Pros And Cons About Fake Plants And Real Plants?

ive been trying to decide on getting real plants for my 45 gallon because then fins won't be ripped but then I saw how much algae can affect it, does anyone have pros and cons?

 

ive been trying to decide on getting real plants for my 45 gallon because then fins won't be ripped but then I saw how much algae can affect it, does anyone have pros and cons?

Pros are extra filtration and can outcompete algae

Cons, more work

 

Pro are that oxygen is produced by live plants, they look nice when kept well, they are more natural, fish like them. Cons are that they require proper lighting and fertilization. They can also become expensive if you use CO2 injection or buy more advanced plants (which I wouldn’t suggest to start off)

 

Pros are extra filtration and can outcompete algae

Cons, more work

would algae eaters do the job?

Pro are that oxygen is produced by live plants, they look nice when kept well, they are more natural, fish like them. Cons are that they require proper lighting and fertilization. They can also become expensive if you use CO2 injection or buy more advanced plants (which I wouldn’t suggest to start off)

what type of lights
EDIT: and fertililzation

 

The lights that came with my tank hood are just fine.

 

The lights that came with my tank hood are just fine.

some fish do nip the plants right? which ones don't?

 

Plastic plants, I've got lots of old plastic plants from when I first started out. They fade in color then get nasty and brittle then fall apart over time. They're rough and rather ugly IMO. I only use them in quarantine and my African cichlid tank. At least the fish can't eat them and they offer cover right from the get-go.

Real plants: more natural look and fish behave better. They remove organic waste and often allow you to over stock a tank because of it. They don't rip fins, offer natural cover and they constantly grow and you can propagate them. Cons, it takes a little more work, a fair amount of research, better light and depending on the plants they may need liquid and/or root fertilizers. Plants can get eaten, uprooted or they can die off causing issues if not cared for properly.

 

Most don’t... what we’re you looking to get

 

would algae eaters do the job?


what type of lights
EDIT: and fertililzation

Most likely not

And it depends on the plants

Some plants have higher lighting needs, finnex has some decent entry level lights for lower demanding plants you can find at good prices

I use thrive for ferts and I also build my substrate for plants, if it matters to you I will never have a tank that doesn’t have plants in it again

 

Plastic plants, I've got lots of old plastic plants from when I first started out. They fade in color then get nasty and brittle then fall apart over time. They're rough and rather ugly IMO. I only use them in quarantine and my African cichlid tank. At least the fish can't eat them and they offer cover right from the get-go.

Real plants: more natural look and fish behave better. They remove organic waste and often allow you to over stock a tank because of it. They don't rip fins, offer natural cover and they constantly grow and you can propagate them. Cons, it takes a little more work, a fair amount of research, better light and depending on the plants they may need liquid and/or root fertilizers. Plants can get eaten, uprooted or they can die off causing issues if not cared for properly.

what kind of work? algae fish sometimes do the job, right? which one would you suggest?

Most don’t... what we’re you looking to get

cardinal tetras and/or neon tetras, kuhlI loaches, etc. etc.
i've been thinking of angelfish but it would cause problems

Most likely not

And it depends on the plants

Some plants have higher lighting needs, finnex has some decent entry level lights for lower demanding plants you can find at good prices

I use thrive for ferts and I also build my substrate for plants, if it matters to you I will never have a tank that doesn’t have plants in it again

how deep does the fertilizer have to be?

 

Those fish don’t pose a problem

 

The BEST thing about fake plant's is that they NEVER die on you!!! LOL!!!

 

I would real plants, my all-in-one light works fine, but I would recommend getting a better light if you have some cash.
Pros: Live plants will suffocate algae a lot better than "algae eaters". They look natural, they help with bio filtration, and will produce oxygen.
Cons: You should buy liquid and root ferts, I use flourish. Mine are a bit of a pain to get submerged, but it's not too much of a bother.
I have an angel with plants and he does fine.

 

[QUOTE="Xionitex, post: 3960605, member: 109197"

how deep does the fertilizer have to be?[/QUOTE]

I usually do an 1” of eco complete or flourite, mixed with crushed lava rock and use the ADA substrate additive line

I cap that with 1” of eco complete

Then I cap off with .5”-1” of sand or aquasoil

That’s what I prefer now, many people have different success with pool filter sand and root tabs or other substrates, it’s all person preference at that point

 

Algae eaters are not meant for keeping algae off your tank surfaces. If you are having major algae problems then that's something you need to fix, not the fish. Yes fish like bristlenose plecos, otos, and shrimp will eat algae and help clean it up but you should never rely on an animal to keep the tank clean. You'd have to feed your "cleaner" fish just like any other too. In pretty much all my tanks I do have fish like shirmp, snails and/or plecos but I have them because I want them, not to eat the algae (what little there is).

As for what fish will eat plants, you'd need to research the species you want to find out for sure. Lots of cichlids will eat and/or dig so certain plants won't do well with them.

Also keep in mind that some plants are floating, some are planted in the substrate, some simply need to be attached to wood or rock. Research the types of plants you may want and look for the requirements for them.

The things to remember when planting a tank: substrate and lighting are the two most important things to start with.

 

I have a bunch of anacharis in all my tanks (29, 10, and 5) and they grow grow grow! I've been clipping out the outgrowth and they can then have outgrowth and so on. Fish also eat them too sometimes. I stopped planting them and let them free float (and they seem to propogate far more than when I had them in substrate).

 

Depends how much work you want to put in. As noted plastic will look bad over time and are usually tacky looking. There are great options out there tho. I personally prefer using clay pots and such. Kids get to break them into shapes and such. Real plants are fun. But can introduce a whole new host of ways for your tank to fail.

Hope I helped

 

Those fish don’t pose a problem

Thank you

The BEST thing about fake plant's is that they NEVER die on you!!! LOL!!!

Lol

Algae eaters are not meant for keeping algae off your tank surfaces. If you are having major algae problems then that's something you need to fix, not the fish. Yes fish like bristlenose plecos, otos, and shrimp will eat algae and help clean it up but you should never rely on an animal to keep the tank clean. You'd have to feed your "cleaner" fish just like any other too. In pretty much all my tanks I do have fish like shirmp, snails and/or plecos but I have them because I want them, not to eat the algae (what little there is).

As for what fish will eat plants, you'd need to research the species you want to find out for sure. Lots of cichlids will eat and/or dig so certain plants won't do well with them.

Also keep in mind that some plants are floating, some are planted in the substrate, some simply need to be attached to wood or rock. Research the types of plants you may want and look for the requirements for them.

The things to remember when planting a tank: substrate and lighting are the two most important things to start with.

Thanks, I got this noted, do you suggest any foods I can get for the algae eaters?

I have a bunch of anacharis in all my tanks (29, 10, and 5) and they grow grow grow! I've been clipping out the outgrowth and they can then have outgrowth and so on. Fish also eat them too sometimes. I stopped planting them and let them free float (and they seem to propogate far more than when I had them in substrate).

Do they nip at the roots?

Depends how much work you want to put in. As noted plastic will look bad over time and are usually tacky looking. There are great options out there tho. I personally prefer using clay pots and such. Kids get to break them into shapes and such. Real plants are fun. But can introduce a whole new host of ways for your tank to fail.

Hope I helped

Fail in what ways?

 

Pros And Cons About Fake Plants And Real Plants?

Fake plants
Pro
Will get back to you on that.

Con
They do not look as nice.
They do nothing for water quality.

Real plants

Pro
They do wonders for water quality
they look great.

Cons
There are none that I can see.

 

Fake plants
Pro
Will get back to you on that.

Con
They do not look as nice.
They do nothing for water quality.

Real plants

Pro
They do wonders for water quality
they look great.

Cons
There are none that I can see.

fake plants cause damage to the fins of the fish and real plants are really hard to keep (more effort and time)