New plants!

[battlehawk77]

I have found that living on a tight budget does not mean you can't have a planted tank, albeit with fake, silk plants. My source? Dollar Tree! I found some posable arrangements in single strands and for a dollar each. For what I might have spent on two fake plants at my LFS, I now have a veritable forest in my tank, and my fish seem much happier. I also found a small stackable basket with small holes in the sides that, when turned upside down, makes a decent cave for my finned friends. And there are even a few flowers to add some color. I have attached a picture for your viewing pleasure. :ssmile:

Since the picture was taken, a good friend gave me a $25 PetsMart gift card, so I now have a few more residents and a background. thumbs2:

[toosie]

Hey, you even have nonstop flowering plants! It looks good.

[mermaidwannabe]

Are you certain the silk plants you buy at Dollar Tree are aquarium safe? That is, do they have wires in them that might rust or emit toxic elements? What about the dyes? From what I've seen at these Dollar Tree stores, those artificial plants are meant to be displayed in vases or perhaps "planted" outdoors in beds, but certainly aren't made to be placed into aquariums.

If you want fake aquarium plants, you need to get them at an aquarium store or in the aquarium department of PetSmart, etc. Those are made to safely stay inside of fish tanks.

Just a warning ...

-- mermaidwannabe

[Lady Hobbs]

mermaidwannabe .......A+

[Scrup]

+1 on mermaids comment. If it works for you, awesome, but its a risk I personally wouldn't take.

Just keep an eye on the fish and if any of them start acting quirky or ill, hanging out at the top or sitting on the bottom, or if the water starts to get discolored, remove the plants, do a huge water change, pop some charcoal into the filter and cross your fingers.


Also- does that little sign in your tank say "Beware of Danger?"

[Rue]

I agree...be careful. A lot the very inexpensive stuff isn't marketed with safety in mind. If it's not meant to go in water who knows what can leach out of it? Even the dry stuff might not be safe for kids or cats (to chew on...stuff like that)...

[CassieLEO]

I totally agree with Mermaid. You have to think about what things are made of before putting them in. They are very pretty in there, but may cause your fishies some harm...

[battlehawk77]

Two months later, and they are doing well. No ill affects on my fish friends, and they seem to enjoy swimming around them and hiding in them. :ssmile: As I type, I have a group of neons chasing each other around and through one of the plants. My betta has even used a couple of leaves to rest on when he's tired.
My roommates have mentioned how natural the fake plants look, so, hopefully, when I add some rocks to the tank, that will only help things. Not sure how natural blue gravel for the bottom is though...:stongue:

And, for the record, I did soak these plants for a few days to ensure I leeched out any nasty chemicals.

@Scrup: Yes, that sign does indeed say "Beware of Danger." :ssmile:

[Thain]

For everyone posting warnings about non-aquarium artificial plants can someone give a source for Realistic - SA Cichlid - plants. I am not on the dollar tree budget thankfully.

[gm72]

Anything you would buy that is designed for an aquarium would be just fine for any fish.

[Pamela2Heaven]

I have looked at the fake plants from Dollar Tree and decided against them. I was a little weary of the materials.

If you want to make an assortment of fake plants - buy a large package of plants from petsmart or petco (or even walmart in the fish section) and cut them apart and using aquarium safe glue - bunch a few aquarium rocks together and make your own little bundles of different sizes. You can get quite a few individual plants that way.

[Thain]

gm72: Thank you.


But I am more concerned with the Realistic looking higher quality artificial plants. There are many varieties that look fake. There are a few companies that have semi realistic varieties. So I am sure there is a company that has specialized in making very realistic looking plants. That is who I am looking for and can not find. Any Help???