topic that answers my questions. I don't think I understand how you make the decision on which is better or which you would rather have...live or artificial plants. I have a freshwater tank. 16 gallons bowfront. Can someone share the pros and cons with me or direct me to a topic on the site?

Hi,

There is a Plant section on this forum just incase you never knew? Live plants I belive have pro's and con's.

Clint.

 

[ddnomore]

I have been searching the forum and can't seem to find a topic that answers my questions. I don't think I understand how you make the decision on which is better or which you would rather have...live or artificial plants. I have a freshwater tank. 16 gallons bowfront. Can someone share the pros and cons with me or direct me to a topic on the site?

Hi,

There is a Plant section on this forum just incase you never knew? Live plants I belive have pro's and con's.

I found one that listed several species discussions, but they didn't seem to discuss what to consider in making the decision to go live or not. It is an excellent source of information to assist in choosing which live plants you want to use, however. I don't know. Maybe I am just tired and not seeing it. I'll keep looking. thanks!

Clint.

 

[chrisbassist]

Ok, live plants:
look better
use up some of the nitrogen in the water, making it safer for fish
will spread to cover larger areas making them cheaper.
Provide nicer hiding places for fish
fish may clean algae off them

fake plants,
look fake
are often too dense for fish to swim in them properly
don't require any real maintenance
don't require fertilizers
don't require carbon dioxide
have no light requirements

put simply, live plants look better, can end up cheaper, and will be more appreciated by fish. But they are another form of life which can require just as much care as the fish.

 

[Mikaila31]

Plastic pros- don't die, can look cool, come in psychedelic colors, and can be moved around on a wim, don't require any care.
plastic cons- don't grow, need to be cleaned sometimes, kinda sharp IMO, eventually fad or start breaking up, expensive.

Live pros- Grow, remove nitrates, oxygenate the water, are not stiff, provide better shelter, more natural.
live cons- can die, require care/special needs, don't like being moved around.

 

[Twinklecaz]

Every truly stunning aquarium I have ever seen has had live plants!

 

[fish nutter]

live plants are better long term

 

[OohFeeshy]

If you get the right types of plant they don't usually need any more maintenance than plastic. Moss, crypts, anubias, java fern, for example, are all low light plants that are pretty much bullet proof.

 

[stoneagedinosaur]

I have a mix - real looks nice - really rich colours, grows, are sympathetic with the environment and are fun to trim and re-grow.

Artificial is always there, clumps densely which makes it good for hiding hardware (but you can tell they aren't real)

All down to what you like the look of really

 

[karin]

Live plants are also, like Waterdrop says, the other part of the puzzle in fish keeping. It is fun and challenging to figure out what plants work with your set up (e.g. lighting, fish, substrate, etc) and how to aquascape and how you can use them as part of the biofilter. If you like challenges and the rewards that come with that, then live plants. If you just care about fish and could care less about the plants, then plastic.

 

[chrisbassist]

Well actually, if you care about the fish, and they have plants in their natural habitat then it's nice to put the plants in for their sake.

 

[ddnomore]

Well actually, if you care about the fish, and they have plants in their natural habitat then it's nice to put the plants in for their sake.

Thank you so much everyone for your input. It has really cleared up my confusion.

A couple of more questions (probably no brainers, but....)

Do you have to have a special substrate for them to root in? (I didn't see much info on that in the plant index)

Do they increase the bioload? i.e. should I address filter issues if I add plants?

Thank you all so much! I am leaving the realm of confusion and re-entering fin-aticism!

Ok. Found the info on the substrate. I just have question #2 now.

 

[chrisbassist]

A dying plant will release ammonia, but a healthy plant will actually feed on nitrogen in the tank. In a fully mature tank that means you might get nitrates to 0. And if it's heavily planted and lightly stocked it's possible to get away without running a filter at all, since they will feed on the ammonia. Although I wouldn't advise that if you're not good with plants. So if your plants are healthy, no, they won't increase bioload, in fact they will decrease it.

As for substrate, I'm sure you've already figured out, you can plant straight into gravel or sand, but the other plant substrates contain nutrients for plants. Some plants you CSM just tie or even superglue to rocks or wood, no substrate involved.

 

[waterdrop]

Lots of good advice in this thread. Chris has covered the "crossover" topic well, ie. that when plants are growing and healthy, they are a help to the water chemistry and thus a help to the fish. When they are struggling and dying they can reverse and become a large producer of debris, leading to ammonia.

I think the crossover topic is difficult both for beginners and for those of us in the beginners section trying to help each other. The factors that promote healthy plants in a given tank are many and varied. If we have success with plants it can be hard to imagine how difficult they can be for those not having success and if we are having trouble with them it can be hard to imagine that they can be easy. This can lead to mismatches in the given and received advice. Success or failure can seem rather sudden with plants. I guess part of what this means is that beginners should plan to be open to trying live plants regardless of what they hear, as people's experiences with plants vary greatly.

Live plants are certainly capable of taking the naturalness of an aquascape to the next level. Crystal clear water, healthy green plants, natural wood and stone and vibrant fish are all contributors of visual elements that can make an aquarium give a home living space some excitement. That a really good planted tank can be breathtaking can not be overstated I think. As hard as we humans try with our plastic and silk imitations, we are all very expert at figuring out that something isn't real.

There are wonderful aquascapes that are nothing but hardscape (substrate and stone for instance.) There are tanks where the fun is found in color and humor. There are tanks where artificial plants or backgrounds are used well with live plants and of course there are natural aquariums with different levels of commitment to the planted tank side of the hobby. There is no right or wrong, just various sets of acquired information and know-how to be used in service to everyone's unlimited creativity.

Personally, I stand in awe of the vibrant healthy fish many of our members know how to keep, and also of the beautiful aquascapes people come up with. But the planted side of the hobby is right up there with these other two as a creative outlet and rewarding area of tank-keeping activity that I think every beginner should consider aspiring to at some point during their stay.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[gbailey141]

Very well written WD. I originaly used plastic plants but found them a pain to clean and they just didn't look right. Found a bunch of 25 cuttings of various plants on e-bay for £5 and a month later my aquarium is now blooming with lush green plants. All I have added extra is some plant feed. All in all not that expensive and the rewards I believe to be excellent. I would say go for it and have fun doing it.

Gav