What plants do you use? And is it possible to make your own artificial plants?

[LitolAxolotl]

I'm looking at getting artificial plants for my tank since I have a hard enough time keeping my out-of-water plants healthy. The last artificial plant I bought was a plastic fern (in hindsight, a pretty bad plan), and at first it seemed to please my axie, but he got some of his gill feathers caught up in the fake fronds and I had to remove it. Does anyone know of any good axolotl-proof fake plants?

On a related note, I was wondering if it would be possible to build my own safe plants. I was thinking about using raw, undyed muslin fabric to make leaves (serged on the side to prevent fraying) and then tying them to a weight with fishing line,attaching them to a rock with silicone, or using a suction cup to stick them to the side of the tank. I want to make sure anything I make is all soft and non-toxic. Does anyone have any tips on materials to avoid, or has anyone done this before?

 

[AxolotlChris]

I've rarely heard of any issues with fake plants apart from sharp ones. If you wanted you could purchase silk fake plants which are soft. Just go to your local aquatic store, there will be loads of fake plants. I wouldn't bother making my own to be honest

 

[Canecorsonewt]

I dont think you can kill java moss or java fern. I have java fern and java moss growing in a jar by the window. No fertilizer or special light and java fern is still reproduce. First real plant i bought was java fern i still have it. No plants surviving in my house but 1 cactus. Unless there in my aquarium.

 

[LitolAxolotl]

There's a moss ball in there that's been doing well since October, so I may get a second one?

Part of the problem is that the pet stores in my area aren't all that large, so the plants they have are either sharp, look like they'll fall apart, or are $20 for a 6 inch silk plant. I may still try making my own. I work in a theatre and know how to machine sew, and we have a whole bunch of raw fabric in stock, so if I could convince the costumer to let me have a yard or so, I could have a whole bunch of leaves in about 5 minutes for free. If it turns out to be cost effective and doesn't fall apart, I'll post pictures in case there are any DIYers on here.