Aquatic Plants buying guide

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Contents

1 Live Versus Plastic
2 Related Guides
3 External Links

Aquatic Plants Buying Guide

Aquatic plants add pizazz to your aquarium and help keep your fish happy and healthy. Live plants can be a good snack, help to maintain a balanced water chemistry in your tank by oxygenating the water, and may even help keep it clean by allowing for the growth of beneficial bacteria that breaks down fish waste. Both live and artificial plants also provide a great place for your fish to hide if they're feeling a little shy. But if you're stuck trying to decide whether to go for plastic or the real-deal, check out the tips below.

Live Versus Plastic

The Real Guys

Live plants require extra set-up and care, but as mentioned previously, they have a lot of natural benefits. If you don't have a ton of time to maintain live plants, they may overgrow and cause a lack of oxygen for your fish, or they may simply start to die, which will inevitably affect the overall look of your aquarium. If you do decide to opt for this route, consider all of the following basic care tips:

Before planting, remove any decaying leaves as they may hinder the plant's nutrient supply.
Remove any dying roots, which will appear limp and brown.
Make sure you have a lot of lighting to maintain healthy plant growth.
Some plants require attachment to rocks or bogwood to thrive, so read the packages before planting.
For stem plants, remove the bottom few leaves as they are likely not to grow much anyway.
Tubers should be planted at an angle, with the tip exposed to ensure maximum growth.

The Impostors

It's frequently debated whether fish can tell the difference between fake and real plants, and there has been no definitive answer as to if one variety is truly more beneficial than the other. When dealing with artificial plants, buyers usually enjoy the low maintenance, the fact that they will always maintain their bright, silky appearance and that there's no risk of producing excess CO2 in the tank. On the same token, some believe that plastic plants run the risk of injuring fish fins with their unnaturally hard edges, and that they often provide another breeding ground for algae. So with all of these variables, it is ultimately left up to the consumer to do decide which factors are most important to them. Some opt for having a mix of both artificial and live in order to get the respective benefits of both.

External Links

TheTropicalTank.com: Tips on how to plant a variety of aquatic plants.
About.com: Some advice on deciding between artificial and live plants.


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