# Real or Fake Planted Tanks....



## Linford (Oct 26, 2006)

Hi guys. I have been keeping p's for a while now which live in a fully planted substrated tank. Having an open view I was just wondering what other people have in their tanks within the plant department... fake or real, if so then what reasons for your decision.

Many Thanks.


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## harrykaa (Jan 10, 2005)

Well Linford,

Anyone who is even a bit familiar with live plants should stick to them. And if not familiar, it really is worthwile to learn.
Growing plants you will also help to manage water chemistry. Not to talk about the knowledge in water biology you learn this way. Even though an aquarium is only a micro ecosystem.

Good skills on growing plants also means you have much less problems with fishes too.

And I haven't mentioned anything yet about true botanists. If you are relaly into plants, you may ask why not keep plastic fishes with live plants?









Harry


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## thebluyak (Apr 14, 2006)

im rocking some carolina cabomba, sunset hygro, java fern, some other kind of fern, peal grass, and some big stem plants.


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

Real is where its at... thats all there is to it.

When people walk in my door and see a 125g tank full of live plants and some awesome fish they are just in amazement. Let alone when someone who knows about fish tanks comes over, they fall in love with all the live stuff.

Go big or go home!


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## Malok (Mar 26, 2006)

> And I haven't mentioned anything yet about true botanists. If you are relaly into plants, you may ask why not keep plastic fishes with live plants?


lol nice one im gonna have to trie that one day

nothing looks better then a live planted tank justr look at some of the guys on here (especially that frequent the plant section of this forums tanks they are to die for


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## Linford (Oct 26, 2006)

I must say i love my planted tank, just looks so much more 'real' lol. You cant beat it, there is nohing like it. Thanks for you input guys.


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## thebluyak (Apr 14, 2006)

Linford said:


> I must say i love my planted tank, just looks so much more 'real' lol. You cant beat it, there is nohing like it. Thanks for you input guys.


BUT there are times im like wtf i dont even feel like trimming these plants or picking loose leaves out of my intake on my cannister


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## Linford (Oct 26, 2006)

When i was completley new to piranha fully planted tank keeping and completed my first water tests (various types) they were different to my other plain tank recordings... After i realised what plants gave off amounts of nitrates and pH i now fully understand and will never go back to noobish plastic plants...


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## thebluyak (Apr 14, 2006)

Linford said:


> When i was completley new to piranha fully planted tank keeping and completed my first water tests (various types) they were different to my other plain tank recordings...* After i realised what plants gave off amounts of nitrates and pH* i now fully understand and will never go back to noobish plastic plants...


plants dont give off nitrates, they use them for food, i actually have to dose nitrates in my tank. Plants dont affect PH either


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## cheguevara (Nov 3, 2006)

i just have on real plant, it loooks so much better than fake


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## TFMBIGDOG99 (Mar 19, 2006)

Live is where its at, Therizman got me into it, and now Im hooked like a sucker!


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## Linford (Oct 26, 2006)

lol, im sorry thebluyak i didnt mean to put pH i, i was posting on another forum about pH my mistake. I ment to say the amount of plant invertebrates/ parisites (dont know what they were...) which came with the plants i bought from (i now know) a dodgey and untrustworthy aquatic plant/ fish dealer.

What i ment about the nitrates in the water is that they were differently lower than that of my other non aquascaped tanks. Which at first, scared me, now i know better (was when i was inexperienced though) .


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## thebluyak (Apr 14, 2006)

Linford said:


> lol, im sorry thebluyak i didnt mean to put pH i, i was posting on another forum about pH my mistake. I ment to say the amount of plant invertebrates/ parisites (dont know what they were...) which came with the plants i bought from (i now know) a dodgey and untrustworthy aquatic plant/ fish dealer.
> 
> What i ment about the nitrates in the water is that they were differently lower than that of my other non aquascaped tanks. Which at first, scared me, now i know better (was when i was inexperienced though) .


oh gotcha, i was kinda confused when I read your post. Yes live plants are def a plus in a tank, not only do they serve as a natural biological filter but also provide oxygen in the tank and a nice place for the fish to live. Are you talking about snails that came with plants? Some snails are good, like MTS they dont eat plants but then you have some snails like apple snails that will make a meal out of your tank


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## Linford (Oct 26, 2006)

Lol thats ok, no they were not snails of any kind, more like tiny parasites type thingies. It took me ages to get rid of them, alot of time and money, not to mention that i was worried to hell about my piranhas...

I think the guy that sold me the plants just fished then from the local river which now thinking back, is probably why they were so cheap.... but infested. lol Now there all gone and have great looking plants. Only problem was is that it was my first trial with real plants, gave me a bad 'first experience'.


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## Uncle Rico (Sep 4, 2005)

thebluyak said:


> lol, im sorry thebluyak i didnt mean to put pH i, i was posting on another forum about pH my mistake. I ment to say the amount of plant invertebrates/ parisites (dont know what they were...) which came with the plants i bought from (i now know) a dodgey and untrustworthy aquatic plant/ fish dealer.
> 
> What i ment about the nitrates in the water is that they were differently lower than that of my other non aquascaped tanks. Which at first, scared me, now i know better (was when i was inexperienced though) .


oh gotcha, i was kinda confused when I read your post. Yes live plants are def a plus in a tank, not only do they serve as a natural biological filter but also provide oxygen in the tank and a nice place for the fish to live. Are you talking about snails that came with plants? Some snails are good, like MTS they dont eat plants but then you have some snails like apple snails that will make a meal out of your tank
[/quote]
How do you know what snails you have?


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