Discover the expert in you.
Discover the expert in you.
The health of your fish and the health of other aquarium life is affected by the cleanliness of your aquarium. Clean aquariums produce healthy fish. Over time, the aquarium needs to be cleaned -- not only the water but also the rocks, aquarium decorations and the plastic aquarium plants. Cleaning plastic plants is a breeze, especially if you own a dish washing machine.
When adding plants to a fish aquarium, it is a good idea to first wash the plants. This helps to remove any hitchhiking snail eggs or other parasites that you do not want transferred to your tank. Already-established plants can also be cleaned to help combat a snail, parasite or algae problem in the tank. These delicate aquatic fish tank plants need gentle handling while being washed.
Silk aquarium plants have several advantages over real aquarium plants. To begin with, silk plants do not decay or die and they don't carry bacteria, which could be harmful to your tank. They look realistic without requiring extra lighting or any special care--other than cleaning. Fortunately, cleaning silk aquarium plants is not difficult, nor is it expensive.
In order to clean artificial aquarium plants, use hot water to soak the plants and scrub the branches. Discover why cleaners, bleach and dish soap shouldn't be used to clean artificial aquarium plants with help from the manager of a pet store in this free video on aquarium maintenance.
Today's artificial aquarium plants are available in plastic and in silk, and their appearance rivals that of live plants. Artificials offer many benefits, such as being easy to remove and clean. They have no light preferences, do not affect the oxygen levels, and do not create waste or carry parasites. Furthermore, they won't die, outgrow your aquarium or become ugly from the abuse some creatures inevitably inflict upon living plants. However, as with all other aquarium furnishings and equipment, they do occasionally need to be cleaned to remain attractive.
