Local plants

Mellyn · 08-28-2005, 10:32 PM

I was wondering what types of plants I can go and get in my local lake. I found some anacharis, hornwort and what seems to be pearl grass. Also the usualls in florida - water cabbage, penny wort, duckweed etc. Any other plants that you've found? Any that you can suggest to look for? We live in a tropical area, we have to have some tropical plants!

**BSS** · 08-29-2005, 01:25 AM

When I make the time to go rollerblading, I like to hit the Oviedo trail and the Blanchard Park trail. I've seen most of the plants you mention. In addition, I have a small pond off the back corner of my house that has H. micranthemoides (pearlgrass) and M. umbrosum (baby tears). It also has, what I think is, a variety of Ludwigia. I'll let scolley id it as a cost for shipping him some

. I collected some Bacopa sp both down near Miami and locally, though the local one was so full of cirtters of various forms that I didn't add it into my tank. It certainly can be distracting when both blading and golfing to spend more time checking out the local water plants than to concentrate on what I'm there to be doing!

frmrreefr · 08-29-2005, 03:44 AM

There are also swordplants in FLA! You can see them in their emersed form along some canals and waterways...

Bayleo · 09-06-2005, 10:04 PM

Don't forget the massive amounts of cabomba/fanwort and various varieties of hairgrass (not always immersed) around Orlando.

Mellyn · 09-06-2005, 10:06 PM

I thought I had seen some hairgrass! I thought it was just some really thin grass on the edge of the water. Maybe I'll go pick some of that up. Thanks Ya'll for your suggestions

Bayleo · 09-07-2005, 04:33 PM

Just be mindful that the emmersed hairgrass is not always willing to convert easily. I never had much luck with that stuff, but I never had it under very high lighting. And if you don't want to infest your tank with pond snails I recommend whippin' up a pottasium permanganate dip.

You must go to UCF too, huh Mellyn? I actually got in trouble from *campus police* one evening when they caught me collecting plants from Lake Claire but I ended up telling the guy that I was a biology student who needed samples.

Mellyn · 09-07-2005, 11:55 PM

Lol! That's where I collect my plants too! I had a run in with the police too. They told me to watch out for the alligator(barely 4 feet). I swear the UCF police hide in the bushes to catch you! After they left my boyfriend threw a mushroom in there for the gator. It was funny watching it trying to eat it; looked like it was trying to eat a frisbee.

I usually go on the weekends when there aren't many people. Right now the greeks are all over Lake Claire so I'm postponing my plant gathering. A while ago I got some plants from there for my pond nano and haven't had a problem with snails. I actually went looking for snails there and only found some sort of trumpet. I see empty ramshorn shells, but no live snails. But for the plants in my normal tank I'm definatly going to dip the plants. I don't want any nasties attacking my fish. ^^

donaldbyrd · 09-08-2005, 02:40 AM

when you are collecting plants from the "wild" do you do anything with them before putting them in the tank ?

Bayleo · 09-08-2005, 02:42 PM

I dip them in a diluted solution of bleach, potasium permanganate, or some other cleaning agent (ammonia maybe?). Usually just put them in a bucket of water with a splash of bleach for a day or so. My method may not be perfect -- do a search on bleach dip or potassium permanganate and you'll get more info.

And be careful with the potassium permanganate, I'm told it's violently reactive with formalin (common fish med). I don't really know what kind of reaction, and now I'm actually super-curious. dang.

Bert H · 09-08-2005, 04:44 PM

Don't forget the various grasses - vals and sag's that are easily available throughout springs and rivers. I've found lots of L. repens, Bacopa, Proserpinaca palustris, hornwort, heck there's tons of stuff here. If you go here you'll get an idea of all the stuff our state's got - indigenous and introduced.

frmrreefr · 09-09-2005, 12:20 AM

Awesome website! Thanks!

**BSS** · 09-09-2005, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frmrreefr

Awesome website! Thanks!

Agreed! I'll need to head back to that site when I have more time to give it a proper look! Thanks, Bert!

Bayleo · 09-09-2005, 01:16 AM

Dunno why you did not have better luck looking for snails Mel, I've never pulled a bunch of pearlgrass without coming up with a few common pond snails.

The website says there are 30 different varieties of spikerush in FL~ Definitely got yer' hands full trying to find dwarf hairgrass out of all thirty varieties!

...

They are always getting rid of the gators in Lake Claire but the li'l guys just keep coming back. Kinda makes you wonder why they are migrating over. I guess Mom kicked them out of Lake Jesup? Still, it would seem like a difficult thing for a gator to find its way to a silly wet pond/stormwater drainage area(Lake Claire) in the middle of UCF/downtown from 5 or more miles away.

Mellyn · 09-11-2005, 12:33 AM

I'm going gathering tomorrow. Hopefully I can wake my boyfriend up early enough so that we don't have to go out in the heat. I've got a bucket of water ready for them. ^^

I couldn't find the potassium permanganate at Publix. Where would I have luck finding it?

Bayleo · 09-13-2005, 07:57 AM

Potassium Permanganate is a fish medication so maybe the lfs or you could order it from aquatic eco. in Apopka for sure:
link!

Can just use bleach though, that may even work better.

08-28-2005, 10:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mellyn Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 96	Local plants I was wondering what types of plants I can go and get in my local lake. I found some anacharis, hornwort and what seems to be pearl grass. Also the usualls in florida - water cabbage, penny wort, duckweed etc. Any other plants that you've found? Any that you can suggest to look for? We live in a tropical area, we have to have some tropical plants!

08-29-2005, 01:25 AM	#2 (permalink)
BSS Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (12) Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Oviedo, FL USA Posts: 1,600	When I make the time to go rollerblading, I like to hit the Oviedo trail and the Blanchard Park trail. I've seen most of the plants you mention. In addition, I have a small pond off the back corner of my house that has H. micranthemoides (pearlgrass) and M. umbrosum (baby tears). It also has, what I think is, a variety of Ludwigia. I'll let scolley id it as a cost for shipping him some . I collected some Bacopa sp both down near Miami and locally, though the local one was so full of cirtters of various forms that I didn't add it into my tank. It certainly can be distracting when both blading and golfing to spend more time checking out the local water plants than to concentrate on what I'm there to be doing! __________________ 46g bf, XP3 w/ vertical spray bar, CO2 w/ SMS122 & diffuser,100% Flourite, 96w+55w cf AHS, AGA Member

08-29-2005, 03:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
frmrreefr Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pembroke Pines, FL Posts: 160	There are also swordplants in FLA! You can see them in their emersed form along some canals and waterways... __________________ I can't remember what it is that I'm tryin' to forget... Eheim Pimp Club #108 20 Gal High, Pressurized Co2, Eheim Ecco 2231 (double duty as a Co2 reactor), 2x55 Current USA 10k's in Coralife Housing, Flourite 2" substrate. Rotala indica, Potomageton gayii, Anubias barteri var. "Nana", Echinodorus bleheri var."Compacta", Glossostigma elatinoides 5 Blue tetras, 5 Bleeding heart tetras, 5 Black neon tetras, breeding pair of flame gourami....

09-08-2005, 02:40 AM	#8 (permalink)
donaldbyrd Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1) Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 223	when you are collecting plants from the "wild" do you do anything with them before putting them in the tank ? __________________ 55 gallon low tech 150 gallon. eco complete, 330 watt cf, eheim 2128 and 2028, pressurized co2 with am 1000 reactor, pinpoint ph controller

09-08-2005, 04:44 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bert H Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (26) Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Alachua, Fl Posts: 674	Don't forget the various grasses - vals and sag's that are easily available throughout springs and rivers. I've found lots of L. repens, Bacopa, Proserpinaca palustris, hornwort, heck there's tons of stuff here. If you go here you'll get an idea of all the stuff our state's got - indigenous and introduced. __________________ Bert Filstar pimp #19

09-06-2005, 10:04 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bayleo Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 40	Don't forget the massive amounts of cabomba/fanwort and various varieties of hairgrass (not always immersed) around Orlando.

09-06-2005, 10:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
Mellyn Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 96	I thought I had seen some hairgrass! I thought it was just some really thin grass on the edge of the water. Maybe I'll go pick some of that up. Thanks Ya'll for your suggestions

09-07-2005, 04:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bayleo Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 40	Just be mindful that the emmersed hairgrass is not always willing to convert easily. I never had much luck with that stuff, but I never had it under very high lighting. And if you don't want to infest your tank with pond snails I recommend whippin' up a pottasium permanganate dip. You must go to UCF too, huh Mellyn? I actually got in trouble from campus police one evening when they caught me collecting plants from Lake Claire but I ended up telling the guy that I was a biology student who needed samples.

09-07-2005, 11:55 PM	#7 (permalink)
Mellyn Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 96	Lol! That's where I collect my plants too! I had a run in with the police too. They told me to watch out for the alligator(barely 4 feet). I swear the UCF police hide in the bushes to catch you! After they left my boyfriend threw a mushroom in there for the gator. It was funny watching it trying to eat it; looked like it was trying to eat a frisbee. I usually go on the weekends when there aren't many people. Right now the greeks are all over Lake Claire so I'm postponing my plant gathering. A while ago I got some plants from there for my pond nano and haven't had a problem with snails. I actually went looking for snails there and only found some sort of trumpet. I see empty ramshorn shells, but no live snails. But for the plants in my normal tank I'm definatly going to dip the plants. I don't want any nasties attacking my fish. ^^

09-08-2005, 02:42 PM	#9 (permalink)
Bayleo Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 40	I dip them in a diluted solution of bleach, potasium permanganate, or some other cleaning agent (ammonia maybe?). Usually just put them in a bucket of water with a splash of bleach for a day or so. My method may not be perfect -- do a search on bleach dip or potassium permanganate and you'll get more info. And be careful with the potassium permanganate, I'm told it's violently reactive with formalin (common fish med). I don't really know what kind of reaction, and now I'm actually super-curious. dang.

09-09-2005, 12:20 AM	#11 (permalink)
frmrreefr Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pembroke Pines, FL Posts: 160	Awesome website! Thanks! __________________ I can't remember what it is that I'm tryin' to forget... Eheim Pimp Club #108 20 Gal High, Pressurized Co2, Eheim Ecco 2231 (double duty as a Co2 reactor), 2x55 Current USA 10k's in Coralife Housing, Flourite 2" substrate. Rotala indica, Potomageton gayii, Anubias barteri var. "Nana", Echinodorus bleheri var."Compacta", Glossostigma elatinoides 5 Blue tetras, 5 Bleeding heart tetras, 5 Black neon tetras, breeding pair of flame gourami....

09-09-2005, 01:16 AM	#13 (permalink)
Bayleo Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 40	Dunno why you did not have better luck looking for snails Mel, I've never pulled a bunch of pearlgrass without coming up with a few common pond snails. The website says there are 30 different varieties of spikerush in FL~ Definitely got yer' hands full trying to find dwarf hairgrass out of all thirty varieties! ... They are always getting rid of the gators in Lake Claire but the li'l guys just keep coming back. Kinda makes you wonder why they are migrating over. I guess Mom kicked them out of Lake Jesup? Still, it would seem like a difficult thing for a gator to find its way to a silly wet pond/stormwater drainage area(Lake Claire) in the middle of UCF/downtown from 5 or more miles away.

09-11-2005, 12:33 AM	#14 (permalink)
Mellyn Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 96	I'm going gathering tomorrow. Hopefully I can wake my boyfriend up early enough so that we don't have to go out in the heat. I've got a bucket of water ready for them. ^^ I couldn't find the potassium permanganate at Publix. Where would I have luck finding it?

09-13-2005, 07:57 AM	#15 (permalink)
Bayleo Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 40	Potassium Permanganate is a fish medication so maybe the lfs or you could order it from aquatic eco. in Apopka for sure: link! Can just use bleach though, that may even work better.

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