Plants - plastic vs real??

[elkhound]

I have 3 plastic plants in my 10 gallon tank right now along with some funky looking wood decoration thing that I got from Petsmart. Are there benefits from plastic plants? Should I go with real? My tank is stocked with 3 tetras, 3 cories, a molly, a platy and a swordtail. How hard are real plants? I am a little freaked out by it because I don't totally understand why people opt for real vs plastic and vice versa....

[hamsterman]

Some plants are not hard to take care of at all. My ten gallons contain some hornwort, water wisteria, amazon swords, and bacopa, and require very little care. Plastic plants are good in that they do not die or get eaten, and require no care, and can look realistic. I however, prefer live plants.

[aquariumhobyist]

ya some real plants require little care compared to others. yet instead of getting plastic plants you can also get silk. silk look pretty much as real looking as real plants but require no care. so i prefer silk plants.

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

I enjoy my real plants, but they are a bit of a pain....Had problems with hitchikers eating them like crazy! Overall I like them, but probably wont do another planted tank.

[randalizm]

I HAVE FAKE PLANTS AND IT LOOKS GOOD BUT I WILL EVENTUALLY SWITCH TO REAL PLANTS CAUSE IT LOOKS BETTER AND HAS BENEFITS TO WATER CHEMISTRY AND FISH. FAKE IS EASIER OF COURSE CUASE YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY BOUT THE NUTRIENTS THAT REAL PLANTS NEED BUT THE LOOK IS WORTH IT AND MORE REWARDING. PLUS LIKE HAMSTERMAN & AQUARIUMHOBYIST SAID SOME PLANTS ARE EASY TO TAKE CARE OF.

[Slappy*McFish]

Sorry to be off topic but man your posts are hard to read. That font is killing my eyes.

[randalizm]

HAHA SORRY ILL MAKE IT BIGGER.

[elkhound]

I think I will stick to plastic for my 10g tank and attempt real ones for the 75g tank that I am dreaming of.

[randalizm]

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA. A GUY I WORK WITH HAS A FULL AQUARIUM SET UP HES JUST GOING TO GIVE TO ME! HE WAS USING FAKE PLANTS. ITS A 10 GALLON SO I THINK IM GONNA TRY GROWING REAL PLANTS IN IT. :dance:

[RockabillyChick]

i prefer real plants. i like the way they look, and since i do have somewhat of a green thumb, its not too hard for me to care for live plants. right now in my cycling 10 gallon, i have some bulbs that i dropped in. you buy them dormant and dry. you drop them in the water and they sprout in 20 days. i have 2 different kinds. one kind is a lilly of some sort that i've had for at least a year. it was in a betta bowl and the betta died, but i just left the plant in there and forgot about it. the foliage all but died, but when i went to set up my 10 gallon, i pulled the dead parts off, washed the bulb of algae and everything else, and tossed it in my 10 gallon while i cycled, and its already sprouting new growth about 2 weeks later. i also bought some new bulbs of a different kind. there were 6 bulbs, 3 appear dead (one floated to the surface after a few days, the other two are growing mold, so i took them out) but one is already about 5" tall and growing roots into the gravel, a second one is just sprouting, and i'm not sure about the third.

they're VERY easy to care for, i've done nothing with either and they're doing very well so far. i'm not sure on the species of the plants, i'll have to check. i'll probably get a few more already live growing plants like a java fern or something.

i think they look nicer, and if your fish are well fed with a good variety of foods, they should mostly leave the plants alone.

[Ms.Bubbles]

Plants are helpful for de-toxifying the water, they don't snag fish fins, & they look beautiful as they grow & form natural shapes. When I first joined the forum I saw a few planted tanks & I knew this was what I wanted for mine.

Plants don't have to be difficult if you choose ones that suit your tank conditions (lighting & gravel). Not all plants are fussy about PH or require special enriched substrate & CO2, which can get a bit complicated.
I just prune mine once in a while & add a little fertilizer every month or so.

Of course, it depends on which type of plants you choose.

:)

[Holly9937]

have you read through the plant section at all here on the forums? There are lots of interesting threads that might give you an idea of the care they require just by skimming through some posts. Personally, I am sticking with silk for now. I appreciate not having to worry about anything but the fish.

[niki]

ya some real plants require little care compared to others. yet instead of getting plastic plants you can also get silk. silk look pretty much as real looking as real plants but require no care. so i prefer silk plants.
I also prefer silk plants for the same reason. another reason i like them is that they are obvioulsy softer than plastic plants.

[bludevil12]

Any suggestions on good beginner plants?

What kind of care is involved with their upkeep?