is this safe?

[smomus]

I found this "purple waffle" plant at Lowes and love the way it looks. It said it is a type of java so I assume it would be safe for an aquarium but wanted to ask first. I want to grow it out of my betta tank, so the roots only would be in the tank, not submerged fully. Can anyone tell me if it is or isn't safe, or point me in the direction to be able to figure out for sure..?
Thank you!
http://www.exoticangel.com/plant-library/species/purple-waffle/item/520-purple-waffle

 

[tarpon]

To my knowledge if it is a fully terrestrial plant it will need periods dryness or the roots will rot.

The link you provided said it was from a place called Java, I'm not sure if there's any connection But you will need the genus and species of each plant to determine if they're related.

 

[jcolon]

As Tarpon mentioned, It is not an aquatic plant ... See the link below.

PlantGeek.net - Hemigraphis exotica

 

[smomus]

Yea I've been looking at that
Even if I just put the roots in, not fully submerging it, it will still rot?

 

[jcolon]

Yea I've been looking at that
Even if I just put the roots in, not fully submerging it, it will still rot?

I'm not finding anything that says you can't ... Just that it's not aquatic ... The soil has to be constantly moist .. I believe it is a bog plant so if only the roots are submerged you should be ok.

 

[aqua_chem]

Yea I've been looking at that
Even if I just put the roots in, not fully submerging it, it will still rot?

That should work. I've seen people grow them in little baskets hanging on the tank or even in HOB filters before.

 

[BillD]

Over the years, those plants have been sold as aquarium plants, even though they aren't. Quite possibly would be fine with roots submerged.

 

[okapizebra]

I have one of those growing in my living room. I water it a lot, but I thought it was because it is in too small of a pot. It will completely droop and look dead, but then I'll poor a ton of water on it, and it'll be normal again in an hour.

 

[shellieca]

They're really pretty. If you buy one I'm guessing you're not going to buy from any place other than an LFS or online from an aquarium shop? Purchasing from Lowes or the likes would concern me because you never know what the soils been treated with. If you do get one let us know, I'd be curious how it does.

 

[smomus]

Thanks for the input everyone! I did some research and from what I read they can be submerged for like 6 months then have to come out. I didn't get it for this purpose though, I just want the roots in the aquarium. I used to have one of those betta vases and absolutely loved it! I know better though now that the vases weren't the best thing for the fish. So I want to stick it in my 10g with the same idea.

They're really pretty. If you buy one I'm guessing you're not going to buy from any place other than an LFS or online from an aquarium shop? Purchasing from Lowes or the likes would concern me because you never know what the soils been treated with. If you do get one let us know, I'd be curious how it does.

Thus is a good point Shellie! I hadn't thought about Lowes adding fertilizers or something to the soil. But I have already bought 2 smaller plants from Lowes that I was going to use as house plants even if I couldn't put it in my aquarium.
Here is my plan of attack: completely wash the soil off the roots. I think I have an extra one of those betta vases. I'm going to fill it with old tank water and put the plant in there for now. Let the roots grow out for a few weeks so that there is more of a base for the plant and it won't be completely submerged. This way too any trace chemicals that are left on the roots will be gone before I put it in with my fish.

 

[shellieca]

Thanks for the input everyone! I did some research and from what I read they can be submerged for like 6 months then have to come out. I didn't get it for this purpose though, I just want the roots in the aquarium. I used to have one of those betta vases and absolutely loved it! I know better though now that the vases weren't the best thing for the fish. So I want to stick it in my 10g with the same idea.

Thus is a good point Shellie! I hadn't thought about Lowes adding fertilizers or something to the soil. But I have already bought 2 smaller plants from Lowes that I was going to use as house plants even if I couldn't put it in my aquarium.
Here is my plan of attack: completely wash the soil off the roots. I think I have an extra one of those betta vases. I'm going to fill it with old tank water and put the plant in there for now. Let the roots grow out for a few weeks so that there is more of a base for the plant and it won't be completely submerged. This way too any trace chemicals that are left on the roots will be gone before I put it in with my fish.

Good plan, just be cautious. I don't know if this had anything do with my female Betta getting some kind of fleshing eating thing that ate a chunk out of her back or not but I had a plant that came in one of those gift plant baskets that I thought would be great for her. I put it in a glass & changed the water regularly, rinsed the roots every time & a couple months later put it in her 1g tank. Not long after a spot showed up on her back, a light grey color, treated her with more frequent water changes & such, it seemed to go away only to come back worse & more aggressively. That's when I found AA & she got moved to a 10g without that plant. She's fully recovered thank goodness, it was bad, you could actually see pink/red in a matter of about 24hrs. She's now in the 46g with 2 other female Bettas. I have some aquarium plants that wouldn't stay anchored in the gravel, I got tired of replanting them so now they float in a bunch & seem to be growing, my one female is always hanging out in them. I think they may be some kind of sword but not positive. I'd like a couple more bunches like that, floating on the top. I like the look & the girls like it.