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Re: Where to buy Plants in Toronto

Al Paglieri wrote:

> I keep a 90 gal tank with large chinese goldfish.
>
> Lately the nitrate levels (80 to 140ppm) have me interested in placing a few
> plants in the tank.
>
> I know I'm asking for trouble, since gf love to eat plants, however there
> are a few that some have had reasonable success with, Java Fern , Anubias,
> Hornwort, Salvinia.  Since I except to replace these plants often due to the
> gf nibbling on them, I need a reasonably cheap source for aquatic plants in
> the Toronto Ontario area.
>
> Can anyone recommend a place and/or a Canadian mail order supply??

I cannot give you a simple, direct answer.  But here are some
thoughts:

It's probably not a good idea to buy plants from a fish store because
plants sold in store tend to be small cutting grow emersed.  These
plants will need a while to settle and may not withstand the
abuse from goldfish during this period.

My suggestion is to try to find an hobbyist who can supply you cheap
cuttings regularly.  Because these cutting are grown submersed, it will
have a better chance to adapt to your goldfish tank.  Also, if replacement
is needed, it will be cheaper than those from the store.  It is also
possible a plant growing tank for your goldfish tank.   Because it is
not for display or fish, it should be quite cheap to setup.

In my case, I never have much success with plants in my goldfish tank.
Aside from the goldfish abuse, my goldfish tank also has a high nutrient
content, which makes it an algae factory.  The only plant I have real
success with is Lobelia cardinalis (Mexican Oak Leaves), which is a fast
growing plant that can adapt to colder temperature and lower light.
Java fern grows well but older leaves are covered with algae.  Other
plants either becomes very stringy or just die.