F15hguy Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 Have seen a lot of regular pot plants for sale as aquarium plants reacently and know that many will survive for a short time but really are not meant for aquarium life. just wondering what plants would be on the list of not really suitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 You are obviously not a financial fnzas member then. I wrote an article on that subject just a few months ago. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 Sorry, I wrote the above post from my phone. Not very user friendly for typing long posts. In the Feb 2012 Edition of Aquarium World Magazine there is an article I wrote about why some plants always die in aquariums. I had images and names of commonly available plants that are not really suited for aquariums but are sold as such. Why do my plants always die? Simon Check How many of us have been at the local pet store and bought some plants for our tank, taken them home and planted them and no matter how well they are cared for they just turned to mush and die? There may be a few different factors involved here, but the most common problem is that some of those plants sold to you as aquarium plants are really not aquatic plants at all. Most plants sold to the retail store are grown emersed. This means they are grown out of the water in either a very humid environment and or they are grown with their roots in the water. These are quite often true aquatic plants and will live long happy lives in a submersed environment given the correct conditions but may require time to convert to their more fragile submersed form. Common examples of here are plants like Hygrophila or Ludwigia species. Then there are those ones that look neat but no matter what you do they just turn brown and die. These plants are usually not true aquatic plants. Most are actually regarded as bog plants, This means that naturally they grow in damp and or partially seasonal submersed areas but will not survive totally submersed for long periods of time. Then there are the one that are sold to you that are not even aquatic at all. These will definitely die and are likely to then cause issues of adding nutrient to the water column as they die and feeding the unwanted algae. No wonder many just regard Aquarium plants as “Too Hard”. It is certainly not helped by the fact that most run of the mill “pet shops” don’t even have a clue what they are selling. One way of getting an idea about the suitability of suspect plants is to look at its form. If it looks upright and fairly stiff while held out of the water then it is likely to be either not suitable or grown emersed and will require conversion to submersed for. Waxy or hairy leaves are usually a sign of a not suitable plant but there are exceptions. Anubias being one obvious exception. If it looks like a house plant, then it probably is. With a bit of understanding and prior knowledge, you can avoid these plants and hopefully have more success in keeping plants in you aquarium. Below is a list of commonly available plants that may be found in the Aquarium trade that are ones best avoid and ones to be wary of. Bog plants commonly sold as Aquarium Plants Bog plants will survive for a few months totally submersed but prefer to grow above the water level • Acorus gramineus – Japanese Rush (image #1) • Isolepis- Fibre optic Grass (Image #2) • Ophiopogon japonicus- Mondo Grass (image #3) • Samolus floribundus – Green Water Rose (image#4) • Saururus cernuus – Mouse Ear (image#5) • Micranthemum umbrosum (image 6) • Lysimachia species (Green and Gold) (image#7) • Bacopa species (image#8) Plants that are not suitable for submersed growth • Syngonium sp – White/Red Butterfly, Arrow head (image#9) • Dracaena sanderiana – Lucky Bamboo (image#10) • Chlorophytum bichetii – Wheat Plant (Image#11) • Fittonia – Nerve Plant (not common, but I have seen it in some shops) (image#12) • Spathiphyllum species – Borneo Sword, Peace Lilly (image#13) • Hemigraphis species– Purple Waffle (image#14) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted August 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 Yay, thank you. will make my plant tanks a lot better by removing the rubbish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 Great idea coming to the forum for advice, so many times we bought plants from a pet store that died soon after. Only a couple of times have I bought true aquatic plants until I learned more about plants. Now I only trade or buy new plants from forum members or buy plants I know are going to grow from the store. Not many staff seem to know about plants sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted August 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 yeah, gotta take care of the plants in the shop better than I have so am studying up as much as possible, learning heaps everyday. and am helping out with 4 planted tanks (other than the two lo-tech ones that are all mine) already knew most of those but a few are surprises to me such as the Bacopa sp. and Lysamachia. (although I must admit I have never had sucess with Giant babies tears or lysa's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 They are both usually grown emersed commercially so there is the added problem of conversion to submersed as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted August 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 yeah but most stem plants are grown emersed, all the hygros, luds, crypts, most rotalas, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 16, 2012 Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 My point was that with plants that are not really aquatic, if they are grown emersed then it is an added problem in trying to grow them. The teperature is as well. A grower down here stops selling plants in the winter because the temperature conversion is an added problem again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted August 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2012 probably best to give the plants the best opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted August 22, 2012 Report Share Posted August 22, 2012 Great advice. Great comments. :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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