Real Plants or Fake plants?...

[jdamian13]

Just wanted to get you guys opinion on what to add to a tank.
I see alot of Real plants but It seems like alot of maintenance,
I was wondering if they would be ok w/fake ones?....
Please let me know the pros and cons of real and fake plats for a snakehead.
Thanks.

 

[Gaz_ham]

i use fake plants, they still provide cover and vision breaks. i guess, like anything, its down to the individual

 

[tropheus]

agreed with gaz_ham , i use a mixture , but like the really long fake plants for my taller tanks ,so they go up the sides and across the surface , i like to keep my real one simple ,i.e java fern java moos amazon swords ect. oh and i use Salvinia minima as floating cover , but i think its down to personal choice

cheers col

 

[Brucki]

Hi, real plants are good for the "climate" in the tank, they "digest" Nitrate,phosphate,etc. Some channa need plants to build their nest (marulioides for example) on the surface. Real plants dont need mor maintainance then fakes, they need less !! What grows too much, cut away. Thats the only thing I do. I have nevr used fake plants, and will never do so. Fake plants are just a settling place for algae. And some cheap ones can poison the water Brucki PS: The fish dont really care about real/fake

 

[jordanlewis100]

i use hygrophila polysperma,crinum thianum,java fern and some crypts

 

[jdamian13]

Thanks guys!
If you can can you post pictures of your tank set-up?

 

[tropheus]

Hi, real plants are good for the "climate" in the tank, they "digest" Nitrate,phosphate,etc. Some channa need plants to build their nest (marulioides for example) on the surface. Real plants dont need mor maintainance then fakes, they need less !! What grows too much, cut away. Thats the only thing I do. I have nevr used fake plants, and will never do so. Fake plants are just a settling place for algae. And some cheap ones can poison the water Brucki PS: The fish dont really care about real/fake

what plants do you use brucki , and what bulbs / lighting ,if you dont mind me asking , i think i will slowly convert to fully real ,at the moment iam about 50/50

 

[Brucki]

HI, I use Microsorum pteropus (javafern) Vallisneria gigantea Cryptocoryne sp. Saggittaria pusila some amazon swords and a lot of floating Pistia stratoides. Alle dont need much light, I just take normal daylight colour 840 to 860

 

[tropheus]

cheers brucki i will order some of those up and give them a try

cheers col

 

[Brucki]

Hi colin these are for you: The "water" surface of my sp. Assam senior tank Pistia and "Wassernabel" (sorryjust forgot the scientific name) ahh no its Hydrocotyle

These two plants even show blossom:

The only thing I do with these two kind of plants is ripping out what grows too much. Amazon sword (from IKEA) patrolled by sp. Assam juvies

gachua jungle, saggitaria,cryptocoryne,Valisneria

Takes me half an hour to rip out what grows too long (Vallisneria and pistia) The surface is coverd with pistia Same tank a few years ago, more cryptos:

And another gachua tank (also not actual) lots of Saggitaria (the grass-like plant)

My stewartiis home, there is also Crinum thaianum in the tank. easygrowing, and the channa could not destroy.

And thats how the tank looked before I put snakheads in:

Cheers Brucki PS: the Malt Whiskey besides the stewartii tank is my "fertilizer" ;-)