# Pros and cons of live plant?



## FireFall2001 (Jun 23, 2015)

I just bought a plant to put in my tank and have already put it in and my rose petal betta instantly went and laid on the leaves,what are the pros and cons of having this plant in here and should i get another?hes in love with this thing.


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## Pumpkin (Jan 16, 2015)

Live plants are great! I only use live plants in my tanks, I personally don't really like the look of fake plants. Here are the pros and cons that I can think of:

PROS:

- look better than fake plants!
- absorb ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, means cleaner water
- produce oxygen and absorb co2
- compete with algae for nutrients so it may help with algae problems, although I guess it's also possible that algae might outcompete the plants
- hiding/resting place for your fish

CONS:

- can decay, adding to ammonia levels
- depending on the plant, you may need specific substrates
- depending on the plant, you may need root tabs, or liquid fertilisers
- usually need lighting for most plants, which can be expensive 
- you might accidentally get some unwanted creatures, depending where you buy them from, and if you don't quarantine/wash them properly. I got a cool little snail from the plants I bought. 

The pros outweigh the cons, in my opinion. Also, with easy to care for plants, some cons don't really matter. For example, anubias is very easy to grow, only needs minimal lighting and doesn't require aquarium soil. Java moss is also apparently easy to grow, although mine has stayed the same size for months. :/ But there are a bunch of easy plants out there that require minimal care.


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## TerriGtoo (Jul 2, 2013)

+1 Pumpkin. 
I would also like to add a really wonderful pro. Once you get your plants established and growing well, you have a pretty much ongoing source of plants for all your tanks. I love the fact that I can harvest plants from established tanks to add to new tanks.


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## InStitches (May 26, 2014)

+1 to what both have said :lol:

Having plants has definitely improved my tank's water quality and my fish feel happier and safer. It is great in a community tank, especially.

My more timid fish, like java loaches, come out and swim around more often because they feel so safe!

Also planting/gardening is fun ;-)


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Agree with whats said above, Pumpkin put it quite simply. I keep plants in all my tanks. Many tanks are so well planted I don't have to do water changes (ammonia nitrite and nitrate are 0) unless I want to remove visible poop. The downside to planted tanks is cost of plants, lighting, and ferts then as you start out trying to get everything to balance. If you unbalance lighting, nitrogen (ammonia nitrite nitrate), nutrients (fertilizers), and/or co2 you can get algaes. Different kinds form from different imbalances. Correcting the imbalance and removing already grown algae generally means it won't come back. But don't let that scare you away from plants! There are a lot of great undemanding beginner plants- low light low demand that are a awesome way to venture into the wonders of the planted tank world. Once you start getting into medium and high light/demand plants there's a bit more work and balancing act but its very rewarding, you can have a beautiful tank with some patience (letting plants grow in and learning what is to little or too much) and a very happy fish!


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## addseo1115 (Jun 22, 2015)

hes in love with this thing.
royal1688 ทดลองเล่น


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## InStitches (May 26, 2014)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Agree with whats said above, Pumpkin put it quite simply. I keep plants in all my tanks. Many tanks are so well planted I don't have to do water changes (ammonia nitrite and nitrate are 0) unless I want to remove visible poop. The downside to planted tanks is cost of plants, lighting, and ferts then as you start out trying to get everything to balance. If you unbalance lighting, nitrogen (ammonia nitrite nitrate), nutrients (fertilizers), and/or co2 you can get algaes. Different kinds form from different imbalances. Correcting the imbalance and removing already grown algae generally means it won't come back. But don't let that scare you away from plants! There are a lot of great undemanding beginner plants- low light low demand that are a awesome way to venture into the wonders of the planted tank world. Once you start getting into medium and high light/demand plants there's a bit more work and balancing act but its very rewarding, you can have a beautiful tank with some patience (letting plants grow in and learning what is to little or too much) and a very happy fish!



is it possible to do high light/low tech? I'm curious, I want to plant a new 5 g soon.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

InStitches said:


> is it possible to do high light/low tech? I'm curious, I want to plant a new 5 g soon.



Yep. i always do it. But unfortunately i don't know a scientific method for it. i don't get the massive amounts of algae outbreak people always talk about either.


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## InStitches (May 26, 2014)

ao said:


> Yep. i always do it. But unfortunately i don't know a scientific method for it. i don't get the massive amounts of algae outbreak people always talk about either.


Do you use Excel at all?
I know everyone's tanks are a little different. Or a lot different.
I'm thinking of doing a 5 gallon med - high planted. Currently I have just an 8 gallon low light under one of those compact fluorescent lights, dosing with Excel and root tabs and chelated iron caps in the sand whenever the plants express a need.

My 15 gallon failed a number of months ago, I had Current USA Freshwater LED + and the red on the RGB lights failed. All the plants that were barely clinging to life to begin with died. It makes me nervous to start a new tank, the 8 gallon succeeding was a complete accident.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

No, I don't fertilize or dose anything. I found that it's best to let my tank work itself out without additives. Other wise, it gets a little snobbish when i take it off excel or ferts. My plants become dependent on the ferts and I get an algae take over when I stop dosing. 

I get around 500 par at substrate level. I havent tested again since setting up my tank though.


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