Live Plants & What Not To Do

JimL

JimL

I know just enough to be dangerous
Mar 28, 2009
406
0
0
Silverdale, WA.
:newbie:
Well I had me a nice "Newbee" day today.
I finally got off my duff and went to my local "PetSmart" and looked at what they had in the way of "live"plants. I should have guessed right from the start when there was no tank setup for live plants, but rather a rack setup and the plants were in tubes. I didn't ask, figured I'd get the same "all these plants are low light and low maintenance." So I looked at what was there for a bit and found 2 that sounded nice (I read here on AC to start slow with live plants, see "I" do pay attention) I got me a 4" Kyoto Grass Plant (Ophiopogon japonica) and a 4" Gold Ribbon plant (Dracaena variegatus). Both sounded like they were just what I was looking for. As soon as I got home I looked them up on the net. Right away I found that the Gold Ribbon should be placed in a pot in a nice sunny window (that's what they said). The Kyoto Grass will last about 2 months in an aquarium and will not prosper. I planted the Kyoto Grass in my 35gallon just to see how it would do. The Gold Ribbon is in a pot in my front room window, I'm hopping it does good, it looks like it's going to be a nice looking plant. I just looked at the receipt and they list the plants as "POND PLANTS" There's another $8.00 reason to not go there again. I could have used that $8.00 to go to Tacoma and back and hopefully having the right planst. :y220e:
 
Yeah thats Petsmarts new way of selling plants. I don't like it one bit. At my Petsmart we still have the plant tank set-up, with filter lights, etc.
We have quite a selection also.
 
I won't buy plants from Petsmart anymore... not after buying from several online sellers.

Buy a package off someone online- I've found the plants are a better quality and cost less even after shipping.
 
It is sadly true that most of these cylinder plants at petsmart are non aquatic.

I will say that the cylinder Anubias and cylinder Amazon Swords that I've gotten there have been doing astonishingly well.

The Anubias have taken firm hold of the driftwood in my 5 gallon. And the Amazon Swords I put into my 16 gallon are more than twice as tall as when I got them.

The cylinder plants are some of the healthiest plants I've ever gotten provided that they're truly aquatic. For everything else I go to That Fish Place in Lancaster or Captain Nemo's in Norristown.
 
I'm fortunate that my Petsmarts have fantastic plants, but you do have to steer clear of those "non-aquatic" versions.

Ordering online, if you don't have a good local source, works fine. Especially since many of the good online retailers have a lot of information about each plant.

But I'd be cautious about advice to "start slowly" with plants. One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten is to plant heavily from the start. If you only have a few plants, but keep the lights on enough for them to thrive, you've inviting algae city. Now, if you only do a very low light set-up, with a few anubias and a java fern mat, you're good. But if you're looking at swords, vals, etc., you really should plant heavily from the start. If you're interested in plants, I'd also recommend starting with a plant-friendly substrate like Eco-complete. It makes planting much easier and provides nutrients through the roots so you don't have to fertilize the water column as much.

good luck!!
 
my best plant deals come from right here on the forums classifieds. you know your going to get healthy aquatic plants, most of the folks will tell you if there are snails in their tanks so you have a heads up instead of just having an explosion..
 
I also buy from members here simply because I know them and their knowledge level.

Box Store plants sold as "Aquarium" plants does not mean they are submersible. It simply means they can grow in a wet or damp area and look good around aquariums.


The plant-in-tube displays are becoming more and more frequent with the same non-aquatic plants in all displays.


Support this forum and buy from members here!
 
If they would just be kind enough to label which plants are true aquatics vs. terrarium plants then I wouldn't have a problem with Petsmart's tube stock. Especially considering that Petsmart's clientele consists mainly of novice or casual hobbyists - they have more of a responsibility than a specialty shop to let these people know what they're getting. If I get bored in the next few days I may send them a letter about it. Maybe anyone else who feels like it should do the same. Perhaps with enough of us writing in they may consider something. (Probably not - but it's worth a shot.)

Fortunately if you're in the know about plants you can, as the fiancee and I have, get some very nice specimens at a decent price out of those tubes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom