Changing plants in my tank...??

Question

I would like to change my plastic plants for live ones, my tank is still cycling and I still have more fish to add...

Shall I wait until the tank has cycled and all fish are in before I change the plastic for live plants? Or is it best to do it now while I still only have 6 platys in the tank?

Also, what live plants are easy to keep, without too many problems?

I've only just started keeping an aquarium, and thought it would be easier to start with plastic plants - but as I've grown to really enjoy this, I would like live plants now as they do look so much better...

Answer 1

I have been doing planted tanks for years now and plants are great but you gotta read up on the type of species you want in there and there requirements... most people just think they can put plants in a tank and dont know about what they actually need...

Your tank you probably have right now probably have compact lighting.. which is... not enough for plants.. you need flourescent's for optimum growth... aswell addition of co2 for most species and fertilizing them...

There is much more to plants.. and i have been learning it over the years.. i'd suggest starting with a plant such as java moss or java fern which are low maintanance plants... even VALS would be ok.. anything else will just be deprived and most likely die and you'll wonder why..

Visit www.fishaquarium.org for more questions and answers

Answer 2

I have always had tropical fish and i would say live plants are more beneficial and i thin it provides a more natural inhabitant for the fish, but its up to each individual how they set their tank up.
Live plants grow and respire and during the day the plants take in carbon dioxide and omit oxygen which helps the environment of the tank, and live plants also breaks down the waste and can also make a tasty meal for some of your fish.
Just remember to remove any decaying plants and that the plants have access to light.

The plants i use and i have a five foot by three foot tank, are amazon sword, anacharis, cambomba which grows fast, money wort, wisteria, and a few other, i don't normally add red plants i just stick to different shades of green...

Hope this helps...

You can add live plants at anytime,

Answer 3

Put in live plants now. Ask the aquatic shop which grow best. Once the plants are in, wait a few weeks for them to get well rooted and start growing. This will improve the water quality considerably. Very dense planting looks superb - so the more plants the better.
When you are happy with the appearance and plants are growing strongly, add more fish to join the platys.
I envy you starting up an aquarium. I kept one for years and got years of pleasure.
Perhaps I'll start again. If I do, I will certainly never use plastic plants.

Answer 4

Put them in now, as they add oxygen in the tank. Also provide food for the fish - much better than plastic plants. They should root, and then grow.
Hope this helps.

Answer 5

You should put in real plants now
Here is some more info about plants: their names, pics of them and what they need

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=326


Good luck

Answer 6

What Nik said but rinse them first!