jacks and plants

[KrytterKrys]

i really want to get a jack dempsey again but i also would love to have real plants this time (i used only fake when i last had one) i know how destructive they can, even though my last one wasnt... so are there any plants that are hardy enough to withstand a jacks terror?

[chester82006]

I have 2 jack dempseys and they were destructive with some plants I tried out, constantly ripping them up and pulling them out. I now have 3 ferns and they don't touch them at all. I can't tell you what type of ferns they are because I now realize they look nothing like javas :[, so i attached a picture of one. I got them at petsmart, if you have any of those in your area. The plants are very hardy and look nice in my opinion :D

[KrytterKrys]

hmm they are pretty nice looking ill have to check them out the next time i go...thanx

[chester82006]

No problem. To make them easier for you to find if you do end up wanting the ferns, they weren't in a tank... but inside these plastic tubes with gel to keep them hydrated in the store. :ssmile:

[gunk]

Those ferns aren't actually aquatic. They will probably start to die and rot away soon.

Anyway, I've kept a JD in my tank with some live plants and I think the placement of the plants has a lot to do with whether or not they will get torn up. My JD liked to hang out and sleep in a particular crevice inbetween some driftwood. I thought it'd be neat to put some Java Fern nearby and he hated it. I'd come home from work and see the plant floating every day. But he never touched the plants that were in "neutral" areas of the tank that he rarely visited anyway.

[chester82006]

Those ferns aren't actually aquatic. They will probably start to die and rot away soon.

Anyway, I've kept a JD in my tank with some live plants and I think the placement of the plants has a lot to do with whether or not they will get torn up. My JD liked to hang out and sleep in a particular crevice inbetween some driftwood. I thought it'd be neat to put some Java Fern nearby and he hated it. I'd come home from work and see the plant floating every day. But he never touched the plants that were in "neutral" areas of the tank that he rarely visited anyway.

Oh, hmm...I didn't know that. They've been in there for over a month, when do you think they will start to die? I thought it would be a good suggestion for a JD since the ferns seem to work great for the fish all over the tank. So I guess petsmart labels them incorrectly as aquatic plants? :confused:

[gunk]

I had mine for about 2 months before I realized it wasn't growing at all and its leaves started withering away.

PetSmart and PetCo both sell plants that aren't actually aquatic. They just sit there and look nice for about a month or two before they start to rot away. You can google it and you'll find lists of these plants you should stay away from. I actually gave PetCo a big speech about how messed up it is one day becuase they didn't believe they were misinforming their customers. Eventually they gave me my money back.

Anyway I'm not saying you can't actually use these plants, but they won't grow and they will die sooner or later. You're better off getting some Java Fern or Anubias. They're both hardy and easy to maintain.

[chester82006]

Geez, I apologize for misinforming you Krytter. I wish you luck in finding a good plant that works for your future JD :thumb:

[KrytterKrys]

quite okay any info is helpful...even if its wrong, thats why i asked cause i dont know a lot bout plants either:)