Real Plants V. Fake?

I planted a few plants in my new tank. I've only had it for about 2 weeks. I have one artificial plant in there as well. I really like look of real plants but I worry that they will cause my water to get cloudy or promote algae. Does anyone have experience with both and could give me some pros and cons of each?

 

Plants actually prevent algae growth because their immune systems combat it. They also take in ammonia, nitrate, and CO2 and breathe out oxygen. If you're putting fish in your tank, both fake and real plants will provide hiding spaces and structure (which fish like). Plastic plants will harbor lots of algae over time, so you'll need to manually clean them.
Like I said, real plants can only help. They balance out your tank water really effectively. Their only downside is that they're harder to take care of. You need to get the right plants, research your plant species and make sure they are meant to be fully submerged. Ensure that you're using correct lighting for your plants, you'll have to research different fluorescent/LED setups to grow plants with. Also, add an iron-based fertilizer once or twice a week for the plants. Watch the plants, and trim any browning leaves or stems with scissors and gently wipe any algae growth off manually. Despite the extra work, they really do pay themselves off. I hardly monitor my water levels anymore because my plants take care of everything for me.

 

I bought one of those $20 plant bundles off Amazon that had a variety of plants, stuck them in and they grew like crazy!!!! No special dirt, fertilizer, etc.

I had an algae problem that disappeared and the fish seem super happy despite being overstocked in my opinion.

 

Honestly, you wouldn't go wrong by getting real plants in your tank instead of fake plants.
Real plants fight against algae growth by out competing the algae for nutrients. So algae growth is kept to a minimum if not nothing at all if done correctly. And as others have mentioned above they absorb ammonia/nitrate/co2 and adds more oxygen to your tank.

Plus it will look more natural than that fake stuff.

 

I bought one of those $20 plant bundles off Amazon that had a variety of plants, stuck them in and they grew like crazy!!!!

I keep making the mistake of buying at petstores, and have had low results. Could we get a link to such an item please?

 

I have enjoyed having real plants but it does add to the maintenance and even materials needed to keep the tank going. Even with "low-light" plants, most plants still need other micro-nutrients that you might have to buy in liquid or solid fertilizer form. Of course, those fertilizers still last a while, going for months at a time, but just be aware that it is something you may need for your tank.

You might also like the look of silk plants. They are not necessarily from the aquarium section but you can get a variety for cheaper than actual fake aquarium plants.

Once the plants get established, it is true that you may need to clean the tank less. However, don't use them as a substitute for not doing a good cleaning now and then (or every week, as the case may be for your situation).

 

I had fake plants mixed in with real plants. One of my very realistic looking type of plant had large leaves and was made of some stiff cloth kind of material. It did collect brown gunk over time. And eventually it started releasing it's fibers into the water and made my aquarium look like it was full of dust. The plastic rubbery ones were ok but I still removed them and only kept the real plants. If anything is realeased into the water from the real plants eventually it will fully deteriorate since it's organic, or a fish might even come around and just chomp on these little bits floating around.

The nice thing about the fake plants was they never grew and always stayed where you put them, and if you moved it around you didn't have to be careful about breaking a leaf . But I'm enjoying all real plants much better. more satisfying

 

I've never used any kind of fertilizers. Liquid or tablet. And all of my plants are growing beautifully.

 

I also have real plants in my 10 gallon. It is organic soil on the bottom topped with aquarium gravel. I have had it for over 2 years. The plants grow super well and I don't give them any kind of fertilizer (I think the fish poop probably feeds them). There is one plant called red ludwigia.... when I was at the LFS they only had a small stem left and they gave it to me for free (they told me there wasn't enough of it to sell). That plant has grown like crazy! Every few months I cut the tops off and stick them in another part of the tank.... and now half my tank is covered in healthy ludwigia. I will say that the plants do grow various types of moss and algae... I usually just leave it unless it gets out of control, it looks pretty natural to me.

 

I've never used any kind of fertilizers. Liquid or tablet. And all of my plants are growing beautifully.

Do any of your plants flower? My plants grow really well but they never flower. One of my anubias was flowering when I got it but has not flowered since.

 

I have one tank that is half planted and half fake. The rasboras like hanging out behind the big fake plant.

Our 20 gallon is all plants and showing some die off after about a week of just having root tabs plus the full spectrum light (Current USA Satellite LED +).

 

Ill be switching to real plants in two weeks. I have all plastic and the more I read, the more I am sure about live plants.

I also have a high nitrate problem because my tap comes out at 20ppm, so combined with my fish, I can't get my tank below 40ppm. Live plants will help with that by using some of the nitrates for growth.

So yeah, to add to everyone's comments. Live over Fake all the time.

 

I keep making the mistake of buying at petstores, and have had low results. Could we get a link to such an item please?

15 Live Aquarium Plants / 7 Different Kinds - Amazon Sword, Java Fern, Egeria and much more! Great plant sampler for 4-5 gal. mini- tanks!


Here's the dude I got them from, not the exact bundle though. All the plants I got are thriving!

 

15 Live Aquarium Plants / 7 Different Kinds - Amazon Sword, Java Fern, Egeria and much more! Great plant sampler for 4-5 gal. mini- tanks!


Here's the dude I got them from, not the exact bundle though. All the plants I got are thriving![/QU

 

old car Scott - how is your water so crystal clear? My plants are thriving, my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are spot on, and my fish and shrimp seem happy. But as you can see from my profile pic my water is always greenish. I do get algae on the glass which I clean off with a sponge. Immediately after a water change and vacuum it clears somewhat but is green again by the end of the day. Is it algae in the water column?

 

kpike78

Mine are flowering yes, but it takes a while as opposed to using fertz.

It might be your shade of lighting that gives of that tinted look in the water. One of my tanks lighting looks almost the same.