# Real VS. Fake Plants



## MJAVY7 (Apr 4, 2012)

My wife wants to get plants for our 72 gallon tank.
I am very undesided on real VS fake plants. 
I would like to have something close to maintenance free, but I would like for the plants to look somewhat real.

Please let me know the pros and cons so I can make a desition.


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

Plants help with water quality, look better, and also provide a much more real atmosphere for the fish. I say real all the way.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

How much more real can a real plant look? They are also much cheaper than fake one. It would cost me 3 times as much to load my tanks up with fake to the quantity they are with real. Fake ones need to be removed also to be cleaned periodically.

Your wife is a smart woman. Do what she says!!!


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

ive got a mix of real and fake plants, so maybe try a bit of both? silk plants are good but you just gota shop around for the most relistic looking


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## MJAVY7 (Apr 4, 2012)

As far a real plants...
I still have not gotten a firm answer on what all I need to grow real plants in my tank.
Do you guys have a link to a real steb by step instruction on what to purchase?

My local Pet Co said just buy this dirt and place it under the rock. In you tube I found that people use as much as four different things under the rock. Which is it?
..and please don't say "beaslbob's way".


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Most any substrate will work for plants. Just need some fert tabs and some liquid ferts. Depending on your lighting. I would go for low light plants like anubia, java ferns and mosses. Even a sword will work. If you have higher lighting then you can add a more variety, on and on. The higher the light, you would then need to add pressurized co2.


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## Hawk1018 (Apr 12, 2012)

I used plain clay kitty litter topped with play sand in my tank and the plants are doing ok. You just have to make sure the kitty litter is plain and has no added chemicals or dyes. then you can plan on rinsing it for a long time before putting into the tank. If I were to do it again I think I would go with pool filter sand though.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

MJAVY7 said:


> As far a real plants...
> I still have not gotten a firm answer on what all I need to grow real plants in my tank.
> Do you guys have a link to a real steb by step instruction on what to purchase?
> 
> ...


OK I won't *old dude

.02


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

There is a product that is distributed by Tractor Supply called safe-t-sorb that is $5 for 40lbs and enough to do a 75g tank. I have in 3 of my tanks. If you don't want to make it overly technical or difficult, make a mess, and do one thing and be done....it's just for you. Requires a really good rinsing and then rinsed again and you're set. Eco-complete is a little more expensive but doesn't even require rinsing.


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## ChessieSFR (Dec 30, 2011)

I love my planted tank, and now that I have all live plants, I even want to get rid of the "hide your airtube" fake plant because algae grows on it, and then it just looks horrible. I tend to think of my plants ans my little underwater garden. The best, least fussy, maintenance wise for me have been moss balls, java moss strapped to a rock with a little rubber band. Anubias, also strapped to a rock, and a java lace fern strapped to a decoration. I also usually have a cluster of anacharis growing, but it can get a little messy in the tank and I need to prune it down sometimes.

I had wisteria, but it grew like crazy and ended up looking messy to me, so I pulled it, though my baby platys loved it.

I find I'm doing much less scrubbing and everything looks nicer with real plants.


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## Unearthed (May 7, 2012)

I bought fake silk plants for my tank. Now I have wasted that money because I realize how artificial they look. There are very easy to grow plants readily available on aquabid. Many are listed in the post above.


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## MJAVY7 (Apr 4, 2012)

Will the fish eat the plants?, eventually i will have some african cichlids and some FW sharks.


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## ChessieSFR (Dec 30, 2011)

The plants should be okay with the fish, you just have to watch out for snails. If pest snails become a problem, look into getting some assassin snails. They're awesome for keeping pest snails at bay.


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## sonardesigns1 (Apr 12, 2012)

Go with the real thang


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

MJAVY7 said:


> Will the fish eat the plants?, eventually i will have some african cichlids and some FW sharks.


Yes that is a consideration. you may have to partition the tank to keep the fish away from the plants. Depends on the specific fish.


my .02


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## Laurencia7 (May 19, 2012)

What type of fish do you have? tropical?
It depends on how much work you want to devote to your tank. I have always had fake plants because I heard that real plants do tend to leave waste matter if not tended to. Or some fish eat the plants and they don't grow back right. But on the other hand fake plants accumulate algae and look, well fake. 

If you have the time to plant and grow the real plants go for it, just make sure some of your fish don't dig them up, or eat them before they grow. Real plants remove impurities in the water, they feed off nitrogen and phosphates...they also provide a more oxygen rich environment. 

It's up to you. Research the best way to go about planting them. Fake plants are expensive and they must be cleaned and sometimes break. I spent 14 bucks on large plants, and only got 6 plastic plants, rip off. But with these darn digging goldfish I have to deal with them, they dig up the fake plants all the time and I have to keep burying them again.


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## MJAVY7 (Apr 4, 2012)

Ok so we have decided to go with real plants. I went to a near by small pet store and ordered dirt ("substrate") for the tank (2 bags) and it should be here next Tuesday.
Now I have to figure out what plants to buy and were to buy them.
Thanks to everyone for the feed back and comments.


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## ChessieSFR (Dec 30, 2011)

The best plants for my tank as a plant beginner were the moss balls, java ferns, an anubias, and java moss. I tie the leafy ones to the decorations with those tiny rubber bands girls use for their hair. I also have two that are rooted, but I forget what they are called. I will buy anacharis, but it can make a mess where the other plants don't, but it grows tall in the tank and quickly.


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## frogwings (Aug 26, 2011)

IMHO: I recommend "*The 100 Best Aquarium Plants*", by Mary Sweeney - I ordered it from Amazon and it has become my aquarium plant bible. It has all the info you need to determine what plants you would do best with - pictures and all. It might take a few days to get it, but it is well worth waiting for. I bought it before planting my tank and have been completely satisfied with plants as well as recommendations regarding lighting requirements, substrate, temperatures, ph levels, etc. Other forum members might have other references they have used as well, and I love having a book to rely on for immediate info although it isn't the only thing I rely on. Google is absolutely a great source for information second only to this forum!


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I would say you have to shop online. Your choice of plants is essential if you are going to have success as a newcomer.
Stores sell cuttings from plants that need intense light and fertilization to support their quick growth rates. They often don't survive the transition to your tank, and reveal how limited your lighting is. 
One one side, you have the beaslbob swamp thang, and on the other, hours of pruning, CO2 and the hunt for the perfect lights.
I go up the middle on this issue.
If you can use Anubias, Bolbitis and Java Ferns as your background plants, substrate doesn't matter. They attach to objects and their roots filter directly from the water. They grow very slowly and call for patience, but are very beautiful, low light plants. They take very little maintenance. 
They are much more expensive than cuttings, and a lot of stores don't carry them. They can sell you $3.99s cutting many times a year compared to one $12 plant that flourishes forever. I bought my Bolbitis and java ferns in 1992 (one each) and now have dozens of large plants in several tanks. My Anubias is more recent (5-6 years) and has formed a dozen new plants and grown 18 inches high. 
You can also use the Vallisneria group of grasses, or Cryptocorynnes (low light - many species) in the foreground. Other than the "Vals", they will take some e-hunting to find.

This is heresy, but my best growth of java ferns, Bolbitis and all my species of Aubias has come with the use of twist-in energy saver fluorescent bulbs - the 23 watt ones. These plants absolutely soak them up.


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## MJAVY7 (Apr 4, 2012)

The substrate came in and it is in the tank already. We have not yet decided what plant(s) to put in the tank but soon we will get there. Thanks for the advice and I will look in to the recomendations and the book as well. 
Thanks for the help everyone!


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## ChessieSFR (Dec 30, 2011)

Cryptos! Those are the other plants I have. Thanks! I forgot. I like them. I had wisteria at one point and it made a terrible mess. I like the Cryptos much better. If a leaf gets ratty, I just pinch it off, and they don't shed. Neither do the javas or the anubias.


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## frogwings (Aug 26, 2011)

ChessieSFR said:


> Cryptos! Those are the other plants I have. Thanks! I forgot. I like them. I had wisteria at one point and it made a terrible mess. I like the Cryptos much better. If a leaf gets ratty, I just pinch it off, and they don't shed. Neither do the javas or the anubias.


Just don't be disappointed if you get crypto melt! It happens, but I understand they will recover and produce new growth. I had one do just fine and another just practically disappear - I ended up ditching what remained after unsuccessfully trying to get it to recover. They are lovely plants though!


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Many crypts will melt if you look at them wrong lol. Most will come back if the rhizome is healthy, and they will adapt to your tank. Most crypts come from waters where they frequent flooding and drought so they have to learn to adapt to this.


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