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What is the advantage of having live plants in a tank? Seems as though I mostly hear that the cause more problems then anything. I hear about fish eating the, fish uprooting them, plants making additional waste in your tank, diseases, etc. There must be some advantages to having real plants in your tank. I;m just not sure what they are. Maybe it depends on the type of plant? If I got plants I would get Low to Medium light plants. Do they actucally help improve water quality? Can they increase water quality any better then good filters?

Thanks
~Kash

i have always enjoyed having live plants in my tank, in my honest opinion, i think a tank without live plants is just fake and boring.

yes live plants do help with the water parameters, such as lowering nitrate depending on how much plants you have. a lot of people that has HEAVILY planted tanks get VERY little nitrate because of the plants absorb almost all of it.

fish enjoy live plants a lot more compared with plastic or fabric plants. and if you are going to have plants, you have to know what kind of fish will get along with the plants. obviously you cannot keep a lot of the med-large cichlids because they will eat or uproot the plants. most community fish will be perfect for a planted tank. such as tetras, danios, some barbs, corys, most livebearers... etc

people that have trouble with plants are usually ones that leave the plants in the tank to die or rot away which then causes water quality issues. thats a no brainer.

hope this helps.

Do they help with water clarity and have any effects on ammonia?

i REALLY hope your tank does NOT have ANY ammonia as we speak. unless you just bought the tank a month ago.

i dont think the plants do anything with ammonia, i might be wrong, but you shouldnt worry about ammonia AT ALL because with a mature tank ammonia reading should be 0

it does not do anything for water clarity as far as i know, but it definitely makes your tank more enjoyable and colorful

Plants utilize ammonia more readily than they do nitrites or nitrates, actually. Plants actually have to convert nitrates back into ammonia for use, if I'm remembering correctly from class. But as mentioned, a healthy tank shouldn't have ammonia anyway.

Some plants are good to help absorb nutrients, which can help compete against algae that may cause green water.

IMO plants are primarily ornamental, but raising healthy plants and having an attractive aquarium is definitely quite satisfying.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

I am far from having any water chemistry degrees but live plants are beneficial.
This info was taken from a Sera guide
The plants help in forming an effective filter in the substrate.
During photosynthesis plants consume carbon dioxide and enrich the water with oxygen.
Plants offer a natural cover for the fish thus reducing stress.
Young fish(fry) use it to protect them selves from hungry occupants.
Fast growing plants help to remove nitrogen-containing pollutants from the day they are planted.

They can be called the green lung for the underwater nature.

Now other than all the chemical reasons they look good and very pleasing to the eye and besides the fish would prefer the natural to the artificial any way.

If you plan a tank well and let the plants do what they want to you will soon discover the tank is starting to have a natural look. If one or two plants start dying or not growing they possibly should not be there any way it is like companion planting first you must find out what works with what eg like same conditions and are compatible to each other.

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Keith

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i think one of our responsibilities as fishkeepers is to give our fish healthy environments to live in - spacious enough, suiting the requirements of the fish - and what better way to do that than replicate nature? plants are an integral part of the health of any body of water. think seaweed forests, mangroves, freshwater grass fields, pondweed, hyacinth, and countless others - bodies of water without plants of some description do not support life.

living plants facilitate the microcultures in your tank, which are the basis of so many of the essential processes which occur. while plastic plants can host algae and other cultures, they give nothing to the tank - they are inert. live plants, on the other hand, invigorate the substrate, provide valuable food, cover and shelter for the inhabitants. a healthy planted tank is a living garden, a living thing.

justin

Thanks for the notes regarding plants. I think I'll add some in the next couple week. As far as ammonia goes. I am placing a post in the Water Quality section. Any help there is appreciated.

Thanks

i think a tank without live plants is just fake and boring.

Well, it isn't fake if you choose species that live in an environment that has no plants.

In such a case, you are emulating their natural environment!

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

IMO a tank without live plants is a tank based for cats louches and plecos but if you like top or middle area fish plants inprove the look and as green footbal said "i think a tank without live plants is just fake and boring." i agree completely


33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Seen photographs of the natural env for Malawi cichlids? It is all rocks and no plants. That is the natural environment of fish from that region. Putting java ferns in with them would be silly.

But there are many species who need to be kept with plants to emulate their natural environment so they feel sheltered and safe in the mid region.

Horses for courses. (or; decor for species)

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

plants really arenot too difficult to keep just keep them fed and theyll do fine, i prefer the natural look so i defentily want live plants... and like mentioned before they help with water parameters

i like feesh