# Bucephalandra "green" at Petco?



## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

So I went into Petco the yesterday, just to stroll through the aisles, not expecting to see anything interesting, and definitely not expecting to see something that I would actually want in my tanks (I don't trust Petco in the slightest). I went over to the tiny shelf that has the aquatic plants growing in cups and baggies because their immersed section is awful, when I noticed that they had a tiny cups with all kinds of more hard to come by foreground plants, like glosso, HC, and Riccia fluitans. I also noticed that they had one little cup with Bucephalandra "green", which kind of took me off guard, since I thought that most Buces where pretty hard to come by plants. It was $9.99 which wasn't cheap, but I know buces are usually kind of pricey, especially when you have to pay shipping, and, despite its size I decided to go ahead and get it anyways. So is this normal? Do you guys ever see Buces in your Petco? And just so you guys make sure it is the right plant (I have never done buces before) I am attaching some pics. Also, was this a good or bad deal for the price, species and size of plant? Thanks for helping a Buce noob! :grin2:


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## KayakJimW (Aug 12, 2016)

Looks good. Their plants in cups and tubes are pretty sweet. I've found very tall needle leaf java ferns and some different types of smaller anubias there in the tubes. Little tip, when they've been on the shelf too long and start to look bad, they throw them away. Get in good with the aquatics guy and he may give them to you. They just need the label for inventory reasons and the plants usually bounce right back. Petco isn't the devil folks make them out to be. Well not all locations are...


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## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

Ok, thanks! I am wanting to glue them to some dragon stone... does hot glue work? I have some super glue, but I don't know if it is the right type. It doesn't say gel, but that is probably because it is a low quality brand. It may be the right chemical though.


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## irishspy (Oct 22, 2007)

Iwagumist said:


> Ok, thanks! I am wanting to glue them to some dragon stone... does hot glue work? I have some super glue, but I don't know if it is the right type. It doesn't say gel, but that is probably because it is a low quality brand. It may be the right chemical though.


As long as it's cyanoacrylate (sp?) and nothing else, it should be fine. If you're not sure, go to your local 99-cent store and get a new pack. I wouldn't try hot glue.

And Petco can really vary store by store. I bought some platys from my nearest that have done great, but a school of neons from that same store a week later almost all died. I second the endorsement of their pre-packaged plants. I think you got a nice buy on that Buce.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

my Petco doesn't have in vitro plants like that green buce, they have the stuff in tubes but its all the same, some java fern some anubias species, eh


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## elusive77 (Sep 27, 2016)

I found the same thing just this week. I wasn't expecting to find anything outside of the normal java ferns and sword plants. But I walked out of there with Bucephelandra sp Green, Hygrophila Pinnatifida, and some Hygrophila Corymbosa Compacta all at very reasonable prices. I was pleasantly surprised.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

elusive77 said:


> I found the same thing just this week. I wasn't expecting to find anything outside of the normal java ferns and sword plants. But I walked out of there with Bucephelandra sp Green, Hygrophila Pinnatifida, and some Hygrophila Corymbosa Compacta all at very reasonable prices. I was pleasantly surprised.


 They where in the tube things? ill have to look more carefully next time im out


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## Iwagumist (Jan 4, 2016)

irishspy said:


> As long as it's cyanoacrylate (sp?) and nothing else, it should be fine. If you're not sure, go to your local 99-cent store and get a new pack. I wouldn't try hot glue.
> 
> And Petco can really vary store by store. I bought some platys from my nearest that have done great, but a school of neons from that same store a week later almost all died. I second the endorsement of their pre-packaged plants. I think you got a nice buy on that Buce.


Hmm, the super glue I have says, "contains ethyl cyanoacrylate." Sound good?


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

The Buce are in the cups. $9.99
Typically 3 chunks per cup and they transition well to submerged without loss of leaves.
Mine are still tied each to a chunk of lava rock, and have tripled in size.
Only defined as "sp. Green Wavy"


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## Acro (Jul 7, 2012)

That's so happy to hear! And that's the only one or two species (green or green wavy) that have been tissue cultured with any regularity! Super happy to hear that it's now becoming wide spread! Wish I had a Petco near by, maybe petsmart will get in on it too! I don't even keep buce any more, but if they had them, I'd buy some just to support!


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## bigbadjon (Aug 6, 2015)

I bought some maybe August 2016. Pretty slow growing in low tech but it is bushy and looks good. I glued the whole clump to a rock.


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## brook39 (Aug 12, 2016)

I think Petco is the store where You can only buy Gold fish, cats food/toy or hamster, it's not a professional pet store,You shouldn't buy anything there if You're a true hobbyist. they target mostly kids And cat/dog lovers. You can buy everything cheaper online


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

brook39 said:


> I think Petco is the store where You can only buy Gold fish, cats food/toy or hamster, it's not a professional pet store,You shouldn't buy anything there if You're a true hobbyist. they target mostly kids And cat/dog lovers. You can buy everything cheaper online


 that's complete bs lol, not to come on rude  Coming from a person who mostly despises chain stores, online vendors are PRICEY as hell depending who we are talking about, this forum is so/so (not a curse word its a noun), Petco has some majorly good deals. As someone stated above they throw away plants, you can get discounted or for free. 1$ per gallon I guarantee you will see no where else Online. Have to appreciate some of the things they have. Saying "if you buy Anything there, then you are not a true hobbyist!" Im positive that @/PEdwards or Greggz, Burr, strungout, Etc the people I most respect on here for their scapes and knowledge have purchased 1 item from Petco their entire hobby lives. Theirs a nice person (forgot their Profile name) on here who works at Petco and gets a lot of plants and items from there for their tanks. Nice person btw and great scaper may I add


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

I agree with @BettaBettas mostly on this issue.

It ain't a "Professional PetStore" for sure!
But, I cannot get amano shrimp and/or nerites any cheaper when livestock is 50% off on the first 3 days or so when the $1 per gallon sales start.
Need "Prime" or an API test kit in a jam, they may have it.

Buce in a cup has grown well, and a few others tissue cultured.
Enough to swap with some fellow aquarists.
Bought some java fern 3 years ago in a tube, Nov 2016 I was over-run with it.
A local pet store gave me $100 in store credit as a trade in.
It was some really clean "Primo" java fern though.

There fish? Well near me that is another story.
Don't like the look of them, always a few dead, and I am very skeptical.
I have tested the water that has came with the shrimp & snails.
It tests just fine but still don't want to trust a fish purchase.


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## bigbadjon (Aug 6, 2015)

Being April 1st, I assumed his comment to be an ill delivered joke.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

Maryland Guppy, my Petco thankfully has the best aquatics sails manager! I actually haven't seen one dead fish at my Petco, he says he never purchases (or orders) a fish he has never kept or done extensive research on, I consider him a go to guy for free things I will have to say, or discount items.


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## dru (Mar 9, 2013)

Petco is stepping up their tissue culture game


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

not mine *cries in dark corner of despair* lol


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## LifesABichir (Nov 4, 2016)

I found some to. It was the most pathetic smallest plants but I bought them anyway. They melted and I floated them in a net because they were so small. One of my fish knocked the net off into the water and I still can't find them lol.


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## Quack (Nov 14, 2016)

I've found utricularia graminifolia there twice. Have also seen a buce. 

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## MtAnimals (May 17, 2015)

The petco and petsmart here are both awful,though the petsmart isn't as bad.I've walked into the petco on a saturday for instance,and the help will be hanging out bs'ing,and every tank has 2 or 3 dead and dying fish.

I spoke with the person who orders plants at petsmart,they give her a species list,and she has no idea what any of them are.

That being said,I did get a nice bag of Crypt wendtii there,no melting,thrived in every tank I put it in.I also got a bag of the "telanthera cardinalis" (alternanthera reineckii),and it's done well too.


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

Wow, after looking around, Petco own DrFosterSmith and LiveAquaria, who knows what else...

Man what next, Petsmart owning BRS?


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## Veek (Nov 15, 2017)

I just saw one at my local Petco too... thought it was news but apparently it isn't. Didn't buy it because the gel has all melted and the plant was swirling in the goop, and all the other tissue culture plants there were in various stages of decomposition.


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## ThatFishThough (Dec 20, 2017)

My PetCo has little things like Riccia and DHG in tissue culture. There's normally a ton of melted Bacopa/Ludwiga/etc, never any that looks semi-ok. They frequently manage to kill the tube plants, too. Immersed section is okay; sometimes it looks nice and organized, other times it's a mess of floating leaves and uprturned plants. Mostly swords and Anarchis. They have those floating Java Moss balls in an actual tank, and Marimos in the "Betta Buddy" cups. Sometimes there's an Anubias somewhere in there, but usually not.

PetSmart doesn't even sell immersed plants, and most of the tube-plants are non-aquatic. They have the best selection of tissue cultures in town though (which isn't saying much.)

I usually go to my LFS and special-order plants/fish. It's not the most well maintained aquarium-wise, but they have the best selection of fish and can order what they don't have. The other day, they had a freshwater Stingray! It was being kept in a 40, was quite large, but was already sold so it didn't have to stay in there long. They get cool things like Pirahnas, freshwater Clams, ADF/ACF, Killifish, brackish Puffers, etc.


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## FishRFriendz (Dec 21, 2016)

I visit both chains on a weekly basis. It’s not always bad as a ppl claim. Like any perishable products it depends on when it comes in and when you go to the store. I know what days the stores get their shipments and show up the day after to see what they got. When stuff doesn’t look good I just keep waiting. 


















The Buce green at my Petco looked great a month ago, but I’m sure it doesn’t now. If I really wanted it now I’d have to wait for the next shipment.


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## DanPlanted (Jun 15, 2015)

The chain stores typically have the best selection of TC plants of all my local retailers. That is when they get in a shipment, which isn't all that often, and you have to as soon as they get them in otherwise their all half dead.


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## mnafisrusly (Jan 4, 2018)

Hi. Mind if i ask something, ive kept few buceps at the substrate level for nearly two years and now im transferring them to a 48 x 24 x 24 (still in progress, need more buceps). Because i want to cover a little on the upper part, will they do okay on a tree scape/dw that's tall, about at 18 inch height? I really want to stick to this plant sp only. Any concern or precaution to do? Bcs honestly i dont exercise any special care of them, i just put them there and after seems dying for two-three months then they are coming back and its been a good year watchinh them so rn im worried altough i know they could feed thru water column, if their roots unable to 'touch' the substrates, will they grow differ? Thanks!

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