When setting up an aquarium one of many considerations is "do I use fake plants or real ones?" The corollary of course is "Which one is better?" They both have "good" points and "bad" points.
Fake plants are either plastic or fabric ("silk"). Some have weighted bases, and can be either realistic or fantastic in appearance.
Pros:
- You can have an ocean type plant in a freshwater aquarium.
- You don't need a plant friendly light or plant food.
- You give your fish places to hide in and swim around, thus creating a more natural and less stressful setting.
- You can pick some really wild colors in plastic plants including: pearl white, pink, gold, blue, purple or black. They also come in green :-)
- You can have "silk" plants which have more natural colors and a wide variety of leaf shapes. As they are softer, they will move more naturally in any current you create with a bubbler or powerhead.
- You can coordinate the plant colors with your home decor.
- Since they don't die off, you can get bored with your decor.
- If you do not have an algae eater fish, they need manual cleaning -- use an old toothbrush, and rinse it in water.
- Even with an algae eater fish, they may need manual cleaning.
- Often more expensive than live plants.
- You can only use aquarium safe plants from a pet store. Never buy fake plants from a craft store and put it in water. The dyes may be toxic to your fish.
Pros:
- You can create an amazing natural habitat.
- If you love to garden, this is a great way to do so, especially in the winter months. :-)
- Your fish can nibble on the plants, augmenting their diet.
- Live plants provide oxygen.
- Live plants use up some of the fish waste as their food.
- Live plants inhibit algae growth, by using up that part of the ecosystem the algae would use.
- Live plants turn an incomplete ecosystem into a more complete one.
- Live plants reproduce more leaves, grow taller, less boring.
- You give your fish places to hide in and swim around, thus creating a more natural and less stressful setting.
- Live plants are various luxurious shades of green, including variegated greens, purple, and reds.
- You must have plant friendly lighting (replace the bulb(s) every 6 months!), planting media, and aquatic plant food.
- You have to prune the dead or damaged leaves.
- Your fish will eat your plants, so you will have to buy new ones from time to time.
- You have to plan out a planted aquarium as carefully as you would a garden.
- For example: if you use fluorite (a great growing medium) you must rinse very thoroughly, and put a 3 inch layer of gravel on top to keep the fluorite from floating around.
- Or you can use fine aquarium sand to root your plants into, avoid gravel vacuuming (most of the time), and still need weekly plant feedings.
For those who want their aquariums to be part of their overall home decor and design, try:
The Inspired Aquarium: Ideas and Instruction for Living with Aquariums
Here are a few other good books to get you started in planning your aquarium. Several of them cover using both fake and real plants in an aquarium habitat:
Setting up a Tropical Aquarium Week by Week
Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants
Creating a Natural Aquarium (Onterpet Handbooks)
The Simple Guide To Planted Aquariums
Aquarium Plants (Mini Encyclopedia Series for Aquarium Hobbyists)
