Bad Plant?

[itafx]

I got a plant from PetSmart. They don't necessarily ID all their plants, but it looked very healthy and robust, so I got it. It was one of those ones they sell in a clear plastic tube with jelly stuff around the roots instead of being pulled from an aquarium. Later I googled on it and it appears to be a thing called Kyoto Grass. The sites I found had stats about how long it could survive underwater. That made me think it's a terrestrial plant. Over the next 4 months, it hasn't grown in my tank, but languished instead. It's still there, but I'm thinking about writing it off as a bad plant. Can anyone confirm or deny my findings?

 

[Mosaic]

Almost every tube plant is a non-aquatic (otherwise how would it survive like that?) and is better suited to a terranium. The only possible exception are the swords, but there may be terrestrial sword plants, I'm not sure. The plants you have will eventually die. Be sure to pull it out before it rots and pollutes your tank.

 

[Purrbox]

That is one of several of the non aquatic plants sold that way.

 

[itafx]

What a rip off! I just pulled mine all out and threw them away. After 4 months in the tank, they looked like mush instead of live plants.

 

[theotheragentm]

I'm confused about all this. I've had plants in my tank from those tubes for three months now, and they plants aren't just living. They seem to be thriving. I see new roots making their hold in the sand, and new leaves budding off the plants. One set of my plants look like Swords. The other I'm not sure, but they're both seemingly doing well.

 

[Purrbox]

If your plants are doing well, you probably got lucky and selected plants that are suitable for the aquarium rather than one of the many that are in fact terrestrial plants.

 

[Zezmo]

Among the semi aquatics in those tubes, the do sell java fern, sword plants, and a couple other true aquatics. Also, marginal plants will burn up thier stored energy trying to get to the surface. They may last a few months, even look like they are growing.

 

[theotheragentm]

These are the two types of plants I have in my tank. Can anyone recognize them?

 

[itafx]

I got another bad plant from a LFS. It was called "dark green hedge" I had never heard of it, It looked really good in the store with roots coming out and everything, so I went ahead and got it. When I looked it up on the web, I found out it was a terrestrial plant that would die and rot the tank. I kept it for a couple weeks till it started to rot and then threw it out. These LFSs aren't too swift.

 

[Alshain]

These are the two types of plants I have in my tank. Can anyone recognize them?

The one on the left looks like a radican sword. The ones on the right look more like an amazon sword. That would be my best guesses anyway.

 

[theotheragentm]

They've all been pulled anyway. The ones on the right were umbrella plants on the label. Those weren't aquatic.

 

[Alshain]

They've all been pulled anyway. The ones on the right were umbrella plants on the label. Those weren't aquatic.

If it was an umbrella plant then it would have to be Eriogonum longifolium var. harperi. In that case pulling it would be best.

 

[DanD]

I've had real good luck with swords that are sold in those plastic tubes, but have heard that a lot of the other varieties are not true aquatics.

 

[Zezmo]

Java Fern does come in those tubes. So there are a couple true aquatics. Most of the rest are splash zone, or marginal plants. Meaning they like their roots wet and their leaves fairly dry. Perfect for a frog habitat or other paludarium type set-up.

In the pic, the one on the left looks like a sword (Echinodorus sp.). That is emersed growth, expect completely different leaves now that it is submersed. Of course it might also be Spathiphyllum tasson, or Brazilian sword, which is not fully aquatic.

The plant on the right is Dracena sanderiana. It is a marginal, rivers edge type plant. It grows great in about one inch of water. Nice decor for the edge of a pond.

Many marginals will appear to grow under water. What they are doing is using up their stored energy in a desperate attempt to reach the surface.

 

[James From Cali]

They sell at petsmartin the tubes:

White Ribbon Plant(Dracanea sp.)-Terrestrial
Argentine Sword Plant-Semi Aquatic
Amazon Sword(In emersed form)-Aquatic
Aqua Fern(Borneo Fern)-Terrestrial(High Humidity)
Peackock Fern-Terrestrial
Umbrella Plant(Spathiphylum wallisi {Peac Lily})-House Plant
Wisteria(In emersed Form)-Aquatic
Kyoto Grass(Mondo Grass)- Terrestrial