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My LFS (Big Al's) has offered to request anything I want from the Tropica plant line and have it thrown in with their regular shipment from them at no extra cost. Here's an email they sent me:

Most of our plants from Tropica start at $6.99.
Send me a list of what you are looking for.I usually order an assorted box and get almost the whole line of their plants over the coarse of 6 weeks.
We have a request book in the fish dept.and regularly call customers for these type of requests.
If I have a list of what you are looking for I can request them in our assorted box.

So now I'm faced with a dilemma: If you could order anything from Tropica what would you get?

I don't have a ton of money so I'll need to narrow my wish list down to a few plants first, then get more as I get more funds. I'm mainly looking for plants that will look good in smaller and nano tanks, smaller fine leaves, maybe some really vibrant reds etc. Lighting and nutrition can be tweaked to accomodate just about anything in the tanks I have now. I do have a list of plants I think are interesting and possibly worth buying but any other suggestions from the Tropica line are welcome.

You can see Tropica plants at [link=http://www.tropica.dk]http://www.tropica.dk" style="COLOR: #36af30[/link]

Here's my list:

Hemianthus callitrichoides
Hemianthus micranthemiodes
Didiplis diandra
Hygrophila polysperma "rosanervig"
Ludwigia arcuata
Rotala sp. "Najenshan"
Rotala wallichii
A bunch of crypts, I like them all
Pogostemon stellata
Riccia sp. "dwarf"
Tonina fluviatalis
Limnophilla aromatica
Micranthemum umbrosum
M. pteropus ''Narrow''
Monosolenium tenerum
Myriophyllum tuberculatum "red"
Myriophyllum heterophyllum
Xmas moss

I obviously can't buy all of these, I'll probably be picking between 3-6 of them for the first order. Any thoughts?

Tryst,

We both know that you know more about plants than I do, so I will spare you my advice. Well, maybe for the Xmass moss, I know that you would really like that

What causes me to respond if my concern about the shipping of these items. Does that mean they come from Denmark? That is quite far away. I would be little concerned about the shape in which the plants arrive at your LFS (that’s evil – you got a Big Al – I envy you). I talked to my LFS and they are not even ordering java moss anymore because it is in such bad shape when it arrives. Now, I don’t know where they order it from though.

Just thought I put my 2 cents in,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

wow the oportunities are ALMOST endless]]

I know good quality HC is VERY difficult to come across in the states, so I would personally put that at the forefront of my list, had I been ordering from tropica (speaking of which, could you order me some plants, or does the Canada/US border require special paperwork of sorts?).I have not seen Rotala sp. "Najenshan" before, but fancy rotalas do tend to be a bit $$ and hard to find, so that would be second on my list. The rest are more or less available around here. Are these the submerged or emersed plant pots? I know tropica carries both. Last would probably be the aromatica. They are quite costly here and if you can get a decent (submerged) supply straight from tropica at a mere 6.99, then by all means, go for it.

Tryst before you pay $6.99 U.S. per plant for several plants plus get nailed on cross border shipping.
(tropica DOES have a great selection though)

Let me know the plants you really want (latin names only). I'm going to Menagerie this Saturday that has a great plant selection for approx $3. per plant. Might even be able to arrange shipping thru them too for alot less. (or, you can scoot to Toronto for less cost then the shipping) I'm meeting someone there to pick up my german blue rams. He lives down the street from the store.
Hope this helps save you at least $50.
Da

The Amazon Nut...

We both know that you know more about plants than I do, so I will spare you my advice.

Opinions are always welcome, Ingo. I'm just asking what people think looks nice really. The Xmas moss does look very tempting. You can never have enough moss!

What causes me to respond if my concern about the shipping of these items. Does that mean they come from Denmark? That is quite far away. I would be little concerned about the shape in which the plants arrive at your LFS (that’s evil – you got a Big Al – I envy you). I talked to my LFS and they are not even ordering java moss anymore because it is in such bad shape when it arrives. Now, I don’t know where they order it from though.

Tropica plants are different. Really different. It's hard to describe but there is a definite difference in quality between Tropica plants and run-of-the-mill LFS plants. For one, you will almost never find a sign of nutrient deficiency on the plants, they're always in top shape as long as you go in to the store and buy them as soon as their shipment comes in. If I make a special request they'll notify me as soon as it comes in by phone, I've made special requests for fish through them before. Plants I've bought that were originally "born" at Tropica have also tended to bounce back and make a recovery from transit faster than others I've purchased. You really can't tell they've come from Denmark when you buy them. Here's a pic of the plant set up at the Big Al's I shop at:

speaking of which, could you order me some plants, or does the Canada/US border require special paperwork of sorts?

I really wish I could. The US requires phytosanitary certificates for any plants going into the country. All of the roots of the plants have to be totally bare for inspection, over a certain amount you need an importers license, to be honest your customs sounds like a huge PITA. - Also the reason Tropica doesn't distribute to the USA. To ship plants to Canada there are almost no rules, no certificates needed if they come from the continental US, the only real regulation there is lists a handful of species as illegal immigrants basically, Egeria densa and a few Myriophyllum. Really easy to bring plants here but getting them out is another story.

It would theoretically be possible to just "forget" I put a few stems in a letter or something but I don't think I would be comfortable doing that with anything you'd paid for......just freebie cutting presents maybe.

Are these the submerged or emersed plant pots?

As far as I know 90% of their plants are propagated emersed. By the time you buy them they usually look like they have at least been submerged for a while. I have never had a problem with them making the transition in my tanks so I'm not too concerned, they're almost always extremely healthy. Most plants that I have seen from any commercial source have been propagated emersed, just a fact of life in this hobby really.

Tryst before you pay $6.99 U.S. per plant for several plants plus get nailed on cross border shipping.

I don't have to pay for shipping or anything extra. Big Al's said they would include whatever I want in their next shipment at no extra cost. They buy an "assorted" box and sneak my requested plants in for me so I don't have to pay anything. The price for each pot starts at $6.99 CAD (not USD) and goes up a bit depending on size, potted or bunch, etc. I just saw a mat of HC going for $30 USD plus shipping from Singapore on aquabid, even if it's a bit more than $7 I'm really *not* concerned. Thanks for the offer, but I would prefer to order through Big Al's because I have been shopping there since I first started keeping fish, going on 15 years probably. They have always been really great, they're only a 20 min. drive away and I trust them.

I think I'm going to email them back with the full list, get price details for each plant and then go from there. Extra info would probably narrow the selection down a bit. I really really want that HC though, it's at the top of the list for a reason. [/font]

Last edited by trystianity at 17-Aug-2005 01:52

Hey Tryst that is awesome!!
I wonder, I order from Big Als Online
do you think they could order my plants from
Tropica too?


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

It sounds great Tryst, you've built up a good thing with your local BA and it's cool you can get this deal.
You made the tropica plants sound SOOO healthy ! With no shipping, and canadian prices, that's not bad at all

Didiplis diandra, Limnophila Aromatica, Christmas Moss, Crypts.. Those are on my wanted list as well
I have a small pinch of 'erect moss' in a glass, have to grow it out.. Can't wait to see it on a driftwood !

The Amazon Nut...

The shop I order my plants from also make special orders for me from Tropica (but this is in the UK, guess it's easier), but Tropica themselves don't have everything on their catalogue in stock at all times, so there might be a little disappointment.

Also, although the email said that the plants are usually $6.99, some Tropica plants are more expensive than others, and some are much more expensive. The shop I buy from sell most of the plants for £3.99, but the some plants, the narrow java fern for instance, will cost £17, so some of the plants might be more expensive than you expect...

I'm not too concerned if the plants are a bit more than that, as long as the price is pretty reasonable. I just found out they have narrow leaf java fern and sunset H. polysperma in stock at the store right now so I'm hoping to go check them out tomorrow.

As Trys said don't underestimate the quality of Tropica plants. I've had a few and they have been superb specimens in top rate condition.

Is it a choice for a small tank ? If so the ones I'd choose are not neccessarily the "best" availble but the best for a tank that size.

My choices would be:
Hemianthus callitrichoides.
As noodles said a beautiful ground cover and good quaility can be hard to find.

Hemianthus micranthemiodes
Almost identical to the Micranthemum umbrosum, so if I had to choose one it would this, a little less fussy.

Rotala sp. "Najenshan"
I've got a huge mound of this in my 5gal(I have pics if interested), beuatiful bright green mound, so "fluffy" it practically sculpts itself. The incredibly narrow leaves would be a find contrast with the Hemianthus M.Great for showing off reds. I really like the Wallichii too but I chose this one because of below.

Ludwigia arcuata
Beautiful plant, more of a highlighter then a focal point.Would really show off the green of Hemianthus and R.Najenshan.

M. pteropus ''Narrow''
A favorite, very versatile.

Xmas Moss

I like all the others too, but they are a bit big for a small tank.

Also in your excitement don't forget the big picture - the overall aquascape. Pick a selection that will contrast and high each other. For example Didiplis diandra,Ludwigia arcuata,Rotala sp. "Najenshan",Rotala wallichii,Pogostemon stellata,Limnophilla aromatica are all tall narrowed leaved plants with similar coloration (the stellata and aromatica are practically identical). While all great plants, put them all together and it probably wouldn't look so hot. I'd only choose one or two with other plants to show them off.

---

Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Well.....I just found another source for the:

Hemianthus callitricoides
Limnophila aromatica
Micranthemum umbrosum
and Elatine triandra (not on the list but looks super cool)

from a hobbyist for a really reasonable price. Should be here in a few dys if everything goes well.

Is there any place in the U.S. that actually sells tropicas plants? Or are the feds to worried about them not being bare root or whatever? I would love to get my hands on there selection of java ferns.

Clown, go to Tropica's website:
www.tropica.com
and up at the top is a link to "dealers" and you can see
what dealers are nearest to you. Yes there are LOTs
of dealers in the USA.


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
http://games.atari.com
Http://www.myleague.com/yahtgames

Uh... straight from the website:


"TROPICA PLANTS ARE NOT AWAILABLE IN UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF AGRICULTURAL REGULATIONS"



*scampers across border to Canada*

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Yep. No Tropica plants in the USA. I read some stuff about it, apparently it would cost Tropica too much to conform to the strict guidelines the USA has for importation. The only whay you're going to get Tropica plants there is illegally (not going there).

EDIT: DFM where did you manage to get Erect Moss? I've been looking for mosses (other than java).

Last edited by trystianity at 18-Aug-2005 22:05