Plants from Petco/Petsmart

7112 Views 33 Replies 20 Participants Last post by dbw27, May 26, 2014

Blackheart

Discussion Starter · May 9, 2014

You know, those ones like in the tubes that are actually real aquatic plants? Has anyone had any luck with these?

I've tried a couple of them with no luck. I tried S. Repens, to no avail. I also tried Cyperus Helferi. The weird thing is, it seemed like it was growing taller, but at the same time most of the batches I got looked like it was just rotting out.

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burr740

· #2 · May 9, 2014

I have 2 kinds of anubias, a sword plant and some wysteria that came in those tubes. They're all doing great, but it did take them a month or so to adjust to being submerged.

ROWEBLAST

· #3 · May 9, 2014

Can't speak to the tubes, but I've had tons of success with the gel packets! I grew s. repens from that, and while it started out very long stemmed with tiny leaves (maybe because it was grown emersed?) it is just going crazy in my tank now.

Blackheart

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 9, 2014

Oh yeah! my bad. Those plants I did were in the little gel things. Not in tubes.

AquaAurora

· #5 · May 9, 2014

I bought 2 anubias from Petco the other day that were I tubes, the ones in the tanks were more algae than plant. But I'd also bought a fern in one of those tubes I the past that was actually a riparium plant not aquatic like it advertised. It's best to take a photo of the plants and research the web for it before buying (they will not refund plants if you try to return them).

Steve001

· #6 · May 9, 2014

To all. Purchase an aquatic plant I'd book. I know it's old school, but it's really quite helpful.

chris_ranger

· #7 · May 9, 2014

I have anubias nana, dwarf hair grass, and staurogyne repens from petsmart
All are great, the nanas didn't need to acclimate, hair grass is spreading fast took to submerged immediately with no die off, the staurogyne, is meh.

t2ak

· #8 · May 10, 2014

All of my plants are from pet smart or petco. The only one I couldn't get going was hairgrass but that was due to lighting and co2.

Smeagol

· #9 · May 10, 2014

I'm batting .500 with the PetSmart plants. I had Java Ferns that did extremely well. And I had an Amazon Sword that did not do well. I'm considering trying the S. repens or the dhc at some point (depends on whether or not I can solve my current glosso problem).

I wonder if the results have anything to do with how long the plants sit on the store shelves. I notice that if you go to PetSmart on the day they get their shipment in, the plants look nice and green and damp. But other times you go there and they look dried out and have a lot of dying leaves.

andrewq

· #10 · May 10, 2014

I have bought s repens from petsmart, and some downoi. The repens grow quick and multiply like crazy. I do have high lighting and co2. Pictures are bad, but here's proof. I bought 2 bags of repens and one downoi.

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andrewq

· #11 · May 10, 2014

One more picture

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Blackheart

Discussion Starter · #12 · May 10, 2014

Yeah I didn't have high light in my tank, nor C02, so that's probably S. Repens didn't grow for me.

allabouttheplants

· #13 · May 11, 2014

i have only had 1 problem with the gel packed plants, either tube or bag. anubias nana, the leaves looked great in the tube. i got it home and the rhizome had rotted out in the gel.

andrewq

· #14 · May 11, 2014

buckwheet said:
i can attest to petsmart plants! doing great for my tank
(high light, CO2) from most cases I've read, S. Repens likes high light and CO2 but just melts sometimes! and much like cripts, comes back strong.

How long did it take for downoi to grow?

umarnasir335

· #15 · May 11, 2014

Wow Buckwheat!
You just gave me hope that the Petsmart Downoi that I bought three days ago will live. I already a few stems melt off on me despite high light/ CO2

second

· #16 · May 11, 2014

Buckwheet

those are some outstanding tanks!

Tihsho

· #17 · May 11, 2014

2

Started out with some DHG from Petsmart as well as Downoi since I couldn't find anything else locally. Plus I've never had luck with DHG in a pot, so I figured I'd try something new.

Day 1 (4/19/2014):

Day 21 (5/9/2014):

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buckwheet

· #18 · May 11, 2014

andrewq;How long did it take for downoi to grow?[/QUOTE said:
that's about 6weeks of growth

buckwheet

· #19 · May 11, 2014

umarnasir335 said:
Wow Buckwheat!
You just gave me hope that the Petsmart Downoi that I bought three days ago will live. I already a few stems melt off on me despite high light/ CO2

patience is a virtue, I had a few stems brown up also.

umarnasir335

· #20 · May 11, 2014

buckwheet said:
patience is a virtue, I had a few stems brown up also.

btw the plant you asked an ID for is Lobelia Cardinalis...great foreground plant

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