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Best place to buy plants online?

3K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  jpappy789 
#1 ·
Also wondering if anyone could tell me about how plants I should be looking for in a 40B, no Co2
 
#3 ·
http://www.shop.plantedaquariumscentral.com/aboutus.sc Their selections are limited but if they have the plants you want, you would definitely get them within the same week. With aquariumplants.com, you have to place your order before Sunday in order to have your order shipped on the following Wed. ALL orders are expected delivered by Friday the same week. Don't ask me why they are doing this.
 
#8 ·
Cool, thanks for all the fast replies. I am checking out aquariumplants.com and plantedaquariumscentral.com now.

Has anyone heard anything about aquariumplants aquascaping packages? I am very new to this, this is my first planted tank, the idea seems very beginner friendly as I am stressing a little bit about what plants to buy and how/where to plant. This is a copy of the hardscape I was thinking of.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=395218
 
#10 ·
Has anyone heard anything about aquariumplants aquascaping packages? I am very new to this, this is my first planted tank, the idea seems very beginner friendly as I am stressing a little bit about what plants to buy and...
Try to relax, you can stress at school/work.

Check out the pictures of other 40B in the the tanks gallery on TPT: see what you like and what you want your tank to be. Look at the plants you like, find their names and read up a bit on them. Start a list of plants for your own tank.

Read some of the Tank Journals to see what works and with what amount of effort an $$.

Start with plants suitable for your lighting level and fertilization.

Start with as large variety and as many *cheap* plants as you can afford. Some will do well, some will die - figure out why. The more plants you start with, the higher is your chance of success.

Learn the basics of planted tank: a ton to read.

Think of what fish/shrimp you would like to keep: that will affect your plant selection.

Consider your tank size and the growth rate and healthy size of the plants you want. People like to recommend swords: most grow to 24" tall. Your tank is 16" tall.

You will learn step by step, just like the rest if us still do.

Ask questions, that's what this forum and the community is all about.

Buy from people who are willing to help you out: from the plant recommendations, to planting and trimming advise, to educating you about specific plants, to tank layout and so on people who care more about your success then your $50.

via Droid DNA Tapatalk 2
 
#11 ·
I have purchased the beginner package from aquariumplants.com before, the plants were in good condition, only downside is you get a bundle of plants with no tags identifing what they are, as a beginner It would have been nice to know what im planting. So after that I simply pick out the plants I want from them so I atleast know what I'm getting. I've ordered from them 3 times now and haven't had any issues yet.

Both my 55 gallon and my 20 gallon have no co2, i used a soil substrate and have low light. I have various sword plants, rotillia indica, cardamine, i've had success with purple cabomba (but this will grow like wild fire in any tank), green temple, tawian moss, all are slow growing because of my tank conditions but still are doing good.
 
#15 · (Edited)
I have used both of the following with good results :

http://www.liveaquaria.com/

http://www.plantedaquariumscentral.com/

The only gotcha is that you have to pay for 2nd day delivery since you are having plants mailed to you.
Also, depending on where you live, you don't want to order plants in the middle of winter and have them freeze on your doorstep...

I've also bought plants from PetSmart stores -- but their selections are limited.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Thank you for all the replies everyone, I am checking in the for sale section and the websites you mentioned.

If I have anything shipped to me, is it imperative that it be planted that day? Or is waiting until the next day ok? Only asking bc i'll probably need a good chunk of time as I will be setting everything up at once.

Since I am a noob, do you guys think it would just be better for me to buy some kind of beginner/low light pack and just plant everything and see what happens instead of worrying about making some sort of scape?

And maybe this is a silly question, but do I need to buy a bunch of aquascaping tools before I plant or do anything?

Edit: Also as stated I have a 40B, will have fluorite black sand, 2 Solarmax HE T5 lights 21watts each so if anyone can offer any suggestions I am all ears. Thanks again for all the advice
 
#19 · (Edited)
You could wait, you should at least open and inspect the plants. Many shippers offer a DOA policy but you need to let them know within a reasonable amount of time. If nothing else, I typically unbag them and place them in some water and make sure to keep them out of the sun/heat.

Choosing to buy a package or purchase ala carte is up to you. It depends how much you want to dictate how your tank looks. Just because you're a beginner doesn't mean you can't aquascape, even if using "beginner" plants. Part of the process of learning is to research the various plants and what theyr requirments are. You could look at the plants offered in the packages and taylor them to your taste, just be aware that some places offer plants im beginner packages that aren't suitable aquarium plants.

People have been growing plants in aquariums long before aquascaping tools came into existance. You don't need them to grow plants or to aquascape. But, like anything, having the right tools for the job just make things easier. If you aren't going for a super intricate aquascape the tools will probably be unneeded.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Ok so here is what I was thinking. Maybe move the rocks to the left a little bit. I'm planning on raising them up on 3" of styrofoam. In the back right sort of obscured by the rocks I was thinking of putting something bigger, maybe a sword plant? I would like to have a lily(nymphae stellata) maybe in front of the rocks but still to the side.

Was thinking some stem plants in the back, maybe anacharis and some crypt spiralis. Break up the background with a couple crypt wentii/undulata. Then in midground have some crypt parva and/or echinodorus parviflorus.

I was thinking of leaving a decent area in the front left of the tank as bare sand for a beach look and for corydoras to play in.
It will mostly be viewed from the front/left side. The right side I'm not so concerned with the view as I'll only see it when I'm walking in.

I know its probably a lot to ask but any critiques/suggestions? This is my first time with anything besides plastic so go easy on me, haha.
 

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#21 ·
Forget to add that if you are ordering from the message board, ask about the size portion. You don't want to get a background plant and turns out the seller is selling a side shoot trimming no taller than 2". Sigh, that was my recent experience. In general, my experience on the message board is good.
 
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