Mother In Law Gave Me Some Plants

[daizeUK]

An unexpected present, help me to ID please?
I know that the two standing up are draecena and cordyline non-aquatic plants.  What are the three plants floating in the water?

 
Also she gave me this rock.  It's glittery like quartz on top.  Is this safe for an aquarium?

 

[fm1978]

Not sure about the plants at all, but, quartz based rocks are totally fine for aquaria - as long as it's clean. Quartz is relatively inert and so should be fine. What it can have, on occasion, is veins of metal. Make sure there's none of them and you're good to go. You might be able to get away with testing for the presence of metals with a magnet. 

 

[daizeUK]

Thanks, the rock looks fine then.  I thought it might raise my pH but I already have high pH anyway so it probably won't do much harm.
 
Can anyone help me with the plants?  I'm feeling stressed about it as I never would have bought red plants and I don't have any space left in my aquariums to put them and the MIL is going to expect to see them in a tank next time she visits!

 

[Megalodon]

ugh MILS...you could always make a little display tank for when she visits..

 

[fluttermoth]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think all the floating plants are true aquatics.

They might not do well in a low tech tank, though, most red plants need high light/CO2/ferts.

 

[daizeUK]

That's what I'm thinking.  The one on the left looks like it might be cabomba furcata?  I can't even keep green cabomba alive
 
I'm also worried they might be treated against snails since I don't know where they came from and I was planning to get shrimp in the next few weeks.  I can't keep these plants alive, I'm so stuffed.

 

[betta fish]

I wish my mil gave me aquarium plants! she hasn't even got an aquarium 

looks like you correctly id'd the two non aquatics, they will need to go in to a pot with some soil will make nice house plants! the other floating plants look like true aquatics, the first looks like red cabomba then maybe Alternanthera reineckii? they all look very healthy, the rock is very nice too 

 

 

[KirkyArcher]

One to the left looks like a Cabomba furcata (red cabomba), at the front looks like Alternanthera reineckii ('Pink' roseafolia) and I have had the one on the right in my tank but can't recall it's name

 

[daizeUK]

Thanks for the ID on the Alternanthera!  Beautiful looking plant.  I'll have to find a place in my tank for it but I don't think my lighting is high enough to keep it happy.

 

[KirkyArcher]

they'll still survive just may not colour up too well

 

[daizeUK]

I pulled out the ol' hospital tank to give them a home and see how they get on.  The tank happens to be pink and it all looks very colour co-ordinated lol! 
 
They're incredibly beautiful, even if they don't last they do look amazing for the moment.  I've promised the MIL I'll send a picture tomorrow!
 
Here's an immersed picture of the final mystery plant, any ideas?

 

[daizeUK]

 
Shame the filter isn't cycled, i'd love to stick a fish in there while it lasts!

 

[fluttermoth]

Steal a bit of media from your main tank 

 

[daizeUK]

The problem is that I'm planning to upgrade to an external filter and I want to keep all my filter media to move over to make sure it goes smoothly.  I'm also off on holiday soon so I'll get it sorted after I get back 

 

[daizeUK]

Well sadly the aftermath of all this was not very pretty.  I had to leave the plants with no carbon and restricted light while I was on holiday, when I got back most of the pink stuff and alternanthera had melted into black sludge.  The cordyline had leaf scorch from being left on a windowsill in direct sunlight - my mistake, I never thought to keep it shaded.
 
The red cabomba on the other hand has grown to about double its original size!  I've now transferred it to my main tank along with the remnants of whatever else I could salvage.  I look forward to fishing shedded cabomba leaves out of my tank for the next few weeks!