Plastic Or Real

[Raidmeuk]

Basicly with regards to plants which is best Plastic or Real ?

 

[hellohefalump]

I think real is the best because they look better, and they eat up ammonia and nitrates. But you have to research your plants first, or you won't have much luck. If you have a relatively low light tank (what most standard tanks come with), you're not adding CO2 or ferts, then you're best with anubias, java ferns, moss balls and vallis.

If you have high/medium light, CO2 and ferts, then plant whatever you like!

Go over to the plant forum and read the stickies for more detailed info.

 

[Ludwig Venter]

Basicly with regards to plants which is best Plastic or Real ?

Obviously real, but will depend on the type of fish you keep if they'll susvive etc. etc..... But real plants are definitely preferable if you can manage.

 

[Kombat]

I like the look of real better, but switched back to plastic last year. I just couldn't take the constant algae war any longer. So in that regard, my tank looks better since I switched to plastic.

 

[Night61]

i actually prefer silk, easy to maintain and i can rotate new ones when i get bored with the old ones. real plants require more time and effort than the fakes.

i also prefer silks because they look more realistic and they are easier on fish with longer fins too like bettas or guppies. i think they can look just as nice as real and don't look as fake as the cheap plastic plants. please don't omit silk plants from your choice.

 

[andywg]

How long is a piece of string?

It all depends on what you want from the tank. Is your focus on the fish or on the tank as a whole? Do you want to go with heavy filtration and what many here would consider overstocking (2" per gallon and more) or would you like a more green scene?

Then the choice of fish (whether they eat plants or not, whether they heavily burrow or not) will affect your choice.

Ultimately it is up to you. The bias on this board is for planted aquaria, but is by no means the only way.

 

[8inary]

it all depends on the fish you keep - i would love to have real plants, and have tried a few times, however, having got a mixed cichlid tank, the fish just rip apart any real plant i put in there. therefore, i am left with having very good looking silk plants - second best really, but going back to your question, it depends on many things.....including what fish you have

 

[mark.w.jones]

Silk Plants will never create a natural looking tank as well as real plants do. However not every one wants a perfect slice of nature in their front room. Some people own a tank just for the fish and have no plants. Some people own a plant only tank, others are in between. Personally I think real plants offer huge benefits, using up excess nitrogen, reducing algae etc. As long as you pick the correct real plants and follow a few basic bits of advice absolutely anyone can grow them.

 

[tucan]

i have both, real and plastic, but foe some reason, my angel attack the silk ones, so i don't have them anymore.

 

[GShorty1981]

Plastic are cool if you have fish that shred plants ie: Severum,Dollars,Kissing Gouramis.

 

[joshrm115]

Well I per fer the fake but I have a few live as well At my LFS the plants are more then most of the fish so I decided to have fish and not plants but I did manage to get a few plants. There are many pros but there are some cons.

 

[8inary]

to give you an idea about silk plants and further to the comment from jonesyuk, here is a vid of my tank - i dont think it looks too bad and to be fair, its not a bad replacement over real ones, however i do agree real ones would be better.

<a href="http/uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGa8d9L1SY&...re=channel_page" target="_blank">http/uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGa8d9L1SY&...re=channel_page</a>

 

[Monarch]

I've never used real plants...have an African Butterfly fish...it was suggested they like to have floating plants....I work all day, so the only time the light is on in the tank is at night for about 3-4 hours...off when we go to bed...any suggestions...is it really all that necessary, since they are quite the athelete when it comes to the high jump I do have plastic ones in the gravel.

 

[Truck]

real always

 

[8inary]

real always dosent really apply as per the previous comments, and in my case, its impossible to have real. that said, even those who can have real, sometimes opt not too purely to keep the maintenance down.

if i could have real i would, but its not possible