Aquarium plants to be aware of

First and foremost I would like to say, what you do with your plants is up to you. That being said however, I wanted to make sure everyone here is aware of the potential repercussions of selling and shipping certain plants.

The aquatic/wetland plants listed below are on the Federal Noxious Weeds list. These plants are regulated and are prohibited from being shipped across states lines or from being brought into the United States of America.

Azolla pinnata R. Brown (mosquito fern, water velvet)
Caulerpa taxifolia (Vahl) C. Agardh, Mediterranean strain (killer algae)
Eichornia azurea (Swartz) Kunth (anchored waterhyacinth, rooted waterhyacinth)
Hydrilla verticillata (Linnaeus f.) Royle (hydrilla)
Hygrophila polysperma T. Anderson (Miramar weed)
Ipomoea aquatica Forsskal (water-spinach, swamp morning-glory)
Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss
Limnophila sessiliflora (Vahl) Blume (ambulia)
Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake (broadleaf paper bark tree).
Monochoria hastata (Linnaeus) Solms-Laubach
Monochoria vaginalis (Burman f.) C. Presl
Ottelia alismoides (L.) Pers.
Sagittaria sagittifolia Linnaeus (arrowhead)
Salvinia auriculata Aublet (giant salvinia)
Salvinia biloba Raddi (giant salvinia)
Salvinia herzogii de la Sota (giant salvinia)
Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitchell (giant salvinia)
Solanum tampicense Dunal (wetland nightshade)
Sparganium erectum Linnaeus (exotic bur-reed)

For more information or updates please visit the APHIS website:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_heal...ds/index.shtml

What this means to you:

Depending on which state you live in there may be other regulations pertaining to aquatic species of plants that are banned or regulated. Always double check the latin name against your state lists to make sure you are in compliance. Fines can range from $5000 and higher for federal offenses, and there is the possibility of jail times as well for non-compliance with the laws.

As I stated above, what you do with your plants is up to you. Please do not flush or dump any invasive plant. Let them dry out, freeze them, etc. However, the best solution I have found for them is to feed them to my apple snails. This way there is NO chance of any surviving and possibly causing problems with the local habitat.

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