# Plants at petsmart?



## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I was at petsmart picked up a Flora Max substrate to go under my Eco complete, but I saw bunch of plant packages from downoi, anubisa, crypt etc, although the plants are on the small side they looked pretty good, anywhere from $5-8. Anyone bought these on impulse and how they turned out?


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

I got a Java-Fern-Ina-Box from them earlier this year. Was kinda puny when I got it, but big and beautiful now. I got numerous babies from it that are the size of the original in various tanks. Be careful, though. They are still trying to pass off non aquatic plants as aquatics. Read the box well, and know what species you are buying.
-Stef*


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## glenCOCO (Aug 12, 2012)

I've bought some S. repens and wendtii green and it I think they're definitely worth it. You get a surprising amount in some of those packages for the price you pay. The repens package had enough to cover 1/3 of the front of my 40. I could have covered more ground if I wasn't too lazy to split them up more and plant some trimmings from the taller ones. They were growing and carpeting quickly up until I got a group of tiger barbs and they completely destroyed them. I ending up pulling them out. The wendtii is doing great. Got 3 plants in the package. Didn't experience the infamous "crypt melt" or anything. Just the other day I was looking though them and saw a package of bacopa that was PACKED and had some good length. Definitely a better deal than most LFS that you'll go to.


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## glenCOCO (Aug 12, 2012)

Pretty sure he's referring to these. If so, these are all aquatic. The tube plants are the ones you want to avoid, unless you you know exactly what it is.


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## mayphly (Jul 20, 2010)

I bought the downoi and it exploded in to about 30-40 plants. Can't beat that for 7 bucks!


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Yes, the tube ones are usually located below the box ones, and some on nearby end caps. 
Some of the tube ones were aquatic (water wisteria, swords) but next to the terrarium plants. I noticed the far left were aquatic, but people don't always put them back in the proper spot. Easy to confuse for those not so experienced. They should color-code them or something. The moss balls are kept in betta cups, in the betta section, here in Baton Rouge.
I seen some petite anubias in a box recently. It was pretty tempting, but need it like a hole in the head 

-Stef*


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

Yeah some are bagged ones and some in the tubes as well. I might pick one up and throw it in the tank since reviews are good. I guess they replaced their plants that were actually in pots submerged.


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## MiSo (Oct 26, 2005)

i've bought java fern, anubias, needle leaf java fern, and s. repens from petsmart and they're doing great. 

i've bought c. helferi and some kinda red stem plant from petsmart. those didn't make it.


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## mark546 (Sep 12, 2013)

I have bought a quite a few of those plants. Mostly because they are my best option in the area. Out of the two "real" LFS in my area one has blue green algae and pond snails in one plant tank, BBA, hair algae, and MTS in the other (this one has a well developed dwarf chain sword I really want). The other store neglects theire freshwater set-up, which is a shame as they just invested several thousand in a plant display tank HQI lighting and a 5 section waterfall tank that is gorgeous, but all they have is small portions of plants that are half dead and some freshwater clams.

Sorry for the rant. My 55g I have a thin carpet of crypts from those bags. My shrimp bowl is carpeted with Dwarf Hairgrass from those bags. Funny thing is all of the crypts I get out of those bags dont melt when I put them in my tank.


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## Subtletanks91 (May 29, 2013)

I've gotten crypts downoi stouro repens dhg red rueban swords I believe bacopa and telenthera from work and all have done well. 

Be careful though the mondo grass and Kyoto grass are the same thing just different names so people think there buying a aquatic grass but it's not. Same scientific name and not many people pay attention to the labels either, and then come back and return them because they died.

All in all I like the plants and its a lot for your money, especially the downoi,


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## Subtletanks91 (May 29, 2013)

glenCOCO said:


> Pretty sure he's referring to these. If so, these are all aquatic. The tube plants are the ones you want to avoid, unless you you know exactly what it is.


I haven't seen the second and fourth packaging anywhere in the Bay Area before, I think they should do this to all the aquatic plants and then do a red design for the semi aquatic,


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## aquarist (Aug 29, 2012)

I just so happen to buy a package of dwarf hair grass from petsmart today. I've tried to grow it a few time in the past but my fish would always dig it up, partly because I would separate it from the rock wool and then try and plant each small clump, what a pain in the...!!!!! 

I have seen these packages at the LFS for a while and have ever tried one till tonight and I have to say the quality of the two packages I bought where really good. I like the fact that you can really get a good look at the plants inside the package, not something easily done with the tube package, considering its covered in graphics and writing. 

My main interest in these is the fact that there is no rock wool, or perlite style beads, but rather a jello like substance. I found it very easy to wash the excess off the bottom of the plants and then plant in turn was very easy. I decided to place the DHG in a large clump to help it get rooted.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

If you read the tube plants, they say on there if they are for aquariums or not...Aquatic if they are, semi aquatic if they aren't. Just have to examine the package.


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## aquarist (Aug 29, 2012)

Sake said:


> If you read the tube plants, they say on there if they are for aquariums or not...Aquatic if they are, semi aquatic if they aren't. Just have to examine the package.


That is correct, you can also find it on the new packages.


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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

+1 for above, I was going to point that out also. They used to omit this on their packages, but now the packages are labeled correctly. Even the tube plants are labeled now.


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

Yeah I was looking inside those bags especially the crypts, it has few plants inside. It's a good alternative if you just want to buy a plant on an impulse.


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## jbig (Jul 13, 2012)

i've had luck with just about everything that comes in the pouches.


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## sangckim5 (Sep 15, 2013)

I bought the crypt undulata "red" package and was surprised by the amount it came with. It came with 3 bunches but I separated most of them into individual stems (~3" tall). This is what came from a $7.99 package.


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

I've had bought just about every plant petsmart currently carries (at least the one near me, which seems to be about every plant that the chain carries). Personally the only plant i have yet to have any luck with is the Downi, which is most likely due to my tanks lacking co2 setups. My favorite is the Alternanthera Renekii Cardinalis


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

Alternanthera Renekii Cardinalis....love this plant, does really well in my tank and it came in one of them bags. I've had luck with everything I have gotten from there. Water wisteria (no surprise there), anubias, crypts, micro swords, java ferns, dwarf hairgrass, Only one I had a problem with was the nonaquatic fern. That's how I figured out the aquatic/semiaquatic difference.


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## jarury (Aug 6, 2012)

My first live plant came from the tubes about 2.5 years ago it was an anubias 

now I have some swords lots of wisteria green wendtii. Will be stopping by tomorrow to see what is new. 

have tried hair grass and micro sword but the fish dug it up


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I'm going to ask them when they receive their shipment, although they were pretty stacked up.


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Sake, I did the same thing you did. I tried to force a non aquatic fern in a planted aquarium, just because it looked so durn cool. I knew it was a non aquatic because I never seen it in an aquarium, but thought maybe it would be a fluke, or something new.

It looked awesome for a week-turned black, and died. This one was marked "aquatic" as opposed to "semi-aquatic", but before they came out with the boxes and better labeling. Although, they can very well put a wrong plant in the wrong package, like putting single tail bettas in a double tail cup. 
-Stef*


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## Edub (Mar 23, 2011)

I got both the downoi and the alternanthera and they have blown up for me. love the color of both of them, and was really suprised at how much you get in a package. I hope they start to sell more species.


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

i got crypt balansae and crypt undulata "red" and they have done well in the last month. the red is now turning red and there was alot of it and balansae in each package. i will try to get update shots if you want to see them


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## jfynyson (Apr 15, 2013)

Sake said:


> Alternanthera Renekii Cardinalis....love this plant, does really well in my tank and it came in one of them bags. I've had luck with everything I have gotten from there. Water wisteria (no surprise there), anubias, crypts, micro swords, java ferns, dwarf hairgrass, Only one I had a problem with was the nonaquatic fern. That's how I figured out the aquatic/semiaquatic difference.


Dido...I got my first batch of Alternanthera Renekii Cardinalis from PetSmart and it took a few weeks to take but man they are beautiful. I planted them in different parts of my tank (different lighting) to see how the react. In these pics you can see if lining my newly planted glosso street...I can't wait til it all fills in...


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## nofearengineer (Mar 20, 2013)

I have nothing but good things to say about the PetSmart pouch plants. My Downoi, S. repens, and L. arcuata are doing fantastic. Even the A. Reineckii, which did terrible at first, is starting to take off since hitting it with some CO2. And the price is very fair too.


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## Sake (Mar 30, 2012)

It's kind of funny how a few years ago they were horrible, now it seems the plants are pretty darn good, and even the fish are. At least the one by my house, neon tetras and ottos generally have a 100% survival rate for me.


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## AmbienceAltered (Mar 15, 2013)

Almost all of the plants in my tank are from Petsmart not petco. I have not had any luck with petco.


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## JohnEX (Jan 28, 2004)

I've only tried java fern and water wisteria (figured I would start with two nearly indestructible plants) from the tubes and both are doing well for me. The wisteria came in emersed form. Just make sure you read the scientific name and go by that when you're trying to identify any of their plants.


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