Is Plastic OK?

[MyCometGoldfish]

I've heard a lot about aquatic plants, but I just have plastic. Is that OK? I know of lots of plants that goldfish LOVE, but they're supposed to be really hard to care for. Still; I want the best for my fish!

[Fishboy93]

The goldfish will eat the real plants but is good for the diet and some hardy types might survive and are beneficial to a fish's health...

[Damon]

Plastic is fine, silk is better if you don't want to try your hand at real plants. If you do Aponogetons, anubias, hornwort, wasteria, watersprite, java ferns, java moss, ambulia, anacharis should all do well. They will either grow to fast or goldfish don't usually eat them. All above are easy low light plants.

[Georgia Peach]

I have plastic plants and everything seems just fine.

[starrfish71]

Once every two weeks or so, I buy a bunch of anachris and put it in the goldfish tank. They love it and eat it, but for a little while there is live plants in there.
(anachris is super cheap)

[Cichlid Man]

People always say to me:
"what's the point in having plastic plants in your tanks Cichlid Man? You may as well have plastic fish".
But I don't see it like that, most fake plants out there look quite realistic. The other advantage over cost is that they won't die on you. I don't have any real plants, planting tanks seems a pointless exersise when you specialise in malawi fish and fish that like to eat plants. However, I appreciate people who try to create the most natural settings for their fish to live in.

[Fishboy93]

Phew at first I thought you said plants were pointless in aquariums....the good thing about real plants is they create more of themselves

[garfieldnfish]

And if you don't have a green thumb or lots of money but prefer live plants over fake, get a container of lucky bamboo at Lowes for $9. There are around 25 plants in it in three different heights. They grow very slowly. They need no maintenance. No fish will eat them, but it looks better then fake plants. They are, however, using up little nutrients so they have almost the same effect on water quality as fake plants do. I have had lucky bamboo (straight not curly, the curly kind grow side roots above the gravel and that does not look good) in several of my tanks for 1 1/2 years and I just love them. I do have a bunch of other live plants as well, but in low light without CO2 injection, these can't be beat. In my dwarf puffer tank I could not keep any plants alive except for cypts, anubia nana and java moss and only a few plants total (probably because of the low poop factory of these tiny fish and I use fertilizer). Since I added the bamboo the DP's sleep on the leaves and the tank looks great. Also great in a frog tank. My dwarf frogs use the cut of part where the leave branch grows out as a stepping stone on their way up for air.