The plastic stuff looks cheesy and I've been spending more time on this
hobby. That said what are the pros and cons of adding plants and what are
some decent plants to use?

TIA

In article . rogers.com,
"'Namgis" writes:

what are the pros and cons of adding plants and what are
some decent plants to use?

Some pros: plants will metabolize nitrogenous wastes, which will be beneficial
for your fish, and they look beautiful when maintained. Plus, there is
something really enjoyable about successfully growing beautiful plants. There
are lots of options that open up in the fishkeeping hobby when you have a
planted tank...you can really get into the high-tech stuff and really go off
the deep end (can be fun and interesting, but also can be frustrating and
expensive).

Some cons: depending on your plant selection, you will have to spend more time
on maintenance (pruning, removing dead leaves, etc.). Also, the potential for
algae problems can become an issue. If you want to have a successful planted
tank, you will have to spend more time researching what kind of plants will go
with your tank adn that will suit your taste.

That said, it's really hard to say what plants would be decent to use. This
will really depend on your tank setup, what kind of fish you have, and what
kind of effect you are going for (or simply what you like and don't like).

Tell us a little bit more about your tank (lighting, fish, size, filtration),
and how much time and money you want to invest and I'm sure you'll get lots of
suggestions on what kinds of plants might interest you.

Good luck.

Erica
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/mitoem/mitoem/index.htm