You don’t need live plants in your tank. They add a lot of risk. My simple experiment is:
Fill two glasses with natural spring water. Fill glass one with rocks and silicone plants. Fill glass two with soil and any plant from your garden. Which are you going to drink?
It’s about water quality, not making them feel like they’re in nature. The plants bring micro organisms with them, leak whatever plant oils are in them, add to the organic bio load of the tank, and compete with the fish for minerals and nutrients in the water. There is of course tons of organic matter in the substrate that you need too, which contributes to nitrogen waste. This isn’t a big deal in nature, but not ideal for our fish babies. I admit that they have some benefits, but do they outweigh the risks? It’s ultimately up to you, but they’re not necessary and add a lot of complexity and cost to your fish keeping. It’s an advanced topic that shouldn’t be pushed on new fish owners.
And if you are going to tell one of our new fish owners that they need live plants, at least tell them what kind to buy, what substrate to use, how to quarantine the plants, and how to take care of them. Don’t just say, “You need live plants.”
Finally, I’ve only seen studies showing that fish are good for aquaponics. I’ve not seen any studies showing that aquaponics are good for fish. If you know of any, please let me know! Thanks!