I kinda figure with the water dechlorinators many of them remove harmful metals, so even if some leach in if youre doing weekly water changes this should take care of it as well.
Store bought fake plants safe?
- Thread starter fhawk362
- Start date
The worst thing I can imagine is the wire would start to rust. I recommend live plants! I've used fake plants for years and years and never really got excited about them. I started doing research on keeping live plants and became discouraged because I was afraid of all the extra work I thought would be invloved.
When I bought my new 90gal 6 months ago, I decided to take a risk and go with real live plants. All you have to do is buy some aquarium plant substrate to mix into the gravel, this is what helps to provide nutrients to the plants. I also decided to buy a T5 fluorescent fixture to ensure the plants get sufficient light. And lastly I bought the plants. Real plants are the same price, if not cheaper than fake plants. They also complete the cycle in your tank by helping to remove nitrate. Water changes are still necessary though. But my favorite aspect of keeping live plants is that they are REAL, and they make your tank look like a natural habitat. The fish love them too! My Jack Dempsey and Spiny Eels love to swim through the soft leaves vs hard/sharp plastic.
This is my first planted tank and I will never go back to plastic/silk/fake plants again. It's EASY, HEALTHY and BEAUTIFUL!
When I bought my new 90gal 6 months ago, I decided to take a risk and go with real live plants. All you have to do is buy some aquarium plant substrate to mix into the gravel, this is what helps to provide nutrients to the plants. I also decided to buy a T5 fluorescent fixture to ensure the plants get sufficient light. And lastly I bought the plants. Real plants are the same price, if not cheaper than fake plants. They also complete the cycle in your tank by helping to remove nitrate. Water changes are still necessary though. But my favorite aspect of keeping live plants is that they are REAL, and they make your tank look like a natural habitat. The fish love them too! My Jack Dempsey and Spiny Eels love to swim through the soft leaves vs hard/sharp plastic.
This is my first planted tank and I will never go back to plastic/silk/fake plants again. It's EASY, HEALTHY and BEAUTIFUL!
I do prefer live but Im intimidated and dont have the money to put into especially if it doesnt work out
you could start with java fern,java moss,anubias something....they are low light plants.some fish rip out,beat on live plants,so it can be trouble/costly.i have had fish live with live plants for a long time,then suddenly just won't tolerate them
I was nervous about going live as well, but I did it and have had ZERO issues. I read numerous horror stories about Jack Dempseys and Oscars destroying plants, but mine have never messed with them at all. I got my fish when they were 2-3" and raised them with the live plants successfully. No problems yet!
