# Help! Getting Plants



## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

I'm going to the pet store today to get plants and need ideas. I have a small petco, so common options and a lot of options are appreciated. 

My tank is a 5g Tetra Kit. It has one LED light strand. Grave substrait, and a single female betta. I have a Terta Wisper tank, and a heater that is around 79*f.


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## pinetopgirl (Aug 1, 2014)

Can't go wrong with Java ferns, they're pretty easy care and don't get outrageously huge. Do yourself a favor, whatever you choose: spend the extra to get the gel cultivated plants. I opted to buy a plant out of a tank once and am still paying for that mistake....


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

I'll try, but my PetCo is super small. Usually they only have 1 tank of plants (1-3 spiecies), and these tubes of plants (4-6 spiecies). 

Is just plane gravel ok?
Recommendations for fertilizers?
Other plant ideas?


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

*Edit*
I'm not going to the store today, and will be going on Tuesday, when my baby brother goes to the doctor.


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## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

I got all my plants from Petco in the tubes.
I just got some narrow leaf java fern from the tube at petco, I would not recommend it. Mine was tightly wrapped with black thread when I carefully cut the thread I saw they had just taken a bunch of leaves and wrapped them together one stalk has a tiny rhizome but I don't think it will survive, the other 5 leaves are already mostly brown. I have been happy with the water wisteria, and crested java fern i bought in the tubes at Petco (the crested java fern also has thread around the rhizome which needs to be cut away). Both should work in your tank. I am still trying to determine if my anubias I purchased from there has rhizome rot disease. Anubias is another low light plant.
Not all the tube plants are fully aquatic, avoid the peacock fern and the kyoto, you will probably see both at your store, they are for terrariums, they are bog plants and cannot live fully submerged.


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## Tress (Jun 6, 2014)

Low light plants like Anubias and Java ferns are great, slow growers but hardy. I think wisteria, water sprite, basically all floaters are pretty low light, very undemanding plants. Just make sure what you're getting is actually aquatic. MANY stores try to sell terrestrial plants as aquatic plants but they eventually rot in the water.

Can't say much about ferts, I don't use any yet. I've heard Seachem Flourish Comprehensive is a good overall one.

Gravel is fine, personally I've taken a liking to sand.


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

Ok, awsome and thank you. I'll post updates on my plants when I get them home, and I'm redoing my tank (it needs a good full rinse out because I left my light on when we were gone for a combo of my wisdom teeth being remove and my baby brother being born). I've been meaning to do it for ages, but I havnt had the time to complestly rip it apart. Then it will be all clean and beautiful for my new plants. I'll post pictures when I'm done.


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## aselvarial (Feb 21, 2014)

Did you get the tank at the Black Friday sale at Petsmart? I went in for Prime and came out with another tank.  I have java fern and moss, as well as some clippings from a water wisteria, a tiny crypt (which actually seems to be doing ok so far), some guppy grass, and a few others. I'm basically testing to see what actually does ok with just that little bit of LED light.


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

*Tank Before New Plants (Remodel)*

Spirea (nickname is Spi) is back in her tank, and is busy exploring. I still need to make make a new background, but here it is. I'm on my iPad, so I can only post one picture at a time.


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

Hello Mr. And Mrs. Ancharibis.


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

Look at my pretty cave.


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## aselvarial (Feb 21, 2014)

That is a cute cave? You make it or find it @ a store?


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## BlueLacee (Dec 8, 2013)

I made it out of river rocks that underwent EXTREM testing. Vinigar, stability (in terms of placement with each other) soaking, and boiling


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Hey BL,
If you decide to go with the tubed plants at Petco or Petsmart I like to turn the tube upside down and _gently_ give them a shake so you can get a good look at the root system. The plant will slide down in the tube and you will be able to see if there is any rot going on. I found some really nice, snail free plants at the chains. In fact if you are shopping in the Philadelphia area, don't bother. I got all the good ones.


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