GeeTee Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 This is a photo of some plants from my local creek,can anyone identify them and let me know if they are fish friendly? I am searching for them on the net but in case i can't identify any your help would be appreciated. Thaks Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 The very fine whirled one under the grey rock looks a bit like hornwort. It's illegal to take or keep this plant. I'd burn it, it's the safest way to dispose of it. Our local waterways have a few pest plants in them. The problem is they look quite good! It's our responsibility to make sure we don't use any pest plants in our tanks. You local regional council has a little book called 'The Pest Plant Manual" which lists all the plants you're not allowed to keep. There's a whole pile of NZ plants that work well in aquariums (both coldwater and tropical). Good on you for trying but I'd dispose of the hornwort. I'll look up the others to see if there are any more pest plants in your photo. It's important to note; being caught with pest plants can land you a fine between $5,000-$200,000 or even a nice stay in prison... A pest plant is one that out-competes the NZ native species and displaces them. NZ has a strong drive to keep it's native species, it's part of make our country unique. It's our job to make sure we don't accidentally spread these problem plants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Hey Warren, good info on the pest plants. Do those same rules and penalties apply in Australia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 I have no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtman Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 that middle 1 almost looks like a val,nice score,even if some have to be destroyed Newt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcookie Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Geetee, nice looking plants. Only burn them if they really are 'pests'....! Warren, good responsible advice. we all need to be aware that their is a bigger picture (sometimes!) than how nice our aquariums look. Blue and Kim - No problems if this is indeed a pest - exporting it to Autralia! Weve exported several thousand of the two legged ones to the gold coast already...hahahah just kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Erm... yer... but, no... but, yer.... I brought up the Ozzie thing as GeeTee is from NSW and I'm not sure if he needs to go burn it up or face the same charges we would here-abouts in kiwi land. Personally, I'd refrain from getting plants from local streams unless you're planning on putting them in a pond. Everyone has their own ideas of "beauty" though, so no one can dictate taste for others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTee Posted August 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Thanks for the input,I'll have to check the regulations. Plants aren't that dear to buy I just thought it would be a bit more interesting if I had collected them myself. The ribbon looking one under the red rock looks like ones in the lfs,so I thought save on plants spend on fish,easy. Same with the one to the left of the grey rock,bit hard to see in the pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 The ribbon grass (valliseria) is a real nice plant, if that's what you found. Grows as long as you need it to and sends out offshoots pretty quickly. Great background for rocky cichlid tanks. Ormali just brought some over for us the other day when we were setting up a new cichlid tank and it's da bomb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 7, 2005 Report Share Posted August 7, 2005 Oops, didn't notice GeeTee was from Australia... I expect they have pest plants too although they may go by a different name there. Geetee, nice looking plants. Only burn them if they really are 'pests'....! Warren, good responsible advice. we all need to be aware that their is a bigger picture (sometimes!) than how nice our aquariums look. Blue and Kim - No problems if this is indeed a pest - exporting it to Autralia! Weve exported several thousand of the two legged ones to the gold coast already...hahahah just kidding. Madcookie, it's not good responsible advice, it's the law... Someone has to be a bubble burster and today it's me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTee Posted August 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Yes it would appear that it is hornwort and it is for sale in the shops and the net here in Aus so must be legal. The other one is Vallisneria gigantea,was very purple in the sun. Still looking for the needle like plant on the right, and the little broad leaf one on the left.I'm sure I have seen the broadleaf one in the shops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTee Posted August 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Found some similar to the remaining 2 plants,do these names sound or look familiar to anyone, Bacopa caroliniana for the plant on the left and Eleocharis acicularis for the needle like plant. Thanks again for all your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Both Hornwort and Val. gigantea are on the Pest Plant list in NZ. Bacopa caroliniana is commonly known Giant Baby Tears. If you are allowed them in Aus then lucky you, both are nice looking plants that are fairly easy to grow in either coldwater or tropical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTee Posted August 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Thanks warren.They are for sale so must be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 I wouldn't count on it. There have been instances of shops in NZ selling plants they shouldn't have. In most cases it was due to not checking what was and wasn't allowed. It would still pay to check your local regs. Do you have regional councils in Australia? If so, they should have the information you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 Yeah, Valisneria isn't actually allowed to be sold in NZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeTee Posted August 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 Thanks again Warren.I will look seriously at that. Looks nice enough as a plant but there are better looking plants out there. I was in the lfs this arvo and it didn't have hornwart but he was very interested when I said I had some,he did on the other hand have the Val. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klaymann Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 Can't sell val in NZ ..tell that to the LFS .. you'd be suprised what goes on..... anyways amazed they have hornwort in aussie and val ! I know of some real cool collection spots for both but since it's illegal I shall not say "BOO" ... I might add hornwort is the best plant for baby livebearers ... and local val is strong enough to survive/grow in a brackish set up " but I only heard that"... tra la la la laaaaaa and any spare hornwort has to be dried out as it grows faster than a monk in a " gentlemans club" can't have it spreading like what comes out of a "gentlemans club".. 8) *Edited By Ballistic* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 As I understand it, only the V. gigantica is the non-allowable plant in the shops. It is only because the idiots that try to enforce these laws can't ID a different spp they try to come down hard on all of them. Alan 104 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 19, 2005 Report Share Posted August 19, 2005 As I understand it, only the V. gigantica is the non-allowable plant in the shops. It is only because the idiots that try to enforce these laws can't ID a different spp they try to come down hard on all of them. Alan 104 That's incorrect Alan. It's because young (small) Val of any type (except corkscrew) looks the same. If it's not possible to tell the difference then they all have to go. The people who perform the studies on these plants really know their stuff and have much more knowledge than you do (PhD's etc). Since most of what turns up in the aquarium trade is small plants they have to be removed to make sure they don't accidentally spread the wrong one. As it happens, the small val is invasive in some areas as well. Plants are only made 'Pest Plants' if they are invasive and displace NZ Natives... When you figure out a way to identify Val when it's small let me know. I'm on pretty good terms with the people who make these decisions. As they are reasonable guys, if we present a good case they will listen. I can see the reasoning behind the Val situation and since it's reasonable, support the decision the remove it even though it's a great looking plant... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted August 20, 2005 Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 Are all varieties actually banned throughout NZ? I know that V.gigantea is and that Environment Waikato has banned any species of vallisneria (but that's only a regional thing). The National Pest Plant Accord (www.biosecurity.govt.nz/ pests-diseases/plants/accord.htm) only mentions V.gigantea. And the reason for the ban in the Waikato seemed more based on peoples irresponsible use of vallisneria rather than it's invasiveness (since economic gain could be made by selling vallisneria people were deliberately establishing it in locations it wasn't already, also they were exporting hornwort contaminated vallisneria to the South Island and they definitely don't want hornwort down there - best way to stop all this, ban vallisneria in the Waikato - there was talk about a nation wide ban being considered though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 21, 2005 Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 Just returned from ChCh today. All the shops there have vallis for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klaymann Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Curious .. how much can you get for a bucket of Val and a bucket of hornwort ?.. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 Up to $200,000 and/or 7 years in prison.... 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caserole Posted August 26, 2005 Report Share Posted August 26, 2005 :lol: :lol:, that so true and so funny - klaymann snap :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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