plants
- Thread starter pr0gress
- Start date
What I have found with my fish is they like the fake plants to hide in when they need their space or time out. Plants and places to hide are necessary to a tank IMHO. I didn't have enough "hang outs" for the fish when I first set up my tank and now I'm slowly adding them and they seem much happier.
If you think about their natural habitat, they are use to streams or lakes with some vegetation and places to hang out or hide.
If you think about their natural habitat, they are use to streams or lakes with some vegetation and places to hang out or hide.
There no problem. Just make sure you thoroughly wash them first. The fish will appreciate the plants. It provides them cover and you will like the way that they swim around them.
I agree with the other posters that hiding places are important, but it doesn't *have* to be plants, (fake or real) they are just easy to do. (fake ones, at least) As for sticking your arm into the water, as was said before make sure they (the hands!) are clean, but if you wash with any soap rinse your hands VERY well. Soap is poison to fish. (worse than dirty hands) If I think my hands are clean I scrub em a lot under warm running water, no soap. If I think they are dirty, I wash with soap and rinse way past when I think all the soap is gone. (you don't want to even smell it on your hands.)
Some alternatives to plants for hiding places are rocks, but this requires carefull selection. Just make sure the rocks are clean, and certain ones will make your water harder. You can buy aquarium safe rocks at some LFS's, but who wants to pay for rocks? driftwood is nice too, but you can't just chuck a piece of wood in it.
Or a combination of all three.. or you could build your own hiding places out of other aquarium safe objects, ect.. let your imagination be your guide.
Some alternatives to plants for hiding places are rocks, but this requires carefull selection. Just make sure the rocks are clean, and certain ones will make your water harder. You can buy aquarium safe rocks at some LFS's, but who wants to pay for rocks? driftwood is nice too, but you can't just chuck a piece of wood in it.
Or a combination of all three.. or you could build your own hiding places out of other aquarium safe objects, ect.. let your imagination be your guide.
can i just pick a piece of wood out of the forest, clean it up good and then anchor it to a rock in my tank? i have angelfish and tetras right now and am trying to plant the tank. i know adding wood can make the water somewhat more acidic, but i figure that these fish like soft, acidic water. what do you think.
I wouldn't pick it "out of the forest". If its natural driftwood, i'd be ok, just treat it like store bought driftwood. But, a nice, moist, dirty, sappy, bacteria infested branch... i wouldn't risk it.
