Fake plants and good looks

[markwill]

At the risk of getting flamed as an amatuer ;) , I am interested in whether anyone has a "killer landscape" that uses fake plants.

I have various criteria for my show tank which include a) must look great in a living room scenario (which to my eyes, and more importantly my wife, counts out bare bottomed tanks), b) is relatively low maintenence (this is a significant factor - I know me, the more effort required over time the less likely I am to continue) and c) don't constrain my options if, for any reason, I need to treat my fish.

So, with this in mind, it a REALLY nice look achievable with fake plants and, if so, does anyone have any pointers to pictures?

By the way, I am very aware that on close inspection its pretty easy to tell that a plant is fake - I'm interested primarily in the "10 foot experience" from someone passing the show tank and not too concerned about the viewer who gets right up against the tank and casts spurious comments about "they ain't real, are they!!" :-) I guess this is all a question of tolerance. For me personally, the fake plants I have today look "OK".

Thanks in advance.

Mark

[yogi]

There are a few things you can do. A bare bottom tank that has the bottom painted from underneath looks pretty good. Petsmart sells some good looking fake driftwood in all different sizes. Penn Plex also makes some good looking fake driftwood. Fake plants can be inserted into lava rock. You just drill a hole in the lava rock and insert the fake plant. Then apply some silicone to it to hold it in place. They sell fake plants that are limp as well as some that have a wire inside the stem. I like the ones with the wire better.

Once your discus are full grown and thriving people don't even notice the decorations. They just look and them and say wow and then ask are they saltwater fish?

[KIWI13]

Well I think real plants help your aquarium alot more than fake ones do. They keep the nitrates in check and compete with algae keepin them at bay too.
Plus in maintenence ways the work is the same. Face it your gonna have to clean the gravel and fake or not the plants are gonna get in your way.

Good luck

jason

[Cosmo]

There are a plethora (nice word huh) of attractive fake plants on the market. Problem with them all is....

1- they tend to hide uneaten food and feces within their bases, especially if you have a gravel bottom.
2- Increases the difficulty of syphoning out #1
3- mosst problematically - the plastic tends to coat itself with plaque that is invisible until you inadvertantly distrub it, or, remove it from the aquarium, at which point it's scattered throughout the tank and difficult to fully syphon out.

I've gone to BB with real drifitwood and have ended up with a very attractive setup.

If I were to go with plants, I'd go live, but I don't want to have to deal with the water chemistry issues.

Jim

[markwill]

I've gone to BB with real drifitwood and have ended up with a very attractive setup.

Thanks for the responses, all.

Jim, do you have any pictures? One thing that has been evident in any bare-bottom tank I've seen is the filtering and heater, which just "leap out" at the viewer, as compared to a planted environment (fake or otherwise) where it's easy to disguise.

Thanks.

Mark

[blaze]

it can be done....

all the plants in the discus and angels tanks are plastic. Pity Im too cheap & lazy to do it properly. http://forum.simplydiscus.com//showthread.php?t=44348

but I bet u can

[tribalmush]

I know exactly how you feel here.

I have a 220 gallon discus tank in my liviing room I have a huge filter on this thing so water changes arn't needed except once a week. I recently pulled the few fake plants I had in the tank since they would get full of discus poop and was be a pain to clean them. Meantime I love to watch the discus but the wife says the tank just isn't pretty anymore. What to do.

[Greg Richardson]

I put some huge Amazon Swords in pots in mine and what a difference look wise and discus seem happier.