hi guys.
i hard from a friend that the fake plants out there are not really good fo the fish because some times they scratch themselves with it.
what do you guy think
The only reason i could think of a fish scraping its body against plastic plants is if it had an ich infection...in which case it would probably be grazing the surface of the substrate, wood and any fake ornaments in the tank as well...so. I really don't see any harm at all in fake plants, but now that I've gone live I'm never going back to fake.
I have gone from live plants to fake plants mainly because in my 75 gal. I have 8 african chiclids and I have become tired of cleaning up live plants and replacing them daily and replanting them because they got torn out or eatin. I guess I don't know enough about live plants yet to keep them with these chiclids. Any sugestions?
You should have had an option for both. I like to use both, depending. Plastic is certainly easier and predictable, and sometimes seem appropriate for a certain tank. As for plastic scraping the fish, I think the hard plastic plants could cause a problem, especially if it's densely planted with fish who like to hid a lot.
I buy silk or silk-like plants. Top Fin makes a few plastic ones that are attractive and very soft, I also have a few of those. The silk ones are cool because they sway in the current and look quite real to guests at my house.
At first i had a single fake plant for few days. But since that iv moved to Live once and i m thinking of sticking to it... i can see that it make me do extra expenditures like fertilizers etc...
but its worth doing those things cox once it starts to grow u see the beauty in it.
Fake plants may be easier, but most community fish enjoy live plants more, because the look more natural to them. Also live plants will make you have a better water quality (as long as you clean up the dead leaves). I like live poants more, but fake are easier, and yes fake plants definetly work better with chiclids. :P
Live plants have alot more pros then fake (i.e. oxygenating), but the only thing that deters many people is the upkeep and effort involved with some of the plants. However, there are some plants require a lot less upkeep and/or equipment to keep them happy. So just like fish, do your research on what types of plants are best for your aquarium. This link might be helpful, its a post that covers your question.
