Collecting plants from the wild -- yes or no?

[darylann]

Our pet store lady said we could collect plants from local stream beds or the lake to add to our new tank. She assured me that I needn't be concerned about any dangers to my new fish in doing this. I haven't done so yet, but was planning to. The more I learn from this forum, the more I wonder if this would be a BIG mistake -- or at least a risk to my fishes' health and well-being? Please advise! :confused:

[Harlock]

Well, If you're willing to bleach dip and Identify the plants to make sure you have adequate lighting, fertilizers, CO2, etc. I guess you could do this. Personally, knowing the area lakes and strams around here in dry old West Texas, and knowing that everyone of them is far different in water quality than what I have in my tank, I'd not do it. I'd simply be bringing home plants to kill and then have to clean up all the mess so it didn't unleash any nasty stuff into my water. Dead leaves and plants are just bad news when they release all those chemicals as they decompose.

[darylann]

That's kinda what I thought. She had told me I didn't have to do anything special... just collect 'em and put 'em right into the tank... didn't sound right to me, but what did I know?

[Blinky]

One thing to keep in mind is that if you're in Michigan, the plants will be used to a warm season and a cold season. I don't think plants from our area of the world (I'm in Toronto, Canada) would do well in a tropical environment - they may grow well for a time, like they would in summer, but I'm not sure they'd survive a long time without colder 'rest' periods. Tropical plants are used to the conditions in a tropical tank, and can theoretically go on growing indefinitely.
If you do decide to try it, you shouldn't place the plants back into the wild after you've kept them in your tank. This could release disease from your tropical fish into the waterway, so it's best just to destroy the plants if you decide to get rid of them.

[greenday04]

Like everyone here has taught me, it if doesn't sound right, it most likely isn't. :)

;) wasn't quite appropriate cause the statement is true, more like a agreeing smile.

[OrionGirl]

Identify the plants first. Many will be fine in a tropical environmentm but will require a bit more care--many rooted plants will drop leaves and grow new ones in your tank, others won't survive. And, of course, there's a risk of importing toxins and critters, so you'll want to review the water quality of the stream or lake, and clean the plants well--I'd quarantine them in a small tub for 6 weeks--before adding them to your tank.

I have harvested wisteria and a few other aquatic plants from local waters and they've done fine in my tank. They just have to be acclimated to the new conditions and temperature gradually.

[darylann]

Thanks so much to all for the wonderful input! I wish I could have all you guys with me when I go to the pet shop next time! We're in a quite remote area, and don't have but ONE decent pet shop within 100 miles (we won't even count WalMart!). So I don't have the option of shopping around for more reliable advice from better petshops. I'll just have to learn as I go, and make the best of mistakes along the way. So far, the biggest one we need to rectify is the goldfish we were told would be fine to place with the tropical fish. It's growing quite fast, and will probably soon start looking at its aquarium mates more as snacks than friends! Also, the two different tetras we got (painted and glowlite) are lonesome and need schoolmates.

[TKOS]

I have tried twice to collect wild plants. Once froma lake (4 feet deep) and once from a river (surface plants). So far they have always died on me. But I will continue next summer to find more interesting plants. It is a fun challenge, and compared to collecting animal species, I figure it is a much safer and more legal thing to do.

[biogirl361]

like other people have said, i think it would be fine as long as you know what the plant is and if possible either dip it or quarantine it for a few weeks to make sure you don't introduce snails and whatnot. i have seen duckweed floating on ponds and rivers and been tempted to collect some, but haven't yet. but i have lost an angelfish that was with me for a little over a year due to "worm cataract disease" introduced by pond snails on some plants i bought from meijer (will never buy aquarium plants from meijer again... they sold me false aquatic plants twice and a plant with diseased snails on it once). so just know what kind of plant it is and beware of snails.

[d0r1n]

I'm always scared by the fact that, with natural plants collected from the wild, there are chances to bring foreign parasites in the aquarium. I'm not an expert, but I have a strange feeling when it comes to natural plants. The required maintenance plus the constant stress regarding the health of the fish (not knowing if and when the possible parasites might affect the fishes).

[SubRosa]

I'm always scared when anything comes back from the dead.

[fish-n-chips]

I'm always scared when anything comes back from the dead.


:lol: :lol:
7 years and 4+ months. That is a record for zombie threads yes/no?

[SubRosa]

:lol: :lol:
7 years and 4+ months. That is a record for zombie threads yes/no?To my knowledge it is.

[bettalover77]

one more thing to take note of, aquatic plants in their natural habitat might not look the same once they start growing in your tank

for example, living on a small lake in michigan, I noticed a species of fissidens that looked like massive f. fontanus, however, when I collected it, quarantined it, and it started growing it looked like a tiny dark green stem plant sprouting from the stems of the growth from the lake.

It would help to know what it is though.

a good plant to collect in michigan waterways is coonstail (ceratephyllum demersum)

good luck!

[carolinyens]

When I redid my native tank I went to one of my fishing holes that was private. I didn't do anything to the plants even though I prolly should have but everything in that tank excluding substrate and driftwood came out of it. I have had no problems that I can see as far as unwanteds go. With that being said I did inspect the specimens b4 they went in my tank. The plants I collected did grow differently when put in the tank

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