PetCo "Aqua Plants"

[SftWrmRain]

Has anyone had any experience with PetCo's line of "Aqua Plants," found in tall cylinder plastic containers with gel around the roots of the plants. These plants are labeled with their scientific names as well as their more common names. The instructions on the containers say to remove plant, wash gel off roots and plant either in your terrarium OR AQUARIUM.

Ok, so seeing this led me to believe these were suitable for my AQUARIUM. Apparently, not so. Upon researching the type of plants I chose, I found that THREE of the FOUR I purchased are found to be UNSUITABLE for aquaria, and will eventually rot and foul my tank.

:: humpf :: Now what? Do I return them, leave them in my tank and see how they do, or??

How can a company get away with this mislabeling??

 

[Aussie_hippie_2]

Return them if you can. I went there a couple weeks back and all they were selling was 'lucky bamboo'. How hard is it to figure out this stuff won't grow submersed? Sorry to hijack your thread with a rant.

 

[SftWrmRain]

Return them if you can. I went there a couple weeks back and all they were selling was 'lucky bamboo'. How hard is it to figure out this stuff won't grow submersed? Sorry to hijack your thread with a rant.

I plan to return them, but how do you stop this company from selling unsuitable aquarium plants as perfectly fine to grow underwater.

One of the plants I bought was a pretty plant, that looks NOTHING like bamboo - wait let me get a picture of it and I'll attach. Anyway, it's scientific name tells me this IS lucky bamboo!!! I like to think of myself as somewhat intelligent - how does an inexperienced plant person shop for aquarium plants???

The bigger of the two pictures shows both a "gold ribbon" (far left) and a "white ribbon" (small plant on right). These are labeled dracaena variegatus, and dracaena sanderiana.

 

[Marinemom]

Return them if you can but there really is very little you can do about this. Petco is not the only LFS that does this. I think that they all do it.

Marinemom

 

[Ulan]

You should only buy those plants where no terrarium is mentioned on the label. They also have Wisteria, amazon swords and java ferns in those plastic cylinders, and in those cases, there's no mention of terrariums.

 

[PeteCW]

I have had experience with said "Aqua Plants", and while most of them are dead in the tube before you even consider buying them, the healthy ones that I have bought have done very well indeed in a submerged enviornment.
The problem is about 50% of their line are not true aquatics, unlike the Amazon Sword and Wisteria that I bought, so do your homework and buy accordingly. In my experience they are more hearty and disease free than anything you could get in a submerged pot from Petco. I don't know if you have ever purchased from that retailer or not, but they consistantly remind me why I should stick to online sources for fish, inverts, and plants.

 

[Aussie_hippie_2]

"I plan to return them, but how do you stop this company from selling unsuitable aquarium plants as perfectly fine to grow underwater.

One of the plants I bought was a pretty plant, that looks NOTHING like bamboo - wait let me get a picture of it and I'll attach. Anyway, it's scientific name tells me this IS lucky bamboo!!! I like to think of myself as somewhat intelligent - how does an inexperienced plant person shop for aquarium plants???"

We can't stop them from selling the plants, and quite frankly if you're concerned about the plants in the PetCo, take a look around most of their stores; suffice to say there are bigger fish to fry.

Try going to an LFS, I understand that you may not have any around you, if this is the case order off the 'net! I have plenty of LFS' around me but will allways go to aquaticplantcentral.com or aquabid.com for my plants. These are places where people know what they're talking about.

Good luck with your plants and your sick betta, I hope he does 'betta'! Oh, Mitch, very punny indeed.

 

[SftWrmRain]

You should only buy those plants where no terrarium is mentioned on the label. They also have Wisteria, amazon swords and java ferns in those plastic cylinders, and in those cases, there's no mention of terrariums.

Actually, the very same label is used for all. I bought a wistera this evening, along with the others. It's label is exactly as the others, and DOES mention a terrarium as a place it can be used.

With all the misleading information, and not having a list of plant names handy, it's no wonder people are confused out there. You either have to be a genius in the field of aquatic plants, or you have to carry a book of scientific and common names of plants with you, and everything about said plants to ensure you're buying the right ones for your particular tank.

 

[SftWrmRain]

Pete,

I agree with you about PetCo's plants in pots and their condition. This is exactly why I decided today to buy these other plants in tubes - they looked good, and I figured would be less likely to have disease. They were more expensive, but I wanted some plants and don't have other options in my city. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to shop online as well. So much for immediate gratification. Where is your favorite place online to shop for plants?

 

[SftWrmRain]

allways go to aquaticplantcentral.com or aquabid.com for my plants. These are places where people know what they're talking about.

Good luck with your plants and your sick betta, I hope he does 'betta'! Oh, Mitch, very punny indeed.

HAHA, Mitch! Very funny! I think he's doing very well tonight. He's loving his 10 gal to himself for sure. LOL I do browse Aquabid, but like ebay, you never know who you're dealing with. I have aquatic plant central already bookmarked, so I'll consider them since you approve! Thanks!