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Recommendations for Plants Mail Order

einstein-a-go-go

Seedling
Joined
29 Mar 2008
Messages
8
This is my first post as a newbie, but not keeping and breeding fish for which I've been doing for over 35 years, but I thought now is a good time to start aqua-scaping, and use all that Dennerle equipment, I've been stock piling over the years!

I've taken the plunge, and purchased an Arc Tank 25L today, to start my first nano planted tank. I've always obtained my plants from Java Plants, but I wondered what the opinions were, I've just quickly had a look at The Green Machine and the total order is £77.65 for tropica plants? Are these worth it compared to Greenline/Java? These seem very expensive, I hoping the qualtity is there at this price?

Cyperus helferi
Glossostigma elatinoides
Riccia fluitans
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
Vallisneria americana `mini twister`
Echinodorus tenellus
Rotala vallichii
4 x Cladophora aegagropila
 
Hi ,

Welcome to Ukaps! be warned its addictive! ;)

Tropica plants are top quality! (unless theve sat in a stock tank with no light co2 for a week or six)

Is the price for one of each in your list plus the 4 moss balls?
 
Hi mate and welcome, Tropica plants are the way forward! Aqua essentials and the green machine both sell tropica plants and they are far superior to any others. Ive used all the online plant retailers and if I had to choose one then it would greenline.
if you don't mind me saying that is a rather mixed list of plants, do you have an aquascape in mind or are you just testing the water with aquatic plants? If you want to grow glosso and riccia you will probably have to upgrade your lighting, I'd be inclined to buy a duplicate of the light that came with your arc tank and run them side by side.
Good luck with it all, ask loads of questions and you should end up succeeding!
Cheers, Dan
 
planter said:
Hi ,

Welcome to Ukaps! be warned its addictive! ;)

Tropica plants are top quality! (unless theve sat in a stock tank with no light co2 for a week or six)

Is the price for one of each in your list plus the 4 moss balls?

Yes, this is the price for one of each plus the four moss balls.
 
Dan Crawford said:
Hi mate and welcome, Tropica plants are the way forward! Aqua essentials and the green machine both sell tropica plants and they are far superior to any others. Ive used all the online plant retailers and if I had to choose one then it would greenline.
if you don't mind me saying that is a rather mixed list of plants, do you have an aquascape in mind or are you just testing the water with aquatic plants? If you want to grow glosso and riccia you will probably have to upgrade your lighting, I'd be inclined to buy a duplicate of the light that came with your arc tank and run them side by side.
Good luck with it all, ask loads of questions and you should end up succeeding!
Cheers, Dan

Thanks for the comments, I do have a planned aquascape in mind, but I've not decided on whether to have:-

Cryptocoryne balansae or Vallisneria or Cyperus helferi ?

So it's one of the above!

Thanks for the lighting tip, I'll get another Arcpod, the current one is 9w, is this suffucient? Just to get another 9w, or should I go for 11w, and change the tube?

I've just noticed that the 11w is 230mm long, so may not fit the ARC 25L, certainly the tube will not fit the 9w version.
 
For my up coming tank rebuild I'm planning on getting the majority of my easier stem plants from Greenline and a few pots of 'specials' from tropica (haven't decided from who yet). In my eyes it's a good way of keeping the costs down.

If you have a Pets at Home store near you it's worth looking at. They stock tropica plants as well but you have to get them as soon as they do, otherwise they're mush in a weeks time (they don't do anything to keep them going).
 
the current one is 9w, is this suffucient?
Yeh, grab another 9w and that'll be fine.

Are you thinking of using Co2? Riccia and glosso won't do well without Co2 and all plants will benefit from it. For that tank i would recommend Tetra's Optimat kit http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... cts_id=484 i used it in the same tank as you and it's very good.

Cryptocoryne balansae or Vallisneriaor or Cyperus helferi ?

Balensae gets massive, mine was up to 3ft long :wideyed: I'd avoid that IMO.
Vallis gets big too depending on what species you get, i'd go for vallisinaria americana or "mini twister" since it stays quite short http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... ts_id=1263
Or maybe go for Sagitaria Subulata http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.p ... ts_id=1285
Cyperus would be cool.

HTH
Dan
 
Thanks for your comments Dan (must tick notify me when reply is posted!).

Got another ArcPod on order now. Noticed the 11w is much larger and wouldn't fit!

yes, Co2

I've ordered a Sera CO2 Start kit for my Nano tank only because I want to keep this fairly simple, if I'm going to be "allowed" to keep this aquascape (notice not the use of fish tank or aquarium here!) in the lounge, I've got a fish house full of tanks. I appreciate this uses tabs, and can be expensive to maintain, if things prove well, I can switch to Dennerle Professional Co2 (I've got many full kits, with heating cables, co2, ph, solenoid kits) but want to keep the wires and cables to a minimum, and then convert tanks in the fish house!

I've dropped Cryptocoryne balansae and Vallisneriaor and going with Cyperus. Sera Floradepot and substrate has been ordered from Germany!!!

Tank's been cleaned.

What about an under-heating cable?

any benefit?

I've just got them in boxes here doing nothing!! So might as well use them for something!!!
 
I've used those CO2 tabs in the past and found them very hit and miss with regards to CO2 levels so I would dose Excel or EasyCarbo too (or even instead) to help things along and help prevent any algae getting a hold. If you've got the gear lying around I really would use it. I also found the CO2 tabs played havoc with the water parameters as they dissolved.

Forget the heating cables and any pH controllers or anything, just use a nice glass diffuser with clear CO2 tubing in the tank and then that'll look good and uncluttered IMO. Add a nice glass drop checker (available from Ebay for abour £4 including postage - I have two more on their way!) with 4dKH solution to check your CO2 is at 30ppm and you're away! There'll be less clutter in the tank than with the CO2 tab container!!!
 
I got distracted!

I know, I'm late by 12 years to this thread.... but I started building this tank..... and I ordered plants from Aquaessentials, and ordered Tropica plants, to be honest with you I completely forgot I posted a question.

I changed my lighting to a new Fluval Nano 3.0 LED. (still got the Arcadia Arc Podlights). Plant list changed slightly from above.

I'm using CO2 tabs, because I have them, but I'll switch to CO2 proper when I run out of tabs, if I've got them might as well use them.

Tank is currently on 2 week.
 
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