# Please Advise -- Live Plants



## seharebo (Jul 19, 2004)

I am thinking about switching out my plastic plants for live ones. My p's shred the plastic ones. I have no idea how to go about this. Do I just buy plants and put them in the gravel? Any suggestions on types of plants to put in? I don't want to run into a snail problem...


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## Dan_U.K (Jul 13, 2004)

i would keep with plastic plants as piranhas are also known to even eat live plants and this will be costing you lot of money to replace not to metion risk of snail problem.


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## Methuzela (Apr 27, 2004)

live plants are nicer who cares about a couple of snails


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## hellraiser7821 (Jul 3, 2004)

Methuzela said:


> live plants are nicer who cares about a couple of snails


 that couple of snails will multiply and the plants will probably have eggs on them too


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## DC_Cichlid (Jun 24, 2004)

piranhafurynut said:


> Methuzela said:
> 
> 
> > live plants are nicer who cares about a couple of snails
> ...


 borrow a clown loach from a LFS.









Real Plants are the ONLY way to go.


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## smithgrind_who (Mar 26, 2004)

seharebo said:


> I am thinking about switching out my plastic plants for live ones. My p's shred the plastic ones. I have no idea how to go about this. Do I just buy plants and put them in the gravel? Any suggestions on types of plants to put in? I don't want to run into a snail problem...


Hey seharebo, look for low light plants since most aquariums don't have enough watts. Any Anubias will do good in low light conditions. What kind of substrate do you have in the tank? The best way to start growing plants is to make sure to have good lighting and nutrients. If you don't have a substrate for plant, fertilizer tablets will give the roots trace elements needed to grow. There are ways to make sure you don't get snails with new plants. You could quarantine them in another tank for a week, and there are chemicals that will kill most hitch hikers.


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## imachode (Jun 3, 2003)

or to avoid chemicals, put them in a deperate tank that has a loach or whatever in it. THEN, bring your plant over to your p tank. no snail problem, and an excuse to set up another tank. ^_^

i definately agree with looking for low light species.

my rb's always tear up my plastic plants. they're always in the impeller of the powerheads and filter. so irritating. they don't touch my anubia at all. my altuvei/compressus regularly takes bites out of anubia and i see the pieces floating around later. hehe..


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## Guru (Apr 20, 2004)

Go withe live plants my s. Sanchezi doesn't bite them at all. 
live plants all the way


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## delta (Jul 23, 2004)

id only go w live plants I actually encourage snails when you see a snail just crush shell w spoon and let body float away ive tought my rbps to eat them after several months of this mine will actually pick them from the glass shell and all
They are ramshorn snails and breed like crazy but there is never a bunch in tank.
Its amazing to see all the shells and pieces when cleaning the rock


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

You can try any spieces from the following plant families.Most of them have low demands:

Anubias 
Crinum 
Cryptocoryne 
Echinodorus 
Hydrocotyle 
Hygrophila 
Microsorum
Riccia fluitans 
Sagittaria
Vallisneria
Vesicularia


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