Anyone in Tampa interested in doing a group purchase from aquariumplants.com?

[Church]

... it'll allow us all to save money on shipping! I need more plants, and I've gotten all I can from Marine Warehouse... it's time for the more "exotic" plants. And my last experience using the swap n shop here wasn't all that great, which kinda makes me nervous about doing so again in the near future (I'm sure I'll eventually get over it, though). And the prices of plants at aquariumplants.com are good, it's just that next day shipping is expensive. So I thought, "what if other people are shying away from ordering there for the same reason?" ...Which leads me to this post.

Any takers? Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

[waterfaller1]

Wish you were in Orlando. Do overnight them, I did not have luck with two day shipping. Most of the plants were ok, but pelia is very sensistive and just melts. I ordered a "small" piece of driftwood, and they sent me 3 really nice pieces. I wish these plant places would start using styrofoam boxes, at least when shipping to hot places like ours.

[Green Leaf Aquariums]

Originally Posted by waterfaller1

Wish you were in Orlando. Do overnight them, I did not have luck with two day shipping. Most of the plants were ok, but pelia is very sensistive and just melts. I ordered a "small" piece of driftwood, and they sent me 3 really nice pieces. I wish these plant places would start using styrofoam boxes, at least when shipping to hot places like ours.

Id agree, its way hot here.

[Church]

Originally Posted by waterfaller1

Wish you were in Orlando.

Oh, come on, you can take a 1 hour drive, cantcha??

Yeah, so far I've had no takers... but that's not deterring me. I'm probably gonna go ahead and order a buttload of potted groundcover plants (glosso, HC, whatever I can get my hands on), then if anyone locally ever needs any they could try PM'ing me. It's gonna be expensive, though, so I guess I won't be ordering for another couple of paychecks down the road... I'm in the middle of a move right now, so I have to worry about security deposits and utility activations at the moment...

[waterfaller1]

Ok...check back with me when you are ready. I have a 20 gal I want to set up, but I don't see it happening until after Christmas. Maybe we could meet 1/2 way..go to The Branch Ranch or something...
Do you know any shops in Tampa that carry the regular striped Kuhli loaches?{Pangio Kuhli}

[nvrmor2paradise]

Still lookin for someone? I myself go to Marine Warehouse and have found that thier selection is poor at best. They just don't cater to the fresh guys. I'm just not sure how or what to put in my tank. It would be nice to have some1 close look at my tank and give me some pointers (hint hint). My original idea and first attempt was to put vals and tall ferns in the back and halfway up the sides, and then to carpet the rest in micro sword or dawf grass. It would have been plain, simple, and pretty much colorless.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/ph...-progress.html

[Church]

I'm thinking shortly after the turn of the year I'll be ready to go ahead and make a large purchase from aquariumplants. I'll notify you both before I do, to see if you'd be interested at that time.

Also, to nvrmor2paradise, I'm really not much of an expert in this hobby, as I too am still somewhat of a noob, so I don't know if I'd be the best person to give you any pointers. I really wish, though, that we had some kind of a aquatic gardeners club here in Tampa as some of the bigger cities have! Maybe one day I'll feel motivated enough to try to organize one... Also, about Marine Warehouse, yeah, they're not very plant friendly, but the amount that they DO have makes me happy that we at least have SOME kind of a selection to choose from, at least to get started. I always go in there and talk to Steve, the "plant guy" there. And he has told me that I know more about plants than his coworkers do, and how they all hate freshwater plants there. If I know more than the employees there, and I'm a noob, what does that say about their opinion of freshwater plants? At any rate, at least HE works there, that's all I can say. He is a great guy, and I definitely learned a lot from him. I just think I've done all I can with the plants that are available to me from there, that's all.

[leoslizards]

Try http://aquaticplantdepot.com
They are located in Tampa. I received my plants from them two days ago. They have the best prices for good quality plants. Plus they are having a sale! They have better deals on ebay as well.

[Church]

^ Sweet find! Thanks a million! I checked their website, and even gave them a call, and it seems from the voicemail message I listened to that they might even be open to the public, so I can pick up the plants instead of mailordering them!

Thanks again.

[leoslizards]

Originally Posted by Church

^ Sweet find! Thanks a million! I checked their website, and even gave them a call, and it seems from the voicemail message I listened to that they might even be open to the public, so I can pick up the plants instead of mailordering them!

Thanks again.

No problem. I've ordered from them before and they've got great custom service. If there's a problem with your order they are more then happy to help you out. I believe that their retail store is called Everglades Aquatic Plants, they also close at 5pm and are closed on weekends, if that helps.