Any Bennafits to live plants?

[dodgefreak8]

if you are keeping plants for the main reason of benefiting your fish than you don't have to pay close attention to these parameters. Your plants won't grow like they could, but in a low tech, semi planted tank you don't need to monitor your potassium, iron and phoshates unless you start seeing algea or dieing plants. I don't anyway

 

[lemcc]

Well most beginners start with little more than a standard test kit

Their plants start to grow nitrate levels drop

Later they become aware of the benefits of adding nutrients so they buy the standard Seachem 3 pack

Further down the road they use PPMD, EI, test everything they can, buy lots of stuff they don’t need and fight every algae known and unknown

Some stay in the above stage others stop testing and tweaking and fall back on their acquired knowledge and enjoy their tank

 

[WyldFya]

Well most beginners start with little more than a standard test kit

Their plants start to grow nitrate levels drop

Later they become aware of the benefits of adding nutrients so they buy the standard Seachem 3 pack

Further down the road they use PPMD, EI, test everything they can, buy lots of stuff they don’t need and fight every algae known and unknown

Some stay in the above stage others stop testing and tweaking and fall back on their acquired knowledge and enjoy their tank

What is done, and what should be done are two different things. In a planted tank, the four basic areas should be watched, and regulated day to day. This doesn't always happen, but should happen.

 

[mgamer20o0]

not all tanks have to worry about ferts. many will do fine with out adding them and testing the water all the time trying to figure out whats going on plant wise.