Seriously Considering

I am seriously considering adding plastic plants to my aquarium. I'm just so tired of the care real plants need. Perhaps I'll just let my real plants float & " maybe" grow. It may not look as nice, but ....................................

 

IMO plastic plants are cheesy! Sorry but I dont think I will have any plants really, to each his own. Also I wouldnt let a plant free float, How big is the plants and what else do you have in the tank. Will it knock into anything or shade anything? Sorry not much help 50JC

 

I have a friend with a tank.

The tank has no water.

It has a model of a crawfish and a frog in it.

It has plastic plants in it.

Has some broken boat thing in it.

He likes it. "Maintenance Free" he boasts.

I think it's pointless

Whatever floats your boat...

 

........... I'm completely without words. Which is RARE...for me....

 

even floating there not gonna grow with less then one wpg.
i guess you don't like that answer but plants need light theres no way around it.
plants are a fun and make a big difference in any tank but there is always some effort needed for something to be enjoyable.

 

Wouldn't it need dusted? Or is there a lid? lol.

 

If I remember my freshwater days, those plastic plants are terrible for "collecting" algae and need to be cleaned quite often. I'd rather have the real deal

 

some of the newer brands of artificial plants are very life like and made of materials other than plastic - in a mixed tank of live and artificial plants - sometimes its hard to tell which is which - you get what you pay for really

Amcarrig's point on Algae is valid - but if your using artificials, when they do get algae on them they can be removed, dipped in boiling water, cleaned off and re placed

I have had some- in with real plants and the set up can look effective

 

boiling water huh? I've never tried that. Thanks for the tip. I have fake plant 'cuz my cichlids keep digging up any real plants i put in. they look very real. I'd like to have real plants buts its just not practical. :-/

 

Real plants being used in a cichlid tank can be troublesome due to their large size and boisterous behavior, often times. So for that type of tank, real plants may not be the way to go unless using some of the more resillient plants like Amazon Swords or Bananna Plants possibly.
For your tank saltyfresh, are you runiing dedicated lighting?
Are you dosing iron?
Do you have an ample supply of dissolved Carbon Dioxide in the water?
What about species of fish that may consume the plantlife or damage it?
Live plants offer a myriad of benefits to the equilibrium and success of an aquarium and if you take the right steps to ensure that the plants have what they need initially, it should help you down the road to be able to enjoy your tank to its fullest!
Like any form of life their is always husbandry and compatibility requirements that need to be addressed and adhered to for optimal results!