Adding live plants

[baddyfreckleface]

Hi. I just wanted to check that I can add some small live plants to my aquarium without doing anything else first?

I have ordered the book recommended to me on here and the test kit but they haven't arrived yet

Thanks

Yep, you can add plants. Some people say that plants can interrupt the fishless cycle because they absorb the ammonia, but you would need a hell of a lot of plants for that. The advantage of adding plants before fish is that they have time to get their roots in (and you have time to change your mind and rearrange everything several times).

As long as you've got lights and substrate (fertiliser is good too) then you can put plants in. Make sure they are proper aquatic plants, sometimes you can end up with plants that are not true aquatics and they end up dying and causing a right mess.

That's great thanks. The fish are actually in though (just the three danios) as the water in the smaller tank was getting smelly.

If the plants are in those little basket or white weights do I need to take them out first or just sink them into the gravel? The one plant I did this with for the disastrous first aquarium had set down roots so I assumed it was healthy and did the same with that plant in the new tank. Then I wondered if I am supposed to take them out of the little pot?

Or are artificial plants better?

Only just seen this, sorry. It's fine to plant the plants now, just make sure you don't injure the fish when you're planting.

The plants need taking out of the pots. The white stuff they are wrapped in is rock wool and it could injure fish. You'll probably find, depending on the plant you have, is that the 'plant' is actually several smaller plants. Divide them up and trim the roots with a pair of very sharp scissors to about an inch long. This will encourage growth and they'll settle in quicker.

Artificial plants aren't better really- the plastic ones can have sharp edges and the silk ones never last long. There are plenty of real plants that are dead easy to keep, it's just choosing the right ones. If you post photos of what you have then I might be able to tell you what they are and what sort of care they need.

I would have recommended you adding some fertiliser underneath the substrate to help the plants take quicker and settle in. You can also add fertiliser to the water but ideally your natural cycle should create enough nutrients for them.