Real or fake for a Beginner with low light????

ara35

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Aug 10, 2006
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I am about to start my own 10 gallon tank which will most likely consist of 6 glowlight tetras, 4 ghost shrimp, 4 bronze cory cats. Should I buy fake plants or real plants? What are the benefits of each? Is it harder starting a tank for the first time with real plants or fake plants?? Thanks
 
Real plants are very benficial, they reduce nitrates and make a tank look natural.

If you have low light, I'd do both. I'd get some fake plants, as well as some of the less demanding plants species, such as anachris, java moss, and java fern. If those plants do well, you can get some more.

If you do get live plants, are you planning on adding fertilizer?
 
It can also be easy to increase wattage depending on the type of fixture you have currently. If you have a 15 watt tube over the tank, there are quite a few plants that can be grown in it.
One thing you need to be aware of. Either with or without plants, you will need to do a partial water change every week with that fish load. Elements build up in a tank, especially without live plants to use them, and they need to be re-set or the fish can be poisoned by their own waste or over-feeding.

Len
 
ara35 said:
I am about to start my own 10 gallon tank which will most likely consist of 6 glowlight tetras, 4 ghost shrimp, 4 bronze cory cats. Should I buy fake plants or real plants? What are the benefits of each? Is it harder starting a tank for the first time with real plants or fake plants?? Thanks

go with real plants, if you use fake it just means wasting more money switching to real plants after realizing how bad the fakes look in a few weeks anyway.
 
fake plant are better than real one cuz u have to buy alot of crap for the real one so they can be healthy...
 
bay_area510 said:
fake plant are better than real one cuz u have to buy alot of crap for the real one so they can be healthy...
you must have never had plants. that is untrue. yes if you get to the higher light plants it could cost more to set up. it even with a high light tank it wouldnt be to much on a 10 gal. there are plants that all you need is a 15w bulb on 10-12 hours a day. thats it.
 
bay_area510 said:
fake plant are better than real one cuz u have to buy alot of crap for the real one so they can be healthy...


Fake plants look like crap though, i started with fake it looks terrible compared to real plants. just get a daylight tube over that ten gallon and start with some jave fern and java moss, it will look great.
 
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