Where do you get the best deal on aquarium plants?

[fearlessfisch]

Online? Locally? LFS? Big Box Store?

I really want to get more plants, but I am a little sticker-shocked. Our LFS wants $5.00 to $8.00 for little, scrawny specimens.

Is there a secret to finding good-quality, inexpensive plants?

[MyCatsDrool]

i buy A LOT of my plants off members here. Also, at my LFS, they sell plants pretty reasonably.

Also check out aquabid.com

[Burks]

I get mine from two places.

Forums like this one, APC, TPT. Lots of them have been RAOK or just a couple bucks over shipping. Never had a problem.

Second is my LFS. They recently got a new plant wholesaler and are stocking a lot of different plants. 3-4 different kinds of Vals ($2 a bunch), sags ($2), large Red Melon Sword, Java Ferns, etc, etc. I'm really pleased they are doing this.

[fearlessfisch]

Thanks! I never thought of buying from here. I will have to wander over to the classifieds section...

[newfound77951]

I second the AA classifieds and barter/trade section. If you are looking for something in particular, post what you want and you're likely to find someone who has some extra. Also, aquabid is great, I would just avoid any sellers from overseas. Many folks here (me included) have had great luck with the seller called lowcoaster, and i've bought from several others as well. Some sellers do plant grab bags which are great for trying out a bunch of species at once.

[SeanMurphy]

I'm sure I'm going to start sounding like a Walmart pusher, but I tend to buy a lot of my plants there. If you find out what day they bring their fish/plant orders in, you can have first pick of whatever's popular that week. This week here, they brought it mostly swords and rotala, along with their weekly tithing of banana plants. They sell for about $5 a plant (Canadian) and if you get there early in the fish week, before they've been mauled by the fish or the employees trying to net said fish, then they're usually in good shape. They come with little tags that tell you the name of the plant as well as care instructions.

That being said, the selection is limited, and if you want something specific you're better to get it online or from your LFS. When I decided to ditch plastic and go real, I bought a couple plants at Walmart (banana, sword, moneywort) and then got the rest at my LFS, where they had a "bunch plants, 3 for $10" sale. Granted, they were on sale because they were getting a little weedy and torn up, but a little love and a lot of light and fish poops, and they sprung right back up.

I live in an area of Nova Scotia where there's nothing I'd really call a "lfs". We have Walmart, Pets Unlimited (expensive), another generic pet store in the mall with a limited fish section and a couple plants, and a pet store across from the mall in a little closet of a building that doesn't seem to have anything you want at any given time. I tend to subscribe to the theory that buying plants and fish from Walmart isn't for those new to the sport, but if you already are educated and don't need the employee to do more than net the fish, then its a decent place to rescue some critters that would otherwise end up dead in a bowl.

[Jchillin]

Try Aquabid.com. It is a special forum dedicated to the aqua hobby very similar in format to ebay.

While there, look up a member by the name of Lowcoaster.

[flushingfish]

You beat me to it Chillin. I was going to give Lowcoaster a plug too.

[newfound77951]

Many folks here (me included) have had great luck with the seller called lowcoaster

I beat both you guys.....

I have also on occasion picked up some good plants at Petco, you do have to know what you're looking at, though.

[coldmachineUK]

Online for sure nowadays.
I use a specialist aquatic plant store, called Greenline Aquatic Plants. It's based in the UK though, not sure if they ship overseas.
http://www.aquaticplants.eu.com/