Thoughts on fake plants

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
aclockworkorange said:
1) I've never had a problem with metal in fake plants myself.

2) Bend at a 45 degree angle and place in substrate. You can put rocks on top if you wish. I use a 2-5" layer of substrate in most my tanks, sloped higher in the back.


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Did you quarantine them at all? I have read dyes are a possible issue as well and it seems they are a bigger issue than metal rusting.


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I've found dyes that can leach out are only in the silk type plants. I only use the harder plastic ones. But I have friends that use the silk ones. I believe they soak them in hot water for a while.


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aclockworkorange said:
I've found dyes that can leach out are only in the silk type plants. I only use the harder plastic ones. But I have friends that use the silk ones. I believe they soak them in hot water for a while.


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I had read that. I also read using distiller vinegar for a day, then hot water for a day will remove anything harmful. :)


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I've used both silk & plastic. no problems so far.
 
So I have read many other forum threads (thank you Google) and there seems to be a 50/50 split between whether the metal in the fake plants is okay or not. Everyone seems to agree on doing some sort of pre-rinse, so I do plan to soak them for a day in distiller vinegar, then soak them in hot water for a day (will change both liquids every few hours). But what do you guys think of the metal in the stem(s)?


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the metal is completely covered in plastic. I had tiny spots become exposed after years & over-bending long pieces in small tank to shape around the interior in different directions. no fish problems.
It'd be easy to cover any micro metal spots with silicone while plant is dry. with new plants, all there 'might' be is on the bottom of the main stems. I think it is covered there to begin with too, but anywhere you cut a main stem, it exposes metal. it's really narrow & only inside to facilitate shaping plants. glob on silicone, voila!
 
petspoiler said:
the metal is completely covered in plastic. I had tiny spots become exposed after years & over-bending long pieces in small tank to shape around the interior in different directions. no fish problems.
It'd be easy to cover any micro metal spots with silicone while plant is dry. with new plants, all there 'might' be is on the bottom of the main stems. I think it is covered there to begin with too, but anywhere you cut a main stem, it exposes metal. it's really narrow & only inside to facilitate shaping plants. glob on silicone, voila!
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Silicone. Why do I never think of such simple and effective solutions to problems I worry about too much? LOL


Anyone have thoughts on a good way to anchor them. I know someone said to just bend them, but once my SA cichlids get bigger, that little bend is not going to keep them down. I know the answer here is probably also silicone, but I am not sure how effective it is at binding to things other than glass. :/


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Mythic Figment said:
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Anyone have thoughts on a good way to anchor them.
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if plants will be in with big fish that may toss them against the walls, just don't fuse them to hard things like rocks.
you can stick the stems through a slit in cupped-up plastic, then silicone under that. almost any old water bottle or food container will be enough to hold a good scoop of weighty sand/gravel. or use chunks of driftwood for natural look when exposed.
 
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