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Starting a Fish Tank2007-11-24 23:40:18

I am going to be getting a tank here within the next few weeks. I have heard of cycling- but the problem is do I start with fake plants or live plants?

I realise there are different types of plants for different types of lighting and fish and so on.

Answers:

To me, it depends on whether you plan on doing a fishless cycle or not. If you do then it doesn't really matter and is totally your choice. However, I know that many people use *lots* of live plants when cycling a tank with fish because it can help keep water chemistry levels from spiking in a way that would harm or stress the fish (even more so than from just being present during a cycle), which weakens their immune system and makes them more susceptible to disease and death.

Here are some good articles explaining fishless cycling, if you're interested.

Fishless cycling by adding ammonia directly to the tank:

http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/fish.

Without adding ammonia:

http://www.algone.com/fishless_cycling.h.

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first you CLEAN the fish tank and then plants or what ever you will put in there. then you put then toys, plants what ever you want then, put the water then last but not least the FISH

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i just have fake plants and have never had live plants. i think live plants would look better but i would just start out with fake. i have 38 fish and they seem very happy with the plants.

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I have no plants in my tank but I do know that real plants will help control your phosphate level resulting in a lesser chance of an algal bloom outbreak.

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I've had live and fake plants..I prefer the fake, silk plants, although I have a couple of plastic ones. My biggest problem with live plants was snails..a few eggs were on the plants I purchased and it seemed overnight, my tanks were overrun with snails.