Should I Keep Artificial Plants in My Aquarium?

The debate of whether to use real or artificial plantsinadvertently transfer to your aquarium.
for one's aquarium has been going on for quite someAlong with the lists of advantages that artificial
time. Plants provide not just decoration but alsoaquarium plants bring, there are some downsides to
serve the practical purpose of giving fish a place tothem as well. Since your fish cannot eat them, you
hide. By having a place of refuge, fish will feel safewill have to religiously stick to their feeding schedule.
and become less stressed.With real plants, you can be delayed a bit with their
Nowadays, artificial plants are very well crafted thatfeeds and not worry because they can just nibble on
they closely match real plants in appearance. Theythe plants. Artificial plants won't contribute to the
are widely available in pet shops and can come inoxygen levels on your tank, they won't have
different sizes and colors.beneficial bacteria, and they can't help with keeping
The first thing one would like with using artificialalgae growth in check. For these, you have to fully
plants is that they are easy to take care of. You justrely on aquarium equipment.
arrange them well in the aquarium and that's basicallyJust like anything else in life, making a decision on
it. When they get dirty, you can easily remove, washaquarium plants boil down to comparing the pros and
them clean, and put them back in. Since they are notcons and weighing them based on your personal
edible, the fish won't nibble on them or uproot them.preferences. If you think that the benefits of artificial
They will not die, decay, and contribute to theplants matter more than the drawbacks, feel free to
organic wastes in your tank. Lastly, there are nodecorate your aquarium with them.
pests or parasites attached to them that you might