New to aquatic plants

[moneycar]

I'm setting up a 55 gallon tank in the next two weeks, and I'm considering putting live plants in.

The tank will have

2 albino cories
3 emerald cories
1 pleco
(?) angels
and possibly one or two more fish

Do you think it's worth it for me to try to set up live plants in here?

How much additional work is it to have live plants?

 

[Angry_Platy]

The amount of extra work depends on what kind of plants you have as well as lighting etc. If you go for the high lighting option then it is going to be more maintenance as you are going to need to be using carbon dioxide (either DIY or other). Plants grown under such conditions tend to need trimming more often as well. In addition to this the use of carbon dioxide will require that you monitor your pH a lot more closely as CO2 can cause enough pH drop to harm the fish.

Then of course it depends on what plants you choose. If you choose fast growers, which is good for new tanks as it helps prevent algae, you will be trimming a LOT!!!!!!

There is just too much to mention in order to answer yur question properly. I can say that since putting live plants in my tank my fish have never been healthier and the tank never been more clean. Maintenance wise I trim once a week as well as pH checks and topping up my DIY CO2 mixture. Its really not that bad though.

 

[moneycar]

Thanks!

I've heard that live plants are wonderful.

I think at the moment I'm going to hold off...I'm setting up a 55 gallon tank, and I don't think that I have the time to properly set up live plants right now.

I definitly will soon though!