Looking good Matt and yes I am in a wheelchair and started with plastic and it's very simple to maintain 30 years later now have 3 tanks not big but with real plants and shrimps and fish it was 30 years finding a way to learn how to do it for me in a wheelchair and I still love the hobby
I'm 52 and have been in the hobby since I was 10 years old. I started on plastic plants but wanted to ensure they looked real. And they looked great! Now I only do live plants but I think you did a fabulous job with this and that you did a great thing by testing this type of video. Kudos to you from the States!
Thank you so much! I was a tad worried how the video would be received but I think things like this need to be shown off for the growth of the hobby and welcoming new people into it.
This is so great! There are so many hobbies that are inaccessible with very little information out there on how to adapt said hobby. I have a non-visible disability and keep heavily planted tanks. Fish keeping/aquascaping is a double edged sword - fantastic for mental health but physically taxing therefore negatively effecting mental health. It’s only in the past year and a half that I’ve figured out how to make this hobby work for me, my taste preferences and my fish - nano tanks with loads of slow growing and epiphyte plants (+ a couple of fast growing stems), house plants out the top, learning to love snails 😂 over filtering and finding a way to do water changes without needing to lug heavy buckets. After years of falling in and out of the hobby due to accessibility issues, I now have multiple tank syndrome and don’t ever intend on curing it! 🐠🐌🌿💪🏼🥰
This is so amazing to hear! That's part of the reason I wanted to make this video as fishkeeping has so many mental health benefits but people get put off by the work or algae. I'm glad and also sorry that you are suffering multiple tank syndrome hahaha
Oh I so agree! I have both a very visible disability and a non-visible one. Sometimes the non-visible one can be the worse of the two. People can see the wheelchair, but they have no clue about the non-visible one unless I tell them, and even if I do tell them, they aren't as likely to understand it. I wonder if Matt would be interested in learning about how disabilities affect our fish keeping and the ways we get around potential problems so that he can include them in his videos, and make his videos even more egalitarian than they already are. What do you think?
I deal with disabling chronic illness and have had to adapt my fishkeeping hobby to help accommodate that. I keep low maintenance, hardy fish, try to keep my aquariums as low maintenance as possible, and try to keep it all as simple as possible, to help accommodate for my disabilities/health issues.
Ooh, I bet plastic plants could also be useful in a planted tank if you can't afford loads of plants straight away but want to give you fish cover and security while the live plants are growing in. Or even long term, keeping the benefits of having some plants but also cutting down on the amount of maintainance needed. Thanks for always being so inclusive and non-judgmental, it really helps to make this hobby feel more accessible.
I find that this hobby is all about personal taste, and some think that their taste should be the only way to keep fish. Do what you love and what you can handle, fake plants or not.
Obviously not everyone’s cup of tea but love the diversity and brilliantly done Matt. Low tech, low maintenance fish keeping for the beginner and can clearly look equally stunning to be fair…
Absolutely no shaming here. I’m happy for people enjoying the aquarium experience, in all forms. I’ve also used both real and plastic plants at the same time. That way you don’t have to break the bank buying a lot of plans at one time, until they fill in. God’s blessings to you and your family.
I set up one like this last week! For a quarantine tank. Used plastic mat plant (fake Monte Carlo) anchored by black sand, and a silk Arrow plant on a ceramic log. I put in some live floaters for filtration (Frog Bit). So far so good, my aggressive White Skirt Tetras will be trapped today and put in there. Easy peasy.
I think it’s AMAZING that you’re addressing this. We all know the judging that goes on with that. You have got me using 100% real plants now and it’s hard work, well for me it is. I’m definitely NOT a pro at this. I too grew up in a house hold always having fish but never with real plants. It’s been a challenge for me but I haven’t totally committed to all the drops.
Thank you so much! That's exactly why I wanted to make this video! As I say I would rather have live but if it helps a few people enter the hobby my work is done!
Great video. This is something that anyone can do. And based on budget, may be easier to afford. Live plants, rocks and driftwood are all so very expensive. I have one aquarium that I started with fake plants and fake wood and have little by little replaced it with live plants. Easier to afford and still looks great. Appreciate how "down to earth" your channel is.
I got my first fish tank in 1966 for my 11th birthday. It was 5 gallons, had some red wags, a couple marigolds, neon tetras, a cory, a small box filter and no plants, plastic or live. It came from a local fish store that was closing. I loved it, and it started me on always having at least one aquarium at any time. Back then, I had never seen live plants in a fish store. Now, I feel like they're as necessary as the water. Even my goldfish tank has live plant roots growing like a jungle where they breed. But for someone just starting out, plastic plants are a great way to decorate their tank without having to worry about them. I really like how the lava stones looked just like the magma had poured out of the volcano.
I'm so glad you made this video! Beginners are often inspired by my planted tanks, but I find myself hemming and hawing about encouraging them to do the same. As you know, plants are SOME work. I really like your plastic plant scape!
I have to say, I’m a live plant person but I loved this aquascape. After my latest purchase of TC helanthium immediately melted, I can see the appeal. Using real floating plants to suck out the nutrients is genius. I’ve just had some otocinclus in quarantine and they loved cleaning their plastic plant.
This tank looks really cool…one of my tanks has a blue green “Buddha” as the central feature surrounded by fake plants and a school of Daisy’s blue rice fish. It never has algae problems, is sparking clean and is super easy to maintain…I love it..🩷
I think it’s a great introduction for NEW fish keepers or a younger audiences to get into the hobby and they don’t have the time or don’t know how to take care of plants. I think Matt made that clear in the beginning of the video. Our industry needs this so it can grow. Great video!
Love it Matt! Don’t sweat the haters, life is too short to worry about whatever anyone else’s tastes are. If it makes the hobby more accessible to a wider audience that’s great.
I think it looks amazing. I am in my sixties and had tanks when I was 10 years old and plastic plants was all they had. I got back into the hobby 7 years ago and initially started with plastic plants again until I discovered aquascaping on RUclips. The major difference in today’s plants is the realism compared to the unrealistic plants they used to have.
Bravo. Very nice and great points made. I can imagine also mixing some live and artificial plants for budget reasons and replacing the plastics as you are able.
This is a wonderful and informative video. The tank is beautiful and looks realistic. I am definitely going to use a similar concept for my goldfish tanks. They are always eating and digging up plants. I do feel like people judge people that don't use real plants, lol. It's "a hobby for everyone!"
I tried live plants with my Goldfish but they disappeared. 🤣 My Goldfish guy was so much happier when I added some plastic plants. Gave him more cover and environmental stimulation but didn't disappear. 🥰
This looks really good!! I really appreciate this. And something I should think about for my dad. He always had aquariums, but age and health made it hard and eventually they went away. I could help him get something like this set up and he'd have fish he so loved again! Thank you!
I had already decided to use floating plants in a 750-liter aquarium that has been empty for three years due to a major failure I experienced 😭 My plan was to add some type of floating plant. However; after watching your video, you completely convinced me to include high-quality plastic plants at the bottom as well. I see that you did the same 🤣 and honestly, it’s a fantastic idea! 🤩 Especially if you want to lower costs and maintenance while reducing potential problems and increasing the chances of success without sacrificing the beauty of a nice aquarium. - Ramón
My first tank was all gravel and plastic plants and fake decorations. It was fun transforming from plastic to real, but I still have the old shipwreck decoration in one of my tanks. I have a fish that loves it! I have a resin log in a tank because one of my fish loves it. I just want my fish to be happy.
Started with plastic as a kid, watched my older brother have planted tanks and come up with amazing aquascapes as i got older, and now i love me some live plants.
All my tanks have live plants, but I have to say... I don't hate this. In fact I wish many office aquariums were done this way, particularly my dentists one. They'd be far healthier, easier to maintain for busy staff and less dirty. I completely agree with you on this one. It's not ugly, in fact it looks really good, almost 'hyper-real'. Some of these plastic plants look real these days. They're great for beginners and you can upgrade to live plants if you want. A bit of Anubias or Buce would fit in just fine in that tank after all.
The tank looks great 👍🏻 I like the fact that you just used Green plastic plants…makes it look far better than lots of different coloured plastic plants.
Yessss Matt !! I love that did this, I had a beautiful plastic planted tank once it can be done to look as nice as real ones, I’ve moved on to real plants now but I’m not very green fingered and it’s taken me some time
Bravo for doing this video Matt, the tank looks great. I only recently got into the hobby in the past 2 years and i have found that there are so many people who are quick to dismiss certain preferences that people have as crap or “not the right way” (i’m speaking about the Reddit community). The main reason i use live plants is for the filtration benefits they provide, it means i can go longer without maintenance. I also love the look of live plants, but putting people down because they don’t use them is ridiculous.
THANK YOU!!! This looks so lovely! 💖 And you could even possibly add some live floating plants for some live plant benefits with less work/hassle. I recently decided to add in some plastic plants to my guppy breeding tanks. I've got floating Hornwort, but my water is basically TERRIBLE for live aquarium plants. I recently added in some plastic plants to my tanks and during the summer to my summer tubbing patio ponds. My enjoyment of my fishkeeping hobby increased exponentially after adding plastic plants! 💖 I adored the way they looked, and they didn't demoralize me by dying off no matter what I did to try to keep them alive. My fish are happier, I'm happier, and I love looking in my tanks now with plastic plants. I do have to admit that I do enjoy the brightly colored plants on occasion, in some of my tanks. But I think we can create lovely, more natural looking aquascapes with plastic plants.
Ah yes the well known plastuc plants. I want to say finally someone is doing a video about it. Thank you so much! I have plastic plants in the aquarium. The key for me is put in a lot of fake plants and keep 1 color central. The addition of the water lettuce is nice and i will try it in my tanks.
I have been in the fish hobby on and off for 20 years. I've been doing planted tanks for the last 4 years. What I discovered is that all real plants are too hard for me to maintain. I can handle anubius. But I'm going back to fake too. I think a mix works for me. Thank you for showing a tank that looks great with fake plants. ❤ (Gina)
I do a mix of live and plastic. Most people who look at it dont know the difference. And since I have a 5 year old that likes to net the guppy fry out of one of my main tanks, to put into the grow out tank in his room, Id rather have him moving plastic plants around in some areas of the tank and know that some areas are off limits because the plants are real
Great to see you giving people options. You already were my preferred option for learning new tips from, and have recomended your channel regularly to others looking for help. I still think live plants are better, but having a pile of fake plants that came with some of my tanks, it is daft to leave them gathering dust in a cupboard. Maybe I will have to dust them off. But I'd need another tank. Any excuse eh 😂😂😂
I do prefer live plants, and my husband gave up on planted aquariums (bad bit of luck with his tank). However, when re-scaping his aquarium we did get some plastic plants that look "natural" and I must say it was not that bad. Maintenance cleaning was much easier too. So, agree that fish keeping is for everyone, even if you like neon plastic plants and sponge bob themed decorations. As long as the fish are happy and healthy, why not. To each their own.
Never thought I would see you using fake plants but you are right they have a place, I started with fake plant in my 1st tiny tank now I have 2 tanks full of live plants. 😜✌️💜
Hahaha you never know what you may see in a fish shop Matt video! Everyone starts somewhere and I certainly remember some plastic plants in my early tanks.
I used silk and plastic plants for 25+ years. Started live plant experiment last year. Loving the look, benefits, and challenge. Not loving the snail battle.
That's amazing to hear! Snails can be a pain but remember they will be eating something in your tank and without them whatever they are eating would take over.
@@zeuslea1 I brought a couple of clown loaches, they are about 75mm long now and the first moments I put them in the tank was crunch crunch, they enjoy snails especially my bladder snails so I use one 5 foot tank with the loaches in to add any population growth from my other 5 foot tank, the problem is being kept under control, especially as I have learnt not to over feed the fish!!
@MoondyneJoe I have a 40 Breeder with lots of plants and Pothos. Residents are Platys, a couple Otos, and 3 Yo Yo Loaches. The loaches do eat some, but definitely not all. I just pick some out once a week to help control the population. I put them and ones from 20gal in a 5 gal. Thinking of getting a Pea Puffer to eat the those.
@@zeuslea1 I have heard if you squish the snails more fish with eat them but I can't do that I can't even step on a snail in the garden I umm chuck them over the fence lol 😂 But the main thing I have found is, and from being one who would walk past the tank and be assaulted by poor staving fish begging for food, is STOP FEEDING SO MUCH if you feed more than they can eat in roughly 30 seconds you are feeding to much, it is extremely hard because you want to make sure that you look after the fish, but in the long run I have observed less snails, less algae, CLEARER water and the fish don't seem to be missing out as they are growing well.
I really don't like plastic plants or any plastic thing in my aquarium and I think that no plants at all is better than plastic ones (maybe setting up a blackwater scape) but I do have to say that this aquarium is beautiful and I'm here to support everything you do because maybe next tank is gonna suit my taste entirely
Plastic plants have come a long way from their humble Origins. They can look quite real, especially if the tank is being viewed from a bit of a distance.
Love this video Matt! And I love how passionate you are about being fully inclusive you are for all people in the fish keeping hobby! Yes I’m sure the majority of us prefer to have real plants but OMG have you just proven how good it can look with a few good plastic plants. 🌱 Also love how informative you are along the way, bringing us all the cool factoids with it. PS. I have Salvinia and it grows for me just as much as duck weed, I’ve given away loads of it to local people for their own tanks! 😂
Right after you put the last plants in before you added the water, I said out loud "That looks good" and then you said "This looks good" LOL synchronicity!
Looks lovely, I just started a 940 liter tank with fake plants. Im trying to find the most natural looking ones but it's hard. An other reason to use plastic plants is your fish. If your going to keep Severums and silver dollars you can forget about real plants. Love that tiny grass. Instead of floating plants I'm going to use pothos.
you said all the right things and yes the hobby is for everyone but i did feel a bit dirty watching it and had my hand on the lid of the laptop ready to shut it quickly in case anyone walked in 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Nice video again mate
An intriguing idea! Nitrate build up would be a concern though, which would lead to more algae, requiring a lower bio load, less light and/or more water changes. The floating real plants will of course help the nitrate problem.
@ I have put artificial plants some only and driftwood in my discus tank! Only because it’s a bare bottom n discus being so sensitive and plants dying at 30*c My best resolution to keeping discus was to resort to faux plants and I’m pretty happy with this arrangement
I tried Plastic Plants when I first started in the hobby years ago - I did have something like that red one you shown, anyway one of my fish got caught in it somehow and died in there 😔 so I binned them all and went full on Live Plants 👍👍 I think as long as people are careful which Plastic plants they use for the size of fish that are going to be in there and avoid the disaster I had. I also have had dodgy hollow Ornaments that fish have found they're way into - they got binned also - Lesson learned 😁
I started out with plastic plants before taking the plunge to live plants. For a while, I looked at plastic plants as an easy way out. With all the plants I've killed over the last couple years, I no longer judge those who prefer to go that route!
As a matter of fact I like it without water…kind of a terrarium, also thinking of people who don’t want a higher humidity in their home 😊. I’ve had several fish tanks. They do have a calming effect 😌. Just started with a 250 L. tank for my future axolotls🥰. I’ve missed them so much 😢 so it’s time to be a lotl-mom 🤭🤗.
Great video! Love a new perspective to plastic plants even if I personally wouldn’t do it. Though I have a planted tank and floating plants do not do well in my tanks, at all. Even duckweed has died out 😅
7 out of 8 of our tanks have live plants, but I have a brackish tank for my f8's and have plastic plants in there as live don't do as well in brackish.
@FishShopMatt that would be great. I have bumblebee gobies and mollies in with 5 f8's. Lots of rock work. I dud put some have fern in which is supposed to survive brackish and it did for a while. There are plants apparently but they don't do great.
I'm thinking plastic plants could be a good way to fill in a tank while waiting for carpeting plants to take off, or waiting for slow growers. My ten gallon kills plants, no clue why, same everything as other aquarium, but no plant lives in there. I keep trying different plants; think I'll use plastics with the natural, until I, well, if I, find a plant that can survive. It kills duckweed, I didn't know that was possible. The plastic will give the fish some cover, and make it less depressing for me. Thanks Matt.
very interesting video. I have no problem with people not wanting plants in their tanks, but as others have said, no doubt, plastic can't be composted and so presents a disposal problem, being recycled at best. I agree planted plants are not necessary for the hobby, but an alternative to plastic would be my prefered option. Wood, stone, ceramics or green bamboo hardscape and floaters would be my prefered option. I just don't think I could bring myself to purchase plastic plants.
Thank you! That's why I love the hobby because there are so many different styles and tastes! I can appreciate the recycling point of view, I guess silk plants may be a bit better. I'm going to look into that now!
While I prefer live plants, plastic can look very lovely. I have many customers who come in and they don't use live plants, their fish are still happy and thriving and the customers are happy.
I heard plastic and iam trying with every fiber of my being to not click off hahaha......lord knows my loyalty to u is the only thing keeping me here hahahah
Back in the 1970s I had some plastic plants. They were not weighted and it was difficult to keep them in the gravel. One was sharp on the edge and hurt one of my fish. I was not happy with the appearance. And nobody in my area had real plants for sale. I ended up with silk plants which worked okay, but again would not stay where I put them. Your plastic plants look way better than what we had back then. I like the weighted bottoms. I like the way your tank looks and the fish do appear content. The floating plants are a good idea too, In my opinion. (Can you get artificial floating plants?) ❤
+1 for inclusivity. Fake plants are not really my thing, but certainly there's a place for them in the hobby. Well done for including them. So I'm three weeks into my first tank in about a decade, and I've had a small group of rili shrimp and a nerite snail in for about a week now. While watching this video with the tank a foot or so away, I've just noticed a couple of new arrivals! Yep, baby shrimp - already. This is all your fault 😉Thanks Matt!
What sort of aquarium would you like to see me try in the future?
How about a tank with a mix of plastic and live plants?
Turtle Paladarium
more cold water and a marine tank would be cool
This same scape with live plants might be a fun idea !!
A no substrate, epiphyte only full moss carpet with moss and buce on wood aquarium is one I fancy having a go at and would like to see.
Looking good Matt and yes I am in a wheelchair and started with plastic and it's very simple to maintain 30 years later now have 3 tanks not big but with real plants and shrimps and fish it was 30 years finding a way to learn how to do it for me in a wheelchair and I still love the hobby
I'm in a wheelchair too and I find fish (shrimp and snails) completely therapeutic.
@@katrinasmith3001 me to just watch and empty your mind
That's so cool to hear that you progressed through the hobby! That's why I love fishkeeping so many people with so many tastes and styles.
@@FishShopMatt next step is a Betta tank Matt
Love a planted tank, and will always keep them but that tank looks amazing 😂
This is what I love about this channel- you’re so good at including everybody, fish keeping is for everybody 🙌🙌🙌
Glad you enjoy it! I do try my best to include and show everything I can.
I'm 52 and have been in the hobby since I was 10 years old. I started on plastic plants but wanted to ensure they looked real. And they looked great! Now I only do live plants but I think you did a fabulous job with this and that you did a great thing by testing this type of video. Kudos to you from the States!
Thank you so much! I was a tad worried how the video would be received but I think things like this need to be shown off for the growth of the hobby and welcoming new people into it.
This is so great! There are so many hobbies that are inaccessible with very little information out there on how to adapt said hobby. I have a non-visible disability and keep heavily planted tanks. Fish keeping/aquascaping is a double edged sword - fantastic for mental health but physically taxing therefore negatively effecting mental health. It’s only in the past year and a half that I’ve figured out how to make this hobby work for me, my taste preferences and my fish - nano tanks with loads of slow growing and epiphyte plants (+ a couple of fast growing stems), house plants out the top, learning to love snails 😂 over filtering and finding a way to do water changes without needing to lug heavy buckets. After years of falling in and out of the hobby due to accessibility issues, I now have multiple tank syndrome and don’t ever intend on curing it! 🐠🐌🌿💪🏼🥰
This is so amazing to hear! That's part of the reason I wanted to make this video as fishkeeping has so many mental health benefits but people get put off by the work or algae.
I'm glad and also sorry that you are suffering multiple tank syndrome hahaha
Oh I so agree! I have both a very visible disability and a non-visible one. Sometimes the non-visible one can be the worse of the two. People can see the wheelchair, but they have no clue about the non-visible one unless I tell them, and even if I do tell them, they aren't as likely to understand it.
I wonder if Matt would be interested in learning about how disabilities affect our fish keeping and the ways we get around potential problems so that he can include them in his videos, and make his videos even more egalitarian than they already are. What do you think?
@@Chompchompyerded this would be so cool!
@@FishShopMatt haha! Even if there wasn’t a disability involved…I’m 5’2” so taller tanks/stands are ridiculous to deal with anyway 😂
I deal with disabling chronic illness and have had to adapt my fishkeeping hobby to help accommodate that. I keep low maintenance, hardy fish, try to keep my aquariums as low maintenance as possible, and try to keep it all as simple as possible, to help accommodate for my disabilities/health issues.
Ooh, I bet plastic plants could also be useful in a planted tank if you can't afford loads of plants straight away but want to give you fish cover and security while the live plants are growing in. Or even long term, keeping the benefits of having some plants but also cutting down on the amount of maintainance needed.
Thanks for always being so inclusive and non-judgmental, it really helps to make this hobby feel more accessible.
I find that this hobby is all about personal taste, and some think that their taste should be the only way to keep fish. Do what you love and what you can handle, fake plants or not.
Absolutely spot on! That's why I love this hobby!
The problem with tastes is that sometimes you get a really bad cold and then you have no taste at all!
Obviously not everyone’s cup of tea but love the diversity and brilliantly done Matt.
Low tech, low maintenance fish keeping for the beginner and can clearly look equally stunning to be fair…
Thanks 👍 this is why I want to show all different styles in my video. Even if 10 beginners have a go it's a win for me.
This is a breath of fresh air not everyone wants real plants etc and it’s nice to see you can have a nice tank without real plants
Long time viewer, first time caller -- THANK YOU for this video -- FISHKEEPING IS FOR EVERYONE
Glad you enjoyed it! Couldn't agree more!
Absolutely no shaming here. I’m happy for people enjoying the aquarium experience, in all forms. I’ve also used both real and plastic plants at the same time. That way you don’t have to break the bank buying a lot of plans at one time, until they fill in. God’s blessings to you and your family.
Absolutely agree! The more fishkeepers the merrier
I set up one like this last week! For a quarantine tank. Used plastic mat plant (fake Monte Carlo) anchored by black sand, and a silk Arrow plant on a ceramic log. I put in some live floaters for filtration (Frog Bit). So far so good, my aggressive White Skirt Tetras will be trapped today and put in there. Easy peasy.
Perfect! That's pretty much what I used to do with these plants.
Thanks for this video. I appreciate that you are open to helping all levels of people in
the hobby.
I think it’s AMAZING that you’re addressing this. We all know the judging that goes on with that. You have got me using 100% real plants now and it’s hard work, well for me it is. I’m definitely NOT a pro at this. I too grew up in a house hold always having fish but never with real plants. It’s been a challenge for me but I haven’t totally committed to all the drops.
Thank you so much! That's exactly why I wanted to make this video!
As I say I would rather have live but if it helps a few people enter the hobby my work is done!
This was a fantastic video that needed to be made. This hobby is for everyone.
Thank you and that's so great to hear!
I keep Duckweed in some of my tanks just because my chickens LOVE it.
Great video. This is something that anyone can do. And based on budget, may be easier to afford. Live plants, rocks and driftwood are all so very expensive. I have one aquarium that I started with fake plants and fake wood and have little by little replaced it with live plants. Easier to afford and still looks great. Appreciate how "down to earth" your channel is.
Thank you so much! This is exactly why I wanted to make a video like this!
Hi Matt, you know what? On video they do not look that fake! Well done, it should work all right for a lot of people.
Exactly, I was surprised when Katie saw the tank at first and said she really liked it.
I got my first fish tank in 1966 for my 11th birthday. It was 5 gallons, had some red wags, a couple marigolds, neon tetras, a cory, a small box filter and no plants, plastic or live. It came from a local fish store that was closing. I loved it, and it started me on always having at least one aquarium at any time. Back then, I had never seen live plants in a fish store. Now, I feel like they're as necessary as the water. Even my goldfish tank has live plant roots growing like a jungle where they breed. But for someone just starting out, plastic plants are a great way to decorate their tank without having to worry about them.
I really like how the lava stones looked just like the magma had poured out of the volcano.
excellent for quarantine tanks also .. easy to sanitize if you endup with something during quarantine
Exactly what most of these plants were used for in previous tanks.
I'm so glad you made this video! Beginners are often inspired by my planted tanks, but I find myself hemming and hawing about encouraging them to do the same. As you know, plants are SOME work. I really like your plastic plant scape!
I have to say, I’m a live plant person but I loved this aquascape. After my latest purchase of TC helanthium immediately melted, I can see the appeal. Using real floating plants to suck out the nutrients is genius. I’ve just had some otocinclus in quarantine and they loved cleaning their plastic plant.
This tank looks really cool…one of my tanks has a blue green “Buddha” as the central feature surrounded by fake plants and a school of Daisy’s blue rice fish. It never has algae problems, is sparking clean and is super easy to maintain…I love it..🩷
That sounds really cool!!!
I think it’s a great introduction for NEW fish keepers or a younger audiences to get into the hobby and they don’t have the time or don’t know how to take care of plants. I think Matt made that clear in the beginning of the video. Our industry needs this so it can grow. Great video!
Love it Matt! Don’t sweat the haters, life is too short to worry about whatever anyone else’s tastes are. If it makes the hobby more accessible to a wider audience that’s great.
I think it looks amazing. I am in my sixties and had tanks when I was 10 years old and plastic plants was all they had. I got back into the hobby 7 years ago and initially started with plastic plants again until I discovered aquascaping on RUclips. The major difference in today’s plants is the realism compared to the unrealistic plants they used to have.
That looks fantastic Matt. Absolutely ideal for beginners and busy people. The guppies won't complain. 10/10.
It has become addicting once you get started.
Bravo. Very nice and great points made. I can imagine also mixing some live and artificial plants for budget reasons and replacing the plastics as you are able.
Yes, exactly start off with plastic get used to keeping the fish and then add a few hardy plants as you go.
Years ago I started with plastic plants at first. Now only one of my tanks has real hardwood/ gravel and one plastic plant. Great video again 😊
The tank looks beautiful.
Thank you!
This is a wonderful and informative video. The tank is beautiful and looks realistic. I am definitely going to use a similar concept for my goldfish tanks. They are always eating and digging up plants. I do feel like people judge people that don't use real plants, lol. It's "a hobby for everyone!"
I tried live plants with my Goldfish but they disappeared. 🤣 My Goldfish guy was so much happier when I added some plastic plants. Gave him more cover and environmental stimulation but didn't disappear. 🥰
This is how I will set up my 1st tank since university Herlybuffle years ago. Thanks!
Amazing to hear!
This looks really good!!
I really appreciate this. And something I should think about for my dad. He always had aquariums, but age and health made it hard and eventually they went away. I could help him get something like this set up and he'd have fish he so loved again! Thank you!
I think it is funny because this is exactly what I do in the shop I work at. In the display tanks, I try to make natural scapes with plastic plants
I was the same! I used to really enjoy it!
I had already decided to use floating plants in a 750-liter aquarium that has been empty for three years due to a major failure I experienced 😭 My plan was to add some type of floating plant. However; after watching your video, you completely convinced me to include high-quality plastic plants at the bottom as well. I see that you did the same 🤣 and honestly, it’s a fantastic idea! 🤩 Especially if you want to lower costs and maintenance while reducing potential problems and increasing the chances of success without sacrificing the beauty of a nice aquarium. - Ramón
That's so great to hear! It honestly works so so well! Just be aware of feeding and light timings and you will be well away!
@@FishShopMatt Yes. After more than a decade of keeping aquariums I have learned this the hard way [with many failures] 🤣 Thank you very much! 😊👍
I love this, aquarium keeping for all!!
looks really good!!
Thank you!
My first tank was all gravel and plastic plants and fake decorations. It was fun transforming from plastic to real, but I still have the old shipwreck decoration in one of my tanks. I have a fish that loves it! I have a resin log in a tank because one of my fish loves it. I just want my fish to be happy.
I love how many times flo appears in your video's she's great!
Started with plastic as a kid, watched my older brother have planted tanks and come up with amazing aquascapes as i got older, and now i love me some live plants.
All my tanks have live plants, but I have to say... I don't hate this. In fact I wish many office aquariums were done this way, particularly my dentists one. They'd be far healthier, easier to maintain for busy staff and less dirty.
I completely agree with you on this one. It's not ugly, in fact it looks really good, almost 'hyper-real'. Some of these plastic plants look real these days. They're great for beginners and you can upgrade to live plants if you want. A bit of Anubias or Buce would fit in just fine in that tank after all.
The tank looks great 👍🏻 I like the fact that you just used Green plastic plants…makes it look far better than lots of different coloured plastic plants.
I love all of your videos and aquariums. A variety for all types of fish keepers is appreciate!
You're amazing Matt! I have 7 tanks and 3 have plastic plants! Thanks much!
Yessss Matt !! I love that did this, I had a beautiful plastic planted tank once it can be done to look as nice as real ones, I’ve moved on to real plants now but I’m not very green fingered and it’s taken me some time
Bravo for doing this video Matt, the tank looks great. I only recently got into the hobby in the past 2 years and i have found that there are so many people who are quick to dismiss certain preferences that people have as crap or “not the right way” (i’m speaking about the Reddit community).
The main reason i use live plants is for the filtration benefits they provide, it means i can go longer without maintenance. I also love the look of live plants, but putting people down because they don’t use them is ridiculous.
THANK YOU!!! This looks so lovely! 💖 And you could even possibly add some live floating plants for some live plant benefits with less work/hassle.
I recently decided to add in some plastic plants to my guppy breeding tanks. I've got floating Hornwort, but my water is basically TERRIBLE for live aquarium plants. I recently added in some plastic plants to my tanks and during the summer to my summer tubbing patio ponds. My enjoyment of my fishkeeping hobby increased exponentially after adding plastic plants! 💖 I adored the way they looked, and they didn't demoralize me by dying off no matter what I did to try to keep them alive. My fish are happier, I'm happier, and I love looking in my tanks now with plastic plants.
I do have to admit that I do enjoy the brightly colored plants on occasion, in some of my tanks. But I think we can create lovely, more natural looking aquascapes with plastic plants.
Ah yes the well known plastuc plants. I want to say finally someone is doing a video about it. Thank you so much! I have plastic plants in the aquarium. The key for me is put in a lot of fake plants and keep 1 color central. The addition of the water lettuce is nice and i will try it in my tanks.
I have been in the fish hobby on and off for 20 years. I've been doing planted tanks for the last 4 years. What I discovered is that all real plants are too hard for me to maintain. I can handle anubius. But I'm going back to fake too. I think a mix works for me. Thank you for showing a tank that looks great with fake plants. ❤ (Gina)
I only used plastic plants this is all new for me😊
I do a mix of live and plastic. Most people who look at it dont know the difference.
And since I have a 5 year old that likes to net the guppy fry out of one of my main tanks, to put into the grow out tank in his room, Id rather have him moving plastic plants around in some areas of the tank and know that some areas are off limits because the plants are real
Yeah I think that's a great choice doing a mix. Guppy dry are such a pain so having some plastic plants you can remove must make it easier.
I like it, especially with floating plants. It is a worry free tank.
Good to see you putting the fertilisers in.😀
I was worried they wouldn't grow!
Great to see you giving people options. You already were my preferred option for learning new tips from, and have recomended your channel regularly to others looking for help.
I still think live plants are better, but having a pile of fake plants that came with some of my tanks, it is daft to leave them gathering dust in a cupboard. Maybe I will have to dust them off. But I'd need another tank.
Any excuse eh 😂😂😂
Plastic plants combined with frogbit is exactly how I started the hobby.
I feel so seen. 😂
I do prefer live plants, and my husband gave up on planted aquariums (bad bit of luck with his tank). However, when re-scaping his aquarium we did get some plastic plants that look "natural" and I must say it was not that bad. Maintenance cleaning was much easier too. So, agree that fish keeping is for everyone, even if you like neon plastic plants and sponge bob themed decorations. As long as the fish are happy and healthy, why not. To each their own.
Fishkeeping is for everyone. :) looks really nice!
It's funny because most guests that arent in the hobby are surprised when I say my plants are live when they see my planted tanks XD
My kids tank has plastic plants, the fish have lived and thrived for years - I don’t understand the issue personally - great scape!
Never thought I would see you using fake plants but you are right they have a place, I started with fake plant in my 1st tiny tank now I have 2 tanks full of live plants. 😜✌️💜
Hahaha you never know what you may see in a fish shop Matt video! Everyone starts somewhere and I certainly remember some plastic plants in my early tanks.
I LOVE THIS TANK THANK YOU😊
I used silk and plastic plants for 25+ years. Started live plant experiment last year. Loving the look, benefits, and challenge. Not loving the snail battle.
That's amazing to hear! Snails can be a pain but remember they will be eating something in your tank and without them whatever they are eating would take over.
@@zeuslea1 I brought a couple of clown loaches, they are about 75mm long now and the first moments I put them in the tank was crunch crunch, they enjoy snails especially my bladder snails so I use one 5 foot tank with the loaches in to add any population growth from my other 5 foot tank, the problem is being kept under control, especially as I have learnt not to over feed the fish!!
@MoondyneJoe I have a 40 Breeder with lots of plants and Pothos. Residents are Platys, a couple Otos, and 3 Yo Yo Loaches. The loaches do eat some, but definitely not all. I just pick some out once a week to help control the population. I put them and ones from 20gal in a 5 gal. Thinking of getting a Pea Puffer to eat the those.
@@zeuslea1 I have heard if you squish the snails more fish with eat them but I can't do that I can't even step on a snail in the garden I umm chuck them over the fence lol 😂
But the main thing I have found is, and from being one who would walk past the tank and be assaulted by poor staving fish begging for food, is STOP FEEDING SO MUCH if you feed more than they can eat in roughly 30 seconds you are feeding to much, it is extremely hard because you want to make sure that you look after the fish, but in the long run I have observed less snails, less algae, CLEARER water and the fish don't seem to be missing out as they are growing well.
Très sympa! Un grand merci pour la vidéo!
As far as plastic plant scapes do it looks amazing mate! Definitely a kid friendly scape! 👍
7:12 Flo and Phil Tration are a great duo
😂
They are very helpful!
I really don't like plastic plants or any plastic thing in my aquarium and I think that no plants at all is better than plastic ones (maybe setting up a blackwater scape) but I do have to say that this aquarium is beautiful and I'm here to support everything you do because maybe next tank is gonna suit my taste entirely
I am not a fan of the cheap plastic plants, but those looked ok and if you didnt tell anyone you might get away with it ! Turned out really good.
Yeah I honestly reckon most of my non fishkeeping friends would not know
Plastic plants have come a long way from their humble Origins. They can look quite real, especially if the tank is being viewed from a bit of a distance.
Yeah totally agree and these ones aren't that expensive to be honest.
Im not gonna lie! That looks amazing
Love this video Matt! And I love how passionate you are about being fully inclusive you are for all people in the fish keeping hobby!
Yes I’m sure the majority of us prefer to have real plants but OMG have you just proven how good it can look with a few good plastic plants. 🌱
Also love how informative you are along the way, bringing us all the cool factoids with it.
PS. I have Salvinia and it grows for me just as much as duck weed, I’ve given away loads of it to local people for their own tanks! 😂
thats a great tank plastic or not. Thanks for sharing Matt
Right after you put the last plants in before you added the water, I said out loud "That looks good" and then you said "This looks good" LOL synchronicity!
Looks lovely, I just started a 940 liter tank with fake plants. Im trying to find the most natural looking ones but it's hard. An other reason to use plastic plants is your fish. If your going to keep Severums and silver dollars you can forget about real plants. Love that tiny grass. Instead of floating plants I'm going to use pothos.
you said all the right things and yes the hobby is for everyone but i did feel a bit dirty watching it and had my hand on the lid of the laptop ready to shut it quickly in case anyone walked in 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Nice video again mate
Matt thank you because fake plants work for me now I see a new way to approach set up😊
This would probably make a great shrimp scape for Opae Ula shrimp
Oooo yeah that would be cool.
Amen to being none judgmental! Fake plants are fine. Including everyone! Thank you! 🙏
Exactly this! Thank you! 💜
An intriguing idea! Nitrate build up would be a concern though, which would lead to more algae, requiring a lower bio load, less light and/or more water changes. The floating real plants will of course help the nitrate problem.
Absolutely you do need to keep an eye on it
Great video ❤
Thank you!!
@ I have put artificial plants some only and driftwood in my discus tank! Only because it’s a bare bottom n discus being so sensitive and plants dying at 30*c
My best resolution to keeping discus was to resort to faux plants and I’m pretty happy with this arrangement
Milton sterilisation tablets Matt for plastic plants works a treat, not harmful because its for babies bottles
I tried Plastic Plants when I first started in the hobby years ago - I did have something like that red one you shown, anyway one of my fish got caught in it somehow and died in there 😔 so I binned them all and went full on Live Plants 👍👍 I think as long as people are careful which Plastic plants they use for the size of fish that are going to be in there and avoid the disaster I had. I also have had dodgy hollow Ornaments that fish have found they're way into - they got binned also - Lesson learned 😁
I started out with plastic plants before taking the plunge to live plants. For a while, I looked at plastic plants as an easy way out. With all the plants I've killed over the last couple years, I no longer judge those who prefer to go that route!
As a matter of fact I like it without water…kind of a terrarium, also thinking of people who don’t want a higher humidity in their home 😊. I’ve had several fish tanks. They do have a calming effect 😌. Just started with a 250 L. tank for my future axolotls🥰. I’ve missed them so much 😢 so it’s time to be a lotl-mom 🤭🤗.
Great video! Love a new perspective to plastic plants even if I personally wouldn’t do it. Though I have a planted tank and floating plants do not do well in my tanks, at all. Even duckweed has died out 😅
Ah, Matt, your onto something...675 likes and I am still watching for curiosity.
If you keep Betas or other big finned fish, you can get SILK artificial plants, that won't damage the fins like the harder plastic ones will.
7 out of 8 of our tanks have live plants, but I have a brackish tank for my f8's and have plastic plants in there as live don't do as well in brackish.
Oooooo a nice brackish tank that hadn't crossed my mind for the garage. Oh no that's another tank I need to add hahaha.
@FishShopMatt that would be great. I have bumblebee gobies and mollies in with 5 f8's. Lots of rock work. I dud put some have fern in which is supposed to survive brackish and it did for a while. There are plants apparently but they don't do great.
Sounds like a good t-shirt slogan!
Thanks
Love your content! It’s nice that you’re catering for everyone!
Thank you so much! That's really kind of you! 💜
I'm thinking plastic plants could be a good way to fill in a tank while waiting for carpeting plants to take off, or waiting for slow growers. My ten gallon kills plants, no clue why, same everything as other aquarium, but no plant lives in there. I keep trying different plants; think I'll use plastics with the natural, until I, well, if I, find a plant that can survive. It kills duckweed, I didn't know that was possible. The plastic will give the fish some cover, and make it less depressing for me. Thanks Matt.
very interesting video. I have no problem with people not wanting plants in their tanks, but as others have said, no doubt, plastic can't be composted and so presents a disposal problem, being recycled at best. I agree planted plants are not necessary for the hobby, but an alternative to plastic would be my prefered option. Wood, stone, ceramics or green bamboo hardscape and floaters would be my prefered option. I just don't think I could bring myself to purchase plastic plants.
Thank you! That's why I love the hobby because there are so many different styles and tastes! I can appreciate the recycling point of view, I guess silk plants may be a bit better. I'm going to look into that now!
One of your amano shrimp seems to be enjoying himself!
While I prefer live plants, plastic can look very lovely. I have many customers who come in and they don't use live plants, their fish are still happy and thriving and the customers are happy.
I heard plastic and iam trying with every fiber of my being to not click off hahaha......lord knows my loyalty to u is the only thing keeping me here hahahah
OK OK....I made it through tje video and I must say it doesnt look horrible lol well done
Back in the 1970s I had some plastic plants. They were not weighted and it was difficult to keep them in the gravel. One was sharp on the edge and hurt one of my fish. I was not happy with the appearance. And nobody in my area had real plants for sale.
I ended up with silk plants which worked okay, but again would not stay where I put them.
Your plastic plants look way better than what we had back then. I like the weighted bottoms.
I like the way your tank looks and the fish do appear content. The floating plants are a good idea too, In my opinion. (Can you get artificial floating plants?)
❤
Good video
thumbs up from my bad back 👍
Thank you!
+1 for inclusivity. Fake plants are not really my thing, but certainly there's a place for them in the hobby. Well done for including them. So I'm three weeks into my first tank in about a decade, and I've had a small group of rili shrimp and a nerite snail in for about a week now. While watching this video with the tank a foot or so away, I've just noticed a couple of new arrivals! Yep, baby shrimp - already. This is all your fault 😉Thanks Matt!
Cool video