Plants - Real & Fake

[Vinni Smith]

I have kept real plants in my tanks for years and years.
Also plastic ones as well.
Sometimes mixing the two.

These plastic plants and corals nowadays are spectacular!

Back in the olden days, maybe 50 years ago, (yes I am old enough to remember those days) fake aquarium plants were horrible!
And the plastic and ceramic corals were something you would see in a Little Mermaid movie.
Just ridiculous looking.
Might as well put a scuba diver and a treasure chest in your tank.

But, sometime around the 90s they started to get much more real looking.
First I noticed it with the corals. EXPENSIVE but magnificent.
Then after the turn of the century I noticed the freshwater plants getting a makeover.

Nowadays, as far as looks go, I prefer the plastic over the real ones by far.
Upkeep is WAY easier too.

Just brought home a bunch more for a few of the tanks.
The more plants I put in the discus tank, the better the fish act.
The smaller ones like to hover right behind them looking at me thru the leaves.
When feeding time comes along, BOOM, they come out from everywhere like the little people on Wizard of Oz.

128459

[peewee1]

Hey, now! Every tank should have the treasure chest air stone rig. The lid fills with air, opens, lets out the bubble, and then closes up tight. Thus providing hours of entertainment for the entire family. Also Bradford Exchange has several Wizard of Oz collectables starting as low as 49.95 and up to over 150.00 beans that make a nice addition to any Oz themed aquarium. And if you want me to I can send you my plans for a Star Wars theme aquarium. It has a Millennium Falcon that floats on the surface which makes it appear that it is really flying and then Luke fighting with Dark Vader and if you are dead set on having the little people work in some Ewoks in there I can. What say you, Vinni Give it a try, you must.

[Vinni Smith]

Hey, now! Every tank should have the treasure chest air stone rig. The lid fills with air, opens, lets out the bubble, and then closes up tight. Thus providing hours of entertainment for the entire family. Also Bradford Exchange has several Wizard of Oz collectables starting as low as 49.95 and up to over 150.00 beans that make a nice addition to any Oz themed aquarium. And if you want me to I can send you my plans for a Star Wars theme aquarium. It has a Millennium Falcon that floats on the surface which makes it appear that it is really flying and then Luke fighting with Dark Vader and if you are dead set on have the little people I can work some Ewoks in there for you. What say you, Vinni A good plan it is. Then give it a try, you must.

Peewee,
All this sound good and fine BUT
Nancy is a Star Trek fan, she really does not like Star Wars.
So, can you set me up with some Picard stuff? Maybe Borg or Android thingies?
Maybe just a big picture background of Jean-Luke peering thru the new plants??? Heh???

[Vinni Smith]

I do have to admit though, Ewoks sound better than Oz little people.

[LizStreithorst]

You two are a hoot. Vinni tell your wife that I'm a Star Trek lover as well. I only saw the first star wars movie and I just didn't get it.

As far as plants, I dislike fake. I'm a live plant person. But only in tanks for fish and shrimp that prefer them. For my Discus I'm 100% BB. No junk to get in the way of the fish.

[peewee1]

Peewee,
All this sound good and fine BUT
Nancy is a Star Trek fan, she really does not like Star Wars.
So, can you set me up with some Picard stuff? Maybe Borg or Android thingies?
Maybe just a big picture background of Jean-Luke peering thru the new plants??? Heh???

I can make it so. But please understand that any USS Enterprise would be too large to float in any but the largest of tanks. So may be a Ferengi marauder. Data might be a better choice for peering through the necessary electric blue and orange plants needed to simulate many Class W worlds.

[peewee1]

I do have to admit though, Ewoks sound better than Oz little people.

There is a point to this, Vinni. If you are looking for realism you would go with the Ewoks. With little people some might say that's not right how could a person hold their breaths that long? But with Ewoks no one knows for sure how long they can hold their breath. So you don't have that criticism to deal with anyway.

[peewee1]

You two are a hoot. Vinni tell your wife that I'm a Star Trek lover as well. I only saw the first star wars movie and I just didn't get it.

As far as plants, I dislike fake. I'm a live plant person. But only in tanks for fish and shrimp that prefer them. For my Discus I'm 100% BB. No junk to get in the way of the fish.

Same for me. Live plants and live music have no comparisons. As for discus BB except for a branch for timid Timmy to hang around. And maybe a breeding cone for the love birds. But that is it!

For me Star Trek is more people/relationships space opera stuff while Star Wars is space cowboy stuff. This is why Murdock Mysteries will always be better than Sherlock Homes, even if they throw in Downey Jr as Homes.

[Vinni Smith]

You two are a hoot. Vinni tell your wife that I'm a Star Trek lover as well. I only saw the first star wars movie and I just didn't get it.



Just curious.... Did you watch the Picard series this year?

If not, you should. We thought it was excellent.

Data: Why are you stalling, Captain?
Picard: I don't want the game to end.

[peewee1]

Just curious.... Did you watch the Picard series this year?

If not, you should. We thought it was excellent.

Data: Why are you stalling, Captain?
Picard: I don't want the game to end.

Where is that found, Vinni? A 2020 version?

[Vinni Smith]

Where is that found, Vinni? A 2020 version?

Right here. I could watch that scene a thousand times


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqiy5CYH5Gc

[Iminit]

Ok Vinnie you may need new glasses. Fake is fake. Sorry I don’t get the BB tanks. Plain and boring. Yes great for breeding. If that’s your goal. If keeping and enjoying your fish you have to have something in the tank. Even a treasure chest :) or sunken ship. When I last left discus keeping the goal than was the planted tank. I’ve done it and plenty of others too! Just go on Facebook there’s plenty of successful planted discus tanks.
If interested Vinnie I can send you some live plants!! Those discus aren’t hovering there in shock!! Does he believe these are real!!! What next sponge bob!!!

[peewee1]

You have given me an idea, Tom. The Titanic. I don't have plants And I agree that the planted tanks are as artist as any outdoor landscaped garden.

[Vinni Smith]

Ok Vinnie you may need new glasses. Fake is fake. Sorry I don’t get the BB tanks. Plain and boring. Yes great for breeding. If that’s your goal. If keeping and enjoying your fish you have to have something in the tank. Even a treasure chest :) or sunken ship. When I last left discus keeping the goal than was the planted tank. I’ve done it and plenty of others too! Just go on Facebook there’s plenty of successful planted discus tanks.
If interested Vinnie I can send you some live plants!! Those discus aren’t hovering there in shock!! Does he believe these are real!!! What next sponge bob!!!

I honestly, really like the BB and fake plants. I've had substrate and planted aquariums for years. I am still finding and throwing out all the liquid plant foods. They are cool but just a lot of extra care. I put a nice sandy colored mat under the tank so it is the color of sand for them when they look down. Also, all the poop collects in one spot and easy peasy to suck out. These discus LOVE these tall plants. And besides, I asked them ahead of time what colors and styles they wanted. They let me know before the purchase! LOL

Now, Sponge Bob peering out from behind the driftwood my be a cool option. Even better than Picard background. I am still considering the plastic flamingos in there however...

On a more serious note... Billy F Gibbons told me the other day that Peter Green passed away in his sleep. He was a HUGE inspiration to a lot of us in the guitar world.

[LizStreithorst]

Once upon a time a long time ago a friend of mine was banned from this forum forever for being rude to a woman who was making a Barbie doll themed Discus tank. This is a true story. He was an international Discus judge! But this was far from his first offence here. He's one of the ones I respected who are no longer here for one reason of another. I miss him.

[peewee1]

I tried the plastic plants, and still have a few of them, a few years ago but I took them out because I got tired of taking them out in order to wipe off the algae that was accumulating on them.

[Vinni Smith]

Once upon a time a long time ago a friend of mine was banned from this forum forever for being rude to a woman who was making a Barbie doll themed Discus tank. This is a true story. He was an international Discus judge! But this was far from his first offence here. He's one of the ones I respected who are no longer here for one reason of another. I miss him.

That is a bummer, for sure.
I personally can only imagine how a Barbie Doll theme would look, but hey, if it is your tank, in your house, you can make it look as you wish.
Definitely not something to be rude about. He must have had some underlying issues himself?
Who knows.

[Vinni Smith]

I tried the plastic plants, and still have a few of them, a few years ago but I took them out because I got tired of taking them out in order to wipe off the algae that was accumulating on them.

That is when they start to look their best, when the algae starts to grow on them!
I don't wipe it off. I take them outside and spray them down.
Again, easy peasy.

[LizStreithorst]

That is a bummer, for sure.
I personally can only imagine how a Barbie Doll theme would look, but hey, if it is your tank, in your house, you can make it look as you wish.
Definitely not something to be rude about. He must have had some underlying issues himself?
Who knows.

He was a Discus purist.

[peewee1]

That is a bummer, for sure.
I personally can only imagine how a Barbie Doll theme would look, but hey, if it is your tank, in your house, you can make it look as you wish.
Definitely not something to be rude about. He must have had some underlying issues himself?
Who knows.

One of my associates at work tells me that she has more than one thousand Barbie dolls. I wonder if she would be willing to submerged a few of them into a fish tank? I too wonder if there is a scuba Barbie in her collection? Now that I think about this she too resembles a Barbie doll. Hmmmm. Does she in fact have a collection of mini mes? I must find out today.

[Iminit]

Well trying not to be rude :). A Barbie doll theme is still better than bare bottom :).

[peewee1]

Well trying not to be rude :). A Barbie doll theme is still better than bare bottom :).

Bare bottom tends to be on the ugly side when one considers all of the wires, thermostats, and filters that are visual. But functional especially for breeding and water changes. I would prefer a planted tank but the maintenance is more than I want to deal with.

[Vinni Smith]

Bare bottom tends to be on the ugly side when one considers all of the wires, thermostats, and filters that are visual. But functional especially for breeding and water changes. I would prefer a planted tank but the maintenance is more than I want to deal with.

We love our BB tank.
However, I do have to fight the urge to vacuum it every hour

[peewee1]

We love our BB tank.
However, I do have to fight the urge to vacuum it every hour

Air drop a squadron of gold fish in there, Vinni. My understanding is they would take care of that bottom accumulation in short order.

[Vinni Smith]

Air drop a squadron of gold fish in there, Vinni. My understanding is they would take care of that bottom accumulation in short order.

Plop and drop!

No, I am very happy with the way the goldfish (Rob) is keeping my discus tank downstairs clean.
And I do love fancy fantail goldfish indeed. However I would only do 1 per tank.

The display tank upstairs will be reaping the benefit of a gold fish very, very soon.

Have I said that I love fancy fantail goldfish???

[captainandy]

IMO, and after a scotch or two - plastic plants are cheesy

[peewee1]

Well trying not to be rude :). A Barbie doll theme is still better than bare bottom :).

Although, a bare bottom Barbie would be most rude. Oh! Oh! I cannot wait until I can tell my associate at work about the Barbie theme aquarium. I must find out if there is a scuba Barbie.

Check this out, Vinni! https://www.amazon.com/Barbie-Dolphin-Magic-Treasure-Playset/dp/B01MQY8ZPP/ref=asc_df_B01MQY8ZPP/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198094298824&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3088501499744760519&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033293&hvtargid=pla-361040821913&psc=1 This is perfect! Hook up that chest (get you mind out of the gutter...the treasure chest, guys) with an air stone so that the lid will fill with air, lid opens, air bubble escapes, lid closes. Nice! All of the Magic Treasure Playset set works. You've got a couple of fish for the discus to bat around. A coral reef complete with sea critters and Barbie herself skinny legs and all. All for $21.95!

[Vinni Smith]

Check this out, Vinni! https://www.amazon.com/Barbie-Dolphin-Magic-Treasure-Playset/dp/B01MQY8ZPP/ref=asc_df_B01MQY8ZPP/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198094298824&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3088501499744760519&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033293&hvtargid=pla-361040821913&psc=1 This is perfect! Hook up that chest (get you mind out of the gutter...the treasure chest, guys) with an air stone so that the lid will fill with air, lid opens, air bubble escapes, lid closes. Nice! All of the Magic Treasure Playset set works. You've got a couple of fish for the discus to bat around. A coral reef complete with sea critters and Barbie herself skinny legs and all. All for $21.95!

Now that's a bargain!
I like the flippers.

[above design]

Well trying not to be rude :). A Barbie doll theme is still better than bare bottom :).

I know bare bottom is not fun to look at but it makes raising discus so much easier. 128474I put some sand colored window film on the bottom of my aquarium. It has a sand look and sparkles with the light.

Mark

[peewee1]

I know bare bottom is not fun to look at but it makes raising discus so much easier. 128474I put some sand colored window film on the bottom of my aquarium. It has a sand look and sparkles with the light.

Mark

Mark, my words, Mark, when I say that you are on the mark with this one. You may have a mark-etable idea here.

[above design]

Mark, my words, Mark, when I say that you are on the mark with this one. You may have a mark-etable idea here.

Dude!! You are a trip! Always on point lol

[Iminit]

Nice idea Mark. Only thing missing is the discus. They’re right now trying to cripple your internet! They’re thinking you may order some of Vinnie plants :).

[above design]

Nice idea Mark. Only thing missing is the discus. They’re right now trying to cripple your internet! They’re thinking you may order some of Vinnie plants :).

Oh they're here..... with my 2 live plants... baby steps lol 128475

[Oxboy]

BB in a show tank just looks bad. Unnatural. I get it for breeding, raising fry and hygiene purposes, but if you try to convince yourself it looks good sitting in your livingroom, you're being willfully ignorant IMHO. You have these beautiful fish, a cool piece of driftwood and some nice greenery all sitting on -- wait for it -- bare glass. Pro-BB showtankers have lost their objectivity. :)

[Willie]

BB in a show tank just looks bad. Unnatural. I get it for breeding, raising fry and hygiene purposes, but if you try to convince yourself it looks good sitting in your livingroom, you're being willfully ignorant IMHO. You have these beautiful fish, a cool piece of driftwood and some nice greenery all sitting on -- wait for it -- bare glass. Pro-BB showtankers have lost their objectivity. :)

I'm totally fine with how people would like to decorate their tanks: gravel, sand, barebottom, plants, potted plants, driftwood, plastic plants... I only object when the term "unnatural" is used to describe bare bottom tanks. Take a look at discus in its natural environment (http://youtu.be/STW1oJgIEEI) and tell me how many green plants you see?

Is all that Anubias any more natural than a Barbie themed tank? ;)

Willie

[peewee1]

I'm totally fine with how people would like to decorate their tanks: gravel, sand, barebottom, plants, potted plants, driftwood, plastic plants... I only object when the term "unnatural" is used to describe bare bottom tanks. Take a look at discus in its natural environment (http://youtu.be/STW1oJgIEEI) and tell me how many green plants you see?

Is all that Anubias any more natural than a Barbie themed tank? ;)

Willie

Willie, makes an unnatural point. In nature none of those plants, clear water, or sand. Dead sticks and a bun load of silt and muddy water. The Barbie Magic Treasure play set is the way to go, Willie. The fish could spawn on the chest or on Barbie herself.

[Vinni Smith]

We have two tanks that are not BB. Wifey's guppies and mollies. We have crushed coral as substrate because it tends to keep the PH higher. Every time I vacuum that gravel out, it makes me very glad my discus are in BB tanks. I am not obsessive about it and I am not a clean freak, but I just think their water is so much better because of it.

Speaking of water... I used to work at a lfs in CA. My boss always told me and the customers "If you want your fish to grow, change the water a lot". His reason was not the same though as many of you here on the forum. He said it was because the fish give off hormones. He believed all the hormones in the water is what would slow down the growth of the entire tank population. Now, this was back in the 80s. A lot of knowledge about our hobby has come about since then. However, I still wonder if there was some wisdom in what he said. If we have an active filter going and we are doing WC every day or every other day or even once per week, We are not changing the water because of ammonia, nitrite or even nitrates. A lot of folks say we are getting rid of toxins. I just wonder if Ted was right and we are getting rid of hormones???

When we were into the outside koi hobby, if you overstocked your pond they would refer to that as "the fish that is not there". Meaning all the fish would put off something in the water that, in their minds, added up to an extra fish or even multiple fish that are not in the pond. And we had great filtration and constant water trickling into our ponds turning over the pond in just a day or so. Those folks were filter crazy! Let me tell you. 8 foot tall filters that even looked like water heaters.

Really something to think about. What do you all think of this concept?

[peewee1]

Over time the water change has grown to become more of an obsession than a necessity I believe, Vinni. Going back 25 years when I breed wild discus for fun and profit. Back when an Alelrod book was my only guide. I recall that I had several bare 20 gallon tanks which included 2 fish, one flower pot, one heater and a plastic in tank filter box. The filter contained charcoal and peat moss. What I do not recall is making water changes. If I did it was seldom. I have increased of late the waster change because after buying my first ever TDS meter I learned that the water in my breeding tank read near 1,000. The fish have spawned twice in that tank and fry resulted. After changing the water 50% over a three day period the TDS has dropped to about 450 and the fish spawned again. I am not convinced that massive wather changes are necessary or even beneficial for my discus. What I do know is that I am not partial to plastic plants and I do agree with Willy in that while a decorated tank with a beautiful aquascape is pleasing to our eyes that it is not a natural setting for our discus while at the same time presenting us with a high maintenance opportunity.

[Iminit]

Yeah Vinnie we are definitely removing hormones. I think hormones are are part of why some discus stop eating. Just moved my non eater to a 15g with some Cory’s and first hour it was pecking food off the bottom. Go figure! I think they’re are more hormones with younger discus. That’s why we change more water.
It’s true what Willie says about there natural habitat. But in reality very few of us own one that is less than 50x removed from natural habitat. And none of these fish could possibly even genetically remember there past. Though there immediate past would find them in bare bottom breeding tanks. So I guess the bb is what they are most used too. This is why I beleive it’s best to start with young small fish when moving out of bb tanks. Older fish will be stressed. IMO :).

[Oxboy]

I don't see many panes of glass lining the bottom of the Amazon. Only here and there. 😉

[Oxboy]

Yeah Vinnie we are definitely removing hormones. I think hormones are are part of why some discus stop eating. Just moved my non eater to a 15g with some Cory’s and first hour it was pecking food off the bottom. Go figure! I think they’re are more hormones with younger discus. That’s why we change more water.
It’s true what Willie says about there natural habitat. But in reality very few of us own one that is less than 50x removed from natural habitat. And none of these fish could possibly even genetically remember there past. Though there immediate past would find them in bare bottom breeding tanks. So I guess the bb is what they are most used too. This is why I beleive it’s best to start with young small fish when moving out of bb tanks. Older fish will be stressed. IMO :).

Is there any scientific proof to the hormone theory?

[peewee1]

Yeah Vinnie we are definitely removing hormones. I think hormones are are part of why some discus stop eating. Just moved my non eater to a 15g with some Cory’s and first hour it was pecking food off the bottom. Go figure! I think they’re are more hormones with younger discus. That’s why we change more water.
It’s true what Willie says about there natural habitat. But in reality very few of us own one that is less than 50x removed from natural habitat. And none of these fish could possibly even genetically remember there past. Though there immediate past would find them in bare bottom breeding tanks. So I guess the bb is what they are most used too. This is why I beleive it’s best to start with young small fish when moving out of bb tanks. Older fish will be stressed. IMO :).

Any creature not living in its wild habitat is one that is held in captivity. Humans being the exception. Instinctive behavior would be what controls captive fish regardless of their heritage I would think. What would happen if we were able to release an F3 discus into the Amazon? Would that fish adapt and survive?

[Iminit]

Maybe if it’s not eaten right away.
I have no scientific proof But I’ve read about it many times. Just my opinion.

[Vinni Smith]

Nice idea Mark. Only thing missing is the discus. They’re right now trying to cripple your internet! They’re thinking you may order some of Vinnie plants :).

Uh, excuse me...
I prefer the term V-Plants.
It's more politically correct.
LOL

[Willie]

Willie, makes an unnatural point. In nature none of those plants, clear water, or sand. Dead sticks and a bun load of silt and muddy water. The Barbie Magic Treasure play set is the way to go, Willie. The fish could spawn on the chest or on Barbie herself.

Now you got me thinking. Maybe a Lego set up for our times?

128504

[Iminit]

Hey those LEGO guys got the tp !!!

[above design]

BB in a show tank just looks bad. Unnatural. I get it for breeding, raising fry and hygiene purposes, but if you try to convince yourself it looks good sitting in your livingroom, you're being willfully ignorant IMHO. You have these beautiful fish, a cool piece of driftwood and some nice greenery all sitting on -- wait for it -- bare glass. Pro-BB showtankers have lost their objectivity. :)

Ignorant? Lol.... I tried twice previously with a planted tank raising young discus and failed. After reading a lot I decided to get my discus to adults before adding anything else. I have since added a couple plants, a piece of driftwood and some rams. I have some pool filter sand waiting to add, If I ever decide to. Not sure if I ever will because I really enjoy having healthy discus.

Mark

[Vinni Smith]

BB in a show tank just looks bad. Unnatural. I get it for breeding, raising fry and hygiene purposes, but if you try to convince yourself it looks good sitting in your livingroom, you're being willfully ignorant IMHO. You have these beautiful fish, a cool piece of driftwood and some nice greenery all sitting on -- wait for it -- bare glass. Pro-BB showtankers have lost their objectivity. :)

I have had planted/gravel/sand tanks all my life. Never thought about a BB. I LOVE the look. But please know that I have an acrylic with no trim on the bottom. It is just a 1/2" clear piece of acrylic. It really is beautiful, especially with the lights on. I have another soon to be going up in my shop. Can't wait.

[Vinni Smith]

More V-Plants porn for y'all.

128532

[peewee1]

The gold fish appears to believe that it is a discs.

[Iminit]

Discus all looking good Vinnie!! Nice! No comment on plants :). Yes Rob does fit in.

[Vinni Smith]

The gold fish appears to believe that it is a discs.

Goldfish?

He is just a small, fat stunted Discus,

[Vinni Smith]

Discus all looking good Vinnie!! Nice! No comment on plants :). Yes Rob does fit in.

You and I both know that deep down inside, you like these plants. Let yourself come over to the dark side... :coffee:

[Vinni Smith]

Discus all looking good Vinnie!! Nice!

Thanks Bro.

I will admit I have been doing daily 90% WCs lately to experiment.
Some of the fish sure grow a lot faster than others.
A few months ago I got 3 PBs.
One has 4xs his size, one doubled and one stayed the size he was when he got here.

[Iminit]

Yeah I’ve got the same thing going on in the new tank. The PBs do seem to be growing bigger. The German wonders have stopped. I already moved one into a 15 by itself and will be adding the other soon. I’ve fulled and have the new tank running and have added some black skirt tetras just to see how it’s going. I have added media from other tanks and will add more when I move the discus.
Not sure why these fish stopped eating. Tank is at 87and I’m changing 75% daily. I’m thinking hormones in the water. My other tank was planted from the start and I’ve had no problems. But I may have all females in it. This tank may have males. When I moved the first wonder out it started eating within the hour.
Some thing I didn’t have with the other tank is this slime on everything. Every other day I have to clean everything in the tank. All covered in slime. I clean the glass with every water change. But wood and potted plants are slimed in 2 days.
I’m not going bb in main tank I’ve allready added gravel and some plants. I won’t go crazy with plants on this one. But I’m thinking the plants and gravel may break up this slime. As in the bacteria may eat it.

[peewee1]

Yeah I’ve got the same thing going on in the new tank. The PBs do seem to be growing bigger. The German wonders have stopped. I already moved one into a 15 by itself and will be adding the other soon. I’ve fulled and have the new tank running and have added some black skirt tetras just to see how it’s going. I have added media from other tanks and will add more when I move the discus.
Not sure why these fish stopped eating. Tank is at 87and I’m changing 75% daily. I’m thinking hormones in the water. My other tank was planted from the start and I’ve had no problems. But I may have all females in it. This tank may have males. When I moved the first wonder out it started eating within the hour.
Some thing I didn’t have with the other tank is this slime on everything. Every other day I have to clean everything in the tank. All covered in slime. I clean the glass with every water change. But wood and potted plants are slimed in 2 days.
I’m not going bb in main tank I’ve allready added gravel and some plants. I won’t go crazy with plants on this one. But I’m thinking the plants and gravel may break up this slime. As in the bacteria may eat it.

Slime? Who you gonna call? Ghost Busters! There are not to far from you...just over in Mnn-hattin.

[Vinni Smith]

Slime???...

Not sure I have ever seen that. My glass gets a little cloudy and it is easily wiped off. Is that what you mean?

[peewee1]

Slime???...

Not sure I have ever seen that. My glass gets a little cloudy and it is easily wiped off. Is that what you mean?

I suspect so. My aquariums get it from time to time. It does wipe off but why is it there to begin with?

[Iminit]

Yes that’s it. Never get it in a planted tank. But it’s crazy in this tank. It covers anything in the tank. It’s like a thick bio-film. Has to be coming from the discus and with all the bacteria in the filters there’s nothing else to eat it in the tank.

[Vinni Smith]

So...

As much as I like the looks of my plastic plants, I have taken them all out of the tank.
Just too much junk collects on them.
Also, the old saying, "give them a lot of hiding places and they will hide", well there ya go.

I am missing them, but tank maintenance is sure easier and the fish seem to be just as happy without all the shelter.

[Iminit]

Well only one thing to do now. Change the title! Real-Fake or Nothing!! :).

[Vinni Smith]

Well only one thing to do now. Change the title! Real-Fake or Nothing!! :).

I guess so! LOL