Semi-aquatic submerged

Marci99205

1. Tank size
29 gallon 30x18x12

2. Watts and type of lighting
LED

3. Number and types of plants
Not sure

4. Substrate type
Eco Complete along with gravel

5. Age of tank
1 week I transferred all the substrate (except for the Eco-complete) In addition to the filter that came with the 29 I am using the one from the 10. Also got a bag of water with an established bio filter squeeze into it from my LFS.

6. CO2 injection
no

7. Water Parameters
a. not sure... ordered a test kit... should be here by Thursday

b. When test was performed NA

8. Detailed description of plant problems
I was ignorant and bought Semi aquatic plants, not even thinking anything about it and now come to realize these aren't going to work.

My LFS doesn't do plants Does anyone have any suggestion on where to buy plants online... maybe a starter pack for low light? Also will these semi aquatic plants harm my tank when they begin to rot?

liz26914

there's planted aquarium central. and ther is definitely low light starter packs on aquabid. good luck

Romad

I've bought from many places and I'm happiest with Mikeswetpets on e-bay and aquabid. Great quality and great prices.

As for your rotting plants, I guess it depends on how rotten they are. But why keep them in there at all?

PRIMESIX

First, I would get rid of those plants, no need to have them in your tank.
Second, there are many places online to order plants, However my local Petco sometimes gets some low light plants in from time to time, if you have one in the area you might want to check it out. (good way to save on shipping costs).. Make sure you know what your buying, sometimes Petco will mark there plants as assorted plants. Good luck...

Geomancer

Yeah, Petsmart/Petco will sell a small selection of plants. Both offer some that come in a plastic tube, they won't be actually in the fish tanks, but in the general area (sometimes they have stuff in the tanks too). You must be extra careful though for the same reason as you have found out! They sell "semi-aquatic" plants which in reality can not be used. They'll be fine for a month or so, but will then start to rot and decay which will ruin your water quality. Amazon Swords, Java Fern, Anubis, and Wisteria are ones I've found there that are truly aquatic. The good thing is for $4 on the swords and Wisteria you get at least 2 plants, sometimes more (I got 3 for Amazon Swords, and 6 for the Wisteria). You won't beat that price online.

If you don't have either of those nearby... use the suggestions above. I'm in the same boat as you right now. I do have a petsmart and a petco nearby, but they only have a small variety of truly aquatic plants. Shipping costs can be extremely high. I've looked at the Mikeswetpets guy on ebay, his shipping costs are the most reasonable because he uses USPS Priority Mail. All the other online stores I've seen us UPS 2nd Day Air which is a lot more expensive. His plants cost more individually though than some online stores I've shopped.

I'd recommend making a list of what you want and buy it all at the same time from the same place to spread out the shipping cost as much as possible. You don't want to spend $20+ on a single sword just because it is cheaper at a particular online store ;)

Marci99205

Thanks! I will have to check them out.

I was thinking I would keep the plants in there until I got replacements, but ended up taking them out anyways (except for the japanese rush and mondo grass). Guess I will just plant them in dirt...

redchigh

I like sweetaquatics.com for their prices and quality, but they're not shipping due to the cold.

Sweetaquatics.com can design custom biotopes... Well worth the cost if you want a professional layout and good plant suggestions.

There's the classifieds section on this site... Not sure why no one suggested it. Just post there what you're looking for, maybe someone can help.

I usually sell plants too, but due to the weather, I'm all closed up until spring.

Geomancer

That would explain why every single thing on their website is listed as "Sold Out". I thought maybe they had closed up shop forever =/ I've heard good things about them, and was planning on using them for my 120g when it gets ready (hopefully this summer).

I'm surprised about the cold though. I'm in New England and this has been the warmest winter I've seen =o But I've been spoiled the the 3 years I've been here. I grew up in Montana, and the weather is much harsher there.

Do hand warmer/heat packs not work?