Plant mistake....?

[jbstc03]

Ok, so I just started getting my tank all set up earlier in the week, and did a little research of what was needed and what I would need to avoid(snails) and what not.

So I get off of work early and decide, why not stop in Petsmart and pick up a few plants. I see they have these, "Plants in a tube" that say snail free and I am like, oh cool. so I pick up 3.

8" Peacick Fern - Selaginella Wildenowii
8" Aqua fern - Trichomanes Javanicum
4" White Ribbon - Dracaena Sanderiana

So I get home put them in and then do a little research to see what I have on my hands, and it looks like it is all rubbish. From what I am reading, "...they will rot in a month or so in time..." and I am like oh wonderful.

So I stop by Petco and picked 3 others and asked the guy about the other plants and he responded with, "I would not doubt that they are not for aquariums and will rot and die. We sell them and I do not know why." But he showed me their tank of plants and he said to be safe stick to the ones in there.

Micro sword
Bleheri


So lesson learned I guess. No more plants in a tube unless I know for sure. Unless someone can throw me a hail marry bomb down the field and say if one of the original three are safe I wont throw them out. Oh well, hope someone learns from me.:)

[admael]

Agreed. Garbage if you submerge any of those plants. Return them to the store or plant them in pots. Don't get plants from Petsmart/Petco.

[troy]

They do sell some that are aquatic in the tubes. I've seen amazon swords, java fern, and anubias in tubes.

[SunSchein89]

Yeah, as long as you know what you're buying before you get it, you can get some decent plants in the tubes. Got 12" amazon and argentine swords in the tubes and they've done great in my tank so far.

[smaug]

My biggest oldest sword [4yrs] is a petco tube baby.Just arm yourself with a plant book b4 shopping there.Sorry bout the bad buy,live and learn.

[Lady Hobbs]

Many plants carried are for those with terrariums and ponds. They have to carry products for everyone. Just make sure you know what kind of plants you want and only get those.

Bamboo Lucky is one that rots and doesn't belong in a fish tank altho if the top is kept out of the water, they will live for some time. You also see arrowhead sold all the time. That's a houseplant.

[Trillianne]

You should be careful of what they sell in their tank of plants as well. I made the same non-aquatics mistake my first go-round of plant buying and mine came from their "plant tank."

I found it helpful to have a sticky with the major names of the genus of the aquatic plants (anubas, echinodorus, cryptocoryne...) to take with me.

[little hawaii]

I once got a group of six aponageton bulbs that had lost all their leaves for free.
The sales person had no idea what they were and gave me them all with One I found in growth.