Where To Find Decent Silk Plants?

[Winterlily]

Does anyone have any favorite places online to get decent silk plants? There are only 2 places I can get them locally - both big name chain pet stores - and I'm not thrilled with the quality. After they've been in the water for a few weeks, they start to degrade a bit - almost like unraveling - and I end up with long pieces of very fine "thread" or whatever hanging off them. But worse, much worse, is that while they are silk plants, they insist on putting hard plastic bits on. Either as flowers or "shoots" or "thorns" or whatever. I will never understand why they make a plant all nice and silky, and then go ahead and put all this hard, sharp, nasty plastic on it.

So! Anyone have places to recommend where truly betta-friendly silk plants and decorations are to be found??

 

[Galanta]

Dear Winterlily, I don't know which stores you checked, but I got mine at Petco, which has several local locations in my area, but also does internet sales. Here is a link to photos of my set up:

http/www.flickr.com/photos/39684179@N05/3649965726/

I got a fake tree trunk, which had actually 3 plants mounted on it (I cut one off at the base) and one free standing one. They come in different sizes. I did not notice any plastic shoots, etc. I think there might have been a little knob somwhere and I just cut if off.

Can't say anything about durability since I have only had mine for 4-5 weeks and as I do not have filtration and thus no water flow other than what is created by Azumo, they remain relatively undisturbed.

I'm sure others, who are not newbies will be able to refer you to more sources.

 

[loraxchick]

as a suggestion if you want to save some money, go to the craft section of any department store(like walmart)...they have LOADS to chose from.
make sure you soak them in hot waterfor a while before adding them to the tank as sometimes the dyes they use leech out of the plants. if you soak it first in HOT water(and keep changing the water until it comes out clear after soaking for a time) you should be fine.
i try to stay away from pet stores and the like whenever possible in the hobby as often they charge you PREMIUM prices for something that can be cheaply found elsewhere with the same quality (for example...a light fixture(no bulb) labeled as "aquarium light fixture" for $30 at petsmart...go next door to walmart, $7 for the same fixture...then buy the appropriate bulb, which is much more expensive(and should be). i honestly think that certain things in this hobby are a money making racket for people who dont know better
good luck

 

[ellena]

So are we saying regular silk plants are OK for aquariums? That would open up a whole lot of plants!

 

[Galanta]

And how do you weigh it down if u just buy "any old silk plant"?

 

[loraxchick]

any silk plant will be fine as long as its not leeching dyes into the water..thats why i suggested soaking them (maybe for many days) in HOT water to make sure all the dye is leached out (well, whatever might come off upon addition to water-it will still stay the same color just the extra dye will be gone and wont pollute your tank.
to weight them down either bury the ends in the substrate or tie a rock or old washer to it(that you THEN will bury in the substrate)...please dont use lead weights...very very bad stuff lead is...and contrary to what the packaging might say, there IS NO SUCH THING AS SAFE LEAD!!!
id go the cheap route and soak it...might have to wait a few days or more but save yourself some money to spoil your fish (or yourself) with!!!
cheers

 

[Cdarmychi]

hehe....I rubber band my plants to rocks. or cotton thread, or fishing line if its really giving you issues.

Sakura

 

[Winterlily]

Galanta - I love that bowl. Just gorgeous. I love the tree trunk too! I can never find any like that that don't have sharp bits somewhere. Not in artificial, not in real.

loraxchick: I'd always heard that the glue they use is potentially a problem too in non-fish-specific silk plants. You're finding that's not true? Would be cool to have all those great plants to choose from!

I've pretty much decided to try my hand at live plants in Roo's tank, at least. He's the one that is continually ripping and shredding his fins on something. Dunno if he's just a bit more "klutzy" or what, but I don't want to mess with it anymore. I've never had live plants, so we'll see - but at least they'll be nice and soft for him. Don't know about the other male bettas' tanks yet, and unless I LOVE having and taking care of the live plants, the 55 gal will be all silk.

 

[Cdarmychi]

You know, you can always sand the sharp edges off of things.

Sakura

 

[Winterlily]

Oh, Sakura, sometimes I so overthink things that the most simple and obvious solution doesn't occur to me. Thanks!!

 

[Galanta]

Dear Winterlily, thanks and good luck on your plant hunt!

 

[Cdarmychi]

Some very low light plant species specific to asian biotopes:

Ceratophyllum demersum 'Foxtail'
Cladophora aegagrophila
Cryptooryne wendtii 'green'
Microsorum pteropus
Microsorum pteropus 'narrow'
Monosolenium tenerum
Piccardia graeffei
Taxiphyllum barbieri (vesicularia)

Also of interest is Marsilea hirsuta. Can be used as a low light carpeting plant in small tanks.

If I think of anything else Ill edit this post.

Edited to add :: wolffia spp. (common watermeal) A floating, flowering plant, the worlds smallest flowering plant. Good for bubblenesting!

Sakura

 

[lilacamy931]

Thanks Sakura, that is a really good list! *runs to research.. to the internet!*

 

[Cdarmychi]

Just realized I neglected my favorite all time carpet plant.

Marsilea hirsuta. it may be from Australia, but it is a carpet plant that can be grown in very low lights, and thus is worth consideration.

Sakura

 

[Winterlily]

Sakura - what a great list, thank you!! I think I have some of those, but I'm absolutely and totally clueless with plants. My LFS has a "low light" plant section and I just sort of picked what I liked and thought I needed height-wise.

I'll post a pic of the tank once I can take the net bag with the bio-wheel (floating now) from the old tank out.

Thanks so much for this list - this is great!! I, too, am off to the net to find pics of them all!