Which is better: Live or fake plants?

[DarkSaber86]

Since starting my aquarium hobby right before the pandemic, I have only gotten live plants because I've always gone for a more natural look for my aquarium. However, I've never had my plants last for long periods of time. Now, with real plants getting so expensive (I recently was at my local PetCo getting 5 plants and they costed me almost $30), I've been considering going with some fake plants.

What do y'all think? Are fake plants just as nice as real ones?

 

[MasterPython]

Real plants clean the water and can be multiplied to fill your tank.

 

[Demeter]

Well, live plants are all I have and I never have to replace them. If anything, I am constantly thinning them out and either selling or throwing them away! They looks good, help with water quality and the fish really appreciate them. Fake plants eventually start to look shabby as their colors fade and the plastic degrades.

Sounds to me you need to pick plants that do well in your aquarium settings. Lighting is the main key with growing plants. Then you need to look into fertilizers. Not sure what your lighting is like or what plants you have tried but anubias, hornwort and crypts are nearly fool proof plants to grow.

 

[SparkyJones]

I have a brown thumb, I kill aquatic and terrestrial plants equally.

I just don't keep them, I do have a couple fake plants, they look fake, but I'm ok with that.

I'd say if you are ok with that, that's OK also. I raise bacteria and fish in that order, I ain't got no time for plants too!
Fake plants ain't cheap either, unless you get the really fake ones, and yeah they need to be replaced every few years also when they tart to degrade.
My opinion, I got enough to do with my tanks to not want to add plants and deal with that also. I don't have what it takes to take care of them. Clearly watering and light just isn't enough. LOL

 

[SamMe]

I keep only live plants in my aquariums except my large shrimp tank. I originally put the plastic ones in there just for them to have something to climb on until the live ones could grow, but wound up never taking them out because the shrimp prefer the plastic over the live plants.

 

[dcutl002]

Since starting my aquarium hobby right before the pandemic, I have only gotten live plants because I've always gone for a more natural look for my aquarium. However, I've never had my plants last for long periods of time. Now, with real plants getting so expensive (I recently was at my local PetCo getting 5 plants and they costed me almost $30), I've been considering going with some fake plants.

What do y'all think? Are fake plants just as nice as real ones?

A few questions:

1. what plants are you trying to grow?
2. What light are you using? Is it made for plants?
3. How long do you leave the lights on per day?
4. what is the distance from light to substrate?
5. Do you fertilize?
6. Do you use CO2?

 

[ruud]

Most beginners start off with only a few plants (with respect to the tank volume); this is typically bound to fail. Regardless of CO2, fertilizer, substrate, species, light regime.

If you believe you are in that position, I would take your live plants out and place them in a vase. Put it on a windowsill with plenty of indirect sunlight (although direct sunlight isn't necessarily bad, but depends on temperature and....nevermind... stick to indirect), and conduct a water change each month. Chances are, your plants will now start to propagate ...and you'll be wondering why .

In the meantime, you don't need to add fake plants in your tank. A lot of natural environments of the fish we keep, have nothing but sand and rock. Branches fallen off. Leaves resting on the substrate. Perhaps with just some marginal vegetation.

Imagine adding a fake plant to this beauty:

Or with mainly wood:

In my experience, creating a large woodscape is so much easier than a rock scape. Since you prefer the natural, perhaps, you could try this, instead of fake plants (shivers going down my spine).

 

[A201]

I have a black thumb too. That's why I grow only big rocks in my tanks.
An aged tank with a mature substrate bed, coupled with a high quality plant light should be about all you need.
Realistic plant selection helps too. Pick only the easy ones. Lol.

 

[Youthquaker]

When I started I got fake plants as I wanted to concentrate on keeping the fish alive without worrying about the plants too...I and my children wanted more colour than the predominantly green real plants allowed...I read so much about hitch-hiking snails taking over tanks I didnt want to risk that...a year later I have introduced some live plants hut also kept the fake, hoping the real grow well but while they are still small the larger fake ones provide good cover for fry. Even if the real do well i will probably still retain some of the fake particularly towards the back as I still like the variation in colour

 

[MacZ]

In the meantime, you don't need to add fake plants in your tank. A lot of natural environments of the fish we keep, have nothing but sand and rock. Branches fallen off. Leaves resting on the substrate. Perhaps with just some marginal vegetation.

Additionally, when you look at habitats with aquatic plants, those usually only have a handful or less of plant species. Usually one species of plant dominates the habitat, almost as a mono-culture.

The beneficial stabilizing effect of plants removing waste products from the water can also be achieved by using emersed plants like Pothos or Monstera growing on top of the tank instead of in it.

 

[ProudPapa]

Live plants are better because they will make more live plants. Fake ones don't do that.

 

[Yourlocalfishkeeper]

I’ve kept fish for a year now, and have really only used fake plants (they look fake too). I got my plants from petsmart, and the big one was $20, the small one was around $6. I recently bought more fake plants, except these ones look realistic. Bought these online, for $2. Two more in the pack but they are in the tank, for my fry.
I’ve never successfully kept live plants, although when I tried I didn’t know anything about them. I also bought a higher maintenance plant without knowing. Didn’t know anything about CO2, fertilizer, and it was only one plant in a tank full of swordtails and platies who ended up eating the plant to the point where there were no leaves and barely even a stem. My platies and swords seem to be doing fine with no live plants.

 

[Azedenkae]

Since starting my aquarium hobby right before the pandemic, I have only gotten live plants because I've always gone for a more natural look for my aquarium. However, I've never had my plants last for long periods of time. Now, with real plants getting so expensive (I recently was at my local PetCo getting 5 plants and they costed me almost $30), I've been considering going with some fake plants.

What do y'all think? Are fake plants just as nice as real ones?

If you can keep them alive, real plants. If you can't, fake plants.

In this case, fake plants is probably the better choice.

Yes live plants help filter the water, etc., but if you can't keep them alive they'd do nothing more than add detritus to the tank, while the release of nutrients can either cause ammonia spikes, feed algae/bacteria (blooms), etc., which ain't good.

 

[brhau]

I thought I had a black thumb, but as it turns out even I can grow the easy plants. I have blackwater tanks with very low light, high acidity, virtually no nutrients in the water, and no CO2. When I first added the plants, they asked "Why do you hate me?" Once they stabilized and adapted to the conditions, they created a jungle that I need to thin out every couple weeks. For me, grabbing a handful of plants to throw out every once in a while is a lot easier than doubling my water changes.

If you're willing to be patient and accept some learning curve, there are so many benefits to live plants:

• They are massive net oxygen producers
• They are very efficient at exporting nitrogen (if you keep thinning it out)
• Provide bacteria and inverts to fill out the ecosystem of the tank. Yes, snails, copepods, detritus worms, etc. area all good things.
• Provide substrate for microflora that fish fry and small fish can feed on.
• Provide structure and cover
• Look better than fake.

I only keep easy plants, but even people who keep the finnicky ones start the tanks by adding tons of cheap, fast growing plants (especially floating ones). Why? Because they vastly accelerate and improve the cycle and foster an environment for all plants to grow. Then they throw away the cheap plants as the prettier ones grow in.

Bomb-proof plants: Salvinia natans, water sprite, anbuias, java fern, java moss, susswassertang, Mayaca fluviatilis. There are others, but I can't imagine these plants failing.

 

[SparkyJones]

I thought I had a black thumb, but as it turns out even I can grow the easy plants. I have blackwater tanks with very low light, high acidity, virtually no nutrients in the water, and no CO2. When I first added the plants, they asked "Why do you hate me?" Once they stabilized and adapted to the conditions, they created a jungle that I need to thin out every couple weeks. For me, grabbing a handful of plants to throw out every once in a while is a lot easier than doubling my water changes.

If you're willing to be patient and accept some learning curve, there are so many benefits to live plants:

• They are massive net oxygen producers
• They are very efficient at exporting nitrogen (if you keep thinning it out)
• Provide bacteria and inverts to fill out the ecosystem of the tank. Yes, snails, copepods, detritus worms, etc. area all good things.
• Provide substrate for microflora that fish fry and small fish can feed on.
• Provide structure and cover
• Look better than fake.

I only keep easy plants, but even people who keep the finnicky ones start the tanks by adding tons of cheap, fast growing plants (especially floating ones). Why? Because they vastly accelerate and improve the cycle and foster an environment for all plants to grow. Then they throw away the cheap plants as the prettier ones grow in.

Bomb-proof plants: Salvinia natans, water sprite, anbuias, java fern, java moss, susswassertang, Mayaca fluviatilis. There are others, but I can't imagine these plants failing.

you just about convinced me after I've sworn off plants for the last 20 years, to go out and buy some amazon swords and replace my plastic plants with them, I don't know if they will live or not, but I think I might just give it another try. Acidity I got, GH I got, Nitrates I got, 22" water depth I got,
although I was thinking to get that matrix for my wet/dry to take care of the nitrates a try at plants again might just be the next step.

 

[TClare]

Bomb-proof plants

I think they are different for different setups. I only ever had one Anubias, it was expensive and in two years it had just one new leaf, it just did not grow at all. Maybe our water is too soft. Water wisteria, supposed to be easy also never did well for me. On the other hand Vallisneria is bomb proof in all my tanks, as is water lettuce (these two are even Uaru and severum proof), while (in my other tanks) Cabomba, Limnophila, Amazon sword, pearlweed, Hygrophila polysperma (but not corymbosa) all do very well. Java ferns do OK, moss survives but grows very slowly. I have a Rotala, can't remember which one, it survives but only just. I throw away loads of water lettuce each week, and my biggest planted tank always needs at least some trimming each week. All low tech, no CO2, basic LED floodlights, I use potassium in the big planted tank and an all in one liquid fertilizer occasionally.

 

[brhau]

you just about convinced me after I've sworn off plants for the last 20 years, to go out and buy some amazon swords and replace my plastic plants with them, I don't know if they will live or not, but I think I might just give it another try. Acidity I got, GH I got, Nitrates I got, 22" water depth I got,
although I was thinking to get that matrix for my wet/dry to take care of the nitrates a try at plants again might just be the next step.

The things to know about Amazon swords are:

1. They're slow growers, so they won't suck up nitrates quite as quickly as fast growers. You could mix them with floaters and/or bushier plants.
2. They prefer lots of light. They'll grow in lower light, but not as big.

-B

 

[TClare]

Water lettuce, for me at least it is super easy, grows really fast and nitrates are always kept very low. When you first start with it you might need some kind of boom made with airline tubing to keep it away from the filter outflow. But as it grows more this is no longer necessary.

 

[brhau]

I think they are different for different setups. I only ever had one Anubias, it was expensive and in two years it had just one new leaf, it just did not grow at all. Maybe our water is too soft. Water wisteria, supposed to be easy also never did well for me. On the other hand Vallisneria is bomb proof in all my tanks, as is water lettuce (these two are even Uaru and severum proof), while (in my other tanks) Cabomba, Limnophila, Amazon sword, pearlweed, Hygrophila polysperma (but not corymbosa) all do very well. Java ferns do OK, moss survives but grows very slowly. I have a Rotala, can't remember which one, it survives but only just. I throw away loads of water lettuce each week, and my biggest planted tank always needs at least some trimming each week. All low tech, no CO2, basic LED floodlights, I use potassium in the big planted tank and an all in one liquid fertilizer occasionally.

I think that's right. I've tried about 14 plants and narrowed them down to the handful that work best for my tanks. Some odds and ends in my experience:

For me, the water sprite didn't do well when I tried to root it. As a floater, it grows like crazy in my blackwater tanks.

I couldn't get Hygrophila polysperma to grow well because my tanks are very low flow. It's a hungry plant, and it just couldn't get enough nutrients + CO2.

Hornwort grew for me, but sheds a lot of needles in acidic water, which I didn't like.

Water lettuce I can never get the leaves to grow large (not enough light). The tiny leaves are a pain to trim, so I've given up on them.

-B

 

[MacZ]

*creeps up*

Hydrocotyle leucocephala. Grows fast enough to count the growth in "new leaves per day" if you grow it on the surface.

*dives down again*

 

[SparkyJones]

The things to know about Amazon swords are:

1. They're slow growers, so they won't suck up nitrates quite as quickly as fast growers. You could mix them with floaters and/or bushier plants.
2. They prefer lots of light. They'll grow in lower light, but not as big.

-B

I keep angels, my pH is kind of funky and low but the fish like it, so I don't do anything about it anymore as long as I keep nitrates below 40 now a days. I don't mind if the swords are slow growers as long as they don't wilt and die in a heap like every other plant I've ever tried has done, including outdoor plants in the garden.
Light is a 4 ft GE Fluorescent Aquarium bulb, 40 watt. 1900 lumen broken in a bit higher out of the box, 3100K warm white. supposed to be some sort of aquarium grow light category that does red and blue wave lengths while operating. it was like $15.00. bought in bulk they are like $3 each lol, but who needs 24x 4 ft growlights except for cheech and chong.

I have no idea what "lots of light" really means as it relates to plants. I guess the light is adequate though.as I would understand it.
As I just read it said high demand needs 40 lumens per liter. my tank 328 liters, clearly I don't and won't have a 13,120 lumens light. low demand/easy supposed to be like 10-20 lumens per liter, I don't have 3200 or 6400 lumens either, nor can my lighting fixture do that.

I dunno, I just looked at LED lights, and they are like 1500 lumens in the $220+ category of LED range and a whole lot of them don't tell you the lumens at all.....

I think you just talked me back out of keeping plants..... LOL yeah no. I don't understand this lighting thing and until I do there's no point it killing plants.

 

[brhau]

It won’t kill them, they just won’t grow as high/fast.

 

[ruud]

I grow crypts, buces, moss and ferns (java, bolbitis) without aquarium light. Ambient light only. Tanks are very shallow - helps of course.

Crypts and buces....blackwater, brau.

Who needs an OP to keep this thread going.

 

[MacZ]

I keep angels, my pH is kind of ...

On the whole post.
Why even bother with lumens and the like? Get a decent mid-range light, put easy plants under it, let it run 8h a day. Done.

Also, love the reference.

 

[TClare]

By the way the water lettuce leaves grow biggest and with longest roots in tanks with low flow, low light and low nutrients, and produce flowers in these conditions. I am not sure which is the most important of the these factors. None of my tanks have very strong lighting, but the one with the most light has the smallest water lettuce. I have only had really big leaves and flowers under low light conditions.

 

[SparkyJones]

On the whole post.
Why even bother with lumens and the like? Get a decent mid-range light, put easy plants under it, let it run 8h a day. Done.

Also, love the reference.

What's "mid range" though?

 

[TClare]

Mid range is probably around 20 lumens per litre, 10-20 should be fine for a lot of easy plants. My planted tank is about 570 litres and the lighting is 2 x 50W floodlights that cost just over $20 each. My other tanks have smaller lights and still grow plants.

This tank had a major trim last week…

 

[BPSabelhaus]

I gave up on plants awhile back and went straight stone and brackish water lol But, the plant bug bit and I got mangroves. Now I have a vague idea of lighting and fertilizing lol Two planted freshwater tanks and three ponds later…

Creeping Jenny and ludwigia are both easy growers for me both indoors and in my ponds. I cannot keep Hornwort alive at all. Duckweed and frogbit are both easy floaters.

 

[brhau]

By the way the water lettuce leaves grow biggest and with longest roots in tanks with low flow, low light and low nutrients, and produce flowers in these conditions. I am not sure which is the most important of the these factors. None of my tanks have very strong lighting, but the one with the most light has the smallest water lettuce. I have only had really big leaves and flowers under low light conditions.

It's a mystery to me. My understanding:

1. Roots of all floating plants generally grow longer when there are low nutrients. So that's consistent with what you've observed.
2. Pistia are known to have a linear response to nutrient levels, which is why they're used in phytoremediation.
3. I always thought the way people grow huge (multiple inch) rosettes of water lettuce is to grow them outside. Same plants are quite small in the aquarium. My assumption here is that the biggest difference in those two conditions is light.

My tanks are definitely low flow. I run sponge filters bled down to 5 - 10 bubbles/sec, and then contain the outtake with airline tubing. I've never been able to get water lettuce to grow large, though. It's a shame, since they have the best roots.

Though as we've noted above, sometimes certain plants don't grow for some people. It's not always easy to isolate why.

Cheers

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Local water I’d bet is a factor. I know mine is hard. Once I started hydroponic plants I realized just how hard it was.

 

[brhau]

Local water I’d bet is a factor. I know mine is hard. Once I started hydroponic plants I realized just how hard it was.

I've tried growing water lettuce in soft water anywhere from 30 - 120 TDS. In the higher TDS regime, I dosed with all-in-one ferts to about 1/8 EI and supplemented with iron, magnesium, and phosphate. I can get it grow in small rosettes (like maybe 3 cm across) but it comes with tons of tiny ones that are hard to thin out. They don't easily stick to things the way duckweed does. (I also don't like duckweed, but just for comparison...)

 

[TClare]

I've tried growing water lettuce in soft water anywhere from 30 - 120 TDS. In the higher TDS regime, I dosed with all-in-one ferts to about 1/8 EI and supplemented with iron, magnesium, and phosphate. I can get it grow in small rosettes (like maybe 3 cm across) but it comes with tons of tiny ones that are hard to thin out. They don't easily stick to things the way duckweed does. (I also don't like duckweed, but just for comparison...)

In my brightest tank (the one pictured) I also get a lot of those tiny ones, I get them out with a net when necessary. In this tank the leaves are small and the roots short. I also have soft water and dose this tank with potassium and occasionally all in one liquid fertiliser. The other tanks have lower light, virtually no fertilisation, less flow, the leaves are bigger, roots are longer and I don’t seem to get those tiny ones.

 

[ProudPapa]

. . . Creeping Jenny and ludwigia are both easy growers for me both indoors and in my ponds. I cannot keep Hornwort alive at all. Duckweed and frogbit are both easy floaters.

Hornwort is weird. It does okay for me . . . most of the time. Other times after being added to a new tank it will drop every needle within two days and never recover.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Hornwort is weird. It does okay for me . . . most of the time. Other times after being added to a new tank it will drop every needle within two days and never recover.

That right there is what convinced me I can’t keep plants lol

Easy plants: Hornwort and duckweed *kills Hornwort and duckweed repeatedly* lol

Getting more substantial plants / marginal plants instead of “real” aquarium plants has been a big diff.