June 2009 - Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society

J U N E 2 0 0 9
are looking for and you don’t see it you can ask if it might be
ordered. There may be limiting factors involved such import/
export regulations or what their main suppliers themselves
carry or have available. Sometimes demand can lead to stock
being ordered. Communication never hurts. Look at the
lighting and tank conditions that the plants are growing in. If
plants are under very high light and are being fertilized or
injected with CO2, don’t expect the plants to look as lush and
healthy after a few weeks in your tank unless you can provide
similar conditions.
leaves may die off in the process. The plant may not look like
the one you purchased, and I have experienced some that have
a high rate of expiry while acclimating. Cryptcorynes can often
be grown in an emmersed state. They are also sometimes sold
as a stock with most of their leaves removed to avoid the “crypt
melt” that often befalls them when acclimating.
Check and compare the maximum size of the plant you are
interested in. Is the plant being offered a full grown specimen?
How large will it get in your tank? Will it grow out of control
was acclimated? How fast will it grow? You might want a nice
foreground plant and later find out that the 3 inch plant you
bought is growing 12 inches or more high. Or you might put in
a nice grassy plant only to find that the runners and roots have
taken over half of your tank and nothing else will grow in the
dense tangle of weeds.
Choose good healthy specimens. Look at the roots – they
should be white and strong. Blackened roots are not a good
sign. Leaves should be solid and lush. Avoid plants that seem
slimy or weak with stems that are soft and mushy. Check for
brown dying leaves. Sometimes these occur naturally and can
be simply trimmed but if the majority are looking like last
week’s old salad, then you should probably pass. Look at the
tank the plants are in. If there is a lot of mulm or residue it
might be from leaves shedding from plants. Fine leaved stem
plants will often drop their leaves like Christmas trees in
January if they are unhealthy. Bunched stem plants are often
bunched close together and may not be getting enough air
between them. Check the bottom of the bunch for rot and decay.
Often these can be simply trimmed off a bit and planted with
fresh stems and they will start to root.
If you are looking at plants with red colouration then consider
your lighting source. Most plants with red in them require at
least medium light to do well. Some may grow in low light
conditions but will turn green and lose their brighter colour.
Green plants should have a consistent solid colour pattern
Some plants are grown on farms in an “emmersed” state. This is
a means to grow plants quickly and in larger volumes partially
out of water. If you see a plant labelled as something familiar to
you, but the plant seems to have thicker, heavier leaves, then it
may have been grown emmersed. The plant will have to
acclimatize to being fully submerged again and the original
Many plants are sold as bulbs. Some lotus, lilies and
aponogetons are sold as leafless bulbs. Choose solid, heavy
feeling bulbs. They should be somewhat hard. If they are soft or
mushy or smell a bit off, they are not healthy specimens.
Remember that most aponogetons go through a dormant phase
in which they lose their leaves and seem dead for a few months.
Many people will think they have died and throw them out but
they can sprout back to life if given the chance.
There is also the ever so popular snail to consider. This little
creature seems harmless at first sight but from one little rascal
piggybacking his way into your aquarium on a plant you can
end up with hundreds of them and they may be unwanted.
Some people hate them, some people work to get rid of them,
going to various lengths, while some people don’t really care if
they are there or not. If you do not want any snails in your tank
then you should be wary on each and every plant purchase. You
may wish to dip plants in a bleach bath for 15 minutes (and
rinsing well) before adding them to your tank. You can inspect
the plant for snails or eggs and remove them by hand, but this
is tough to do with fine leaved plants.
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