# Are the Hemianthus Callitrichoides on ebay real or fake?



## Xiaozhuang (Feb 15, 2012)

None of them are HC/glosso or any regular aquarium plant. They tend to grow into much larger plants in time, most don't survive past a few months as well.


----------



## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

Well if you're ordering from the States expect they'll take over 3 weeks or more to arrive via China Post.


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Do note that if you plan to import plants, you will need a phytosanitary certificate to prove that the plants have passed quarantine. Importation of plants without a certificate is illegal and you may face prosecution.


----------



## lahornby (Apr 19, 2017)

Overwatch said:


> Are the Hemianthus Callitrichoides(Dwarf Baby Tears ) on ebay real or fake? These are from China.
> Do you think they are counterfeit?


These are seeds, not an actual plant if its the item I'm thinking they are. I ordered some when I saw them about 2 weeks on an impulse. (Sorry if that is illegal, I didn't know). I havnt received them yet, but that is to be expected since they are coming from China.

AFTER I ordered them I started researching about them. I found many posts about them and none of them where good. I never found a post that had any success with them other then getting them to germinate unsubmersed. That they are not what the claim to be, but actually a non-aquatic plant, species unknown. They will wilt away no matter how good the tank is after you submerge them.

Keep in mind that this is the info I found, not from my own experience. I paid a buck for mine and am just going to chalk that up to my "stop impulse buying" category. 

I wish I had some links for you but I can't remember now. But I believe I searched for "how to grow aquarium plants from seeds" on Google if you wanted to double check. These same e.b.a.y seeds came up over and over even though I didn't even include that part. The posts start out all excited, then disappointment.

Bump: I just did the same exact search and got you this...

http://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/wanna-know-how-to-grow-aquarium-plants-from-seeds.218929/

http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum/showthread.php/118127-Anyone-tried-growing-aquarium-plants-from-seeds

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/planted-tank-specific-13/aquatic-plant-seeds-108538/#/topics/108538?page=2

These were the top 3 results, so there are way more to read if you are still interested after these, just use the search phrase I said above.


----------



## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

Darkblade48 said:


> Do note that if you plan to import plants, you will need a phytosanitary certificate to prove that the plants have passed quarantine. Importation of plants without a certificate is illegal and you may face prosecution.


Plants or seeds? Do seeds count as plants? I'm not sure if buying something on Ebay could be considered illegal? The seller had like many thousands in sales. 

However, that would be false advertisement if these seeds are not even the plant they claim.



lahornby said:


> these are seeds, not an actual plant if its the item i'm thinking they are. I ordered some when i saw them about 2 weeks on an impulse. (sorry if that is illegal, i didn't know). I havnt received them yet, but that is to be expected since they are coming from china.
> 
> After i ordered them i started researching about them. I found many posts about them and none of them where good. I never found a post that had any success with them other then getting them to germinate unsubmersed. That they are not what the claim to be, but actually a non-aquatic plant, species unknown. They will wilt away no matter how good the tank is after you submerge them.
> 
> ...


Why don't they advertise them correctly? What are these plants suppose to be? Has anyone ever been able to identify them? 

Thanks.


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

Overwatch said:


> Plants or seeds? Do seeds count as plants? I'm not sure if buying something on Ebay could be considered illegal? The seller had like many thousands in sales.


Generally, for import purposes, plants and seeds are grouped together.

Also, it is not the act of purchasing that is illegal, it is the act of importation.


----------



## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

Darkblade48 said:


> Generally, for import purposes, plants and seeds are grouped together.
> 
> Also, it is not the act of purchasing that is illegal, it is the act of importation.


I'll let you know if ICE shows up at my door for these "undocumented" plants seeds. I don't think ebay would allow their sale if they were truly illegal. They won't even allow the sale of a confederate flag which is not illegal. 

Anyway, I had already purchased it before I got any replies on this forum so I can't really stop the purchase at this point. The guy has sold many thousands so I think most people end up ok with this. If you want to call ebay on my behalf, maybe you can convince them to cancel the order? 

However, most of your aquarium are made up of a diverse assortment of fish from various countries. I doubt most people only have fish native to their state. Usually, when I look up fish, they are native of central America, Africa, Asia, India,etc.. 

Besides, baby tears are already in Aquariums all over the US. How is buying more from China going to affect anything when the plant is already here and being sold(even on this forum)? I wonder if its more of a " made in the USA" or buy local thing vs trying to stop a plant from being here since its already here.


----------



## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

Overwatch said:


> I'll let you know if ICE shows up at my door for these "undocumented" plants seeds. I don't think ebay would allow their sale if they were truly illegal. They won't even allow the sale of a confederate flag which is not illegal.
> 
> Anyway, I had already purchased it before I got any replies on this forum so I can't really stop the purchase at this point. The guy has sold many thousands so I think most people end up ok with this. If you want to call ebay on my behalf, maybe you can convince them to cancel the order?
> 
> ...



It is up to you, the importer to obtain any necessary permits or photosanitary certificates, not the seller or [Ebay Link Removed] Which is far different than ebay's decision not to sell a flag(I have no interest in going into that topic or debating that.) The fact you think ICE would show up at your door shows your lack of knowledge on the topic, and that as a joke, I'm pretty sure is not appropriate for the forums anyways.

This is also not about if you will end up ok with doing so, these rules are in place for extremely good reasons. You've got no way to make sure these seeds are not a plant that is already considered invasive, although it sounds like you have a pretty good idea that they are not HC. IF for some reason they were HC, there is once again no way to be sure that there are no harmful pests, viruses, etc. which is part of the reason that USDA requires permits and such. The same goes for whatever plant the seeds actually are.

Yes, many of our plants and animals originally come from various places around the world. Although, the people who currently do the importing are required to have the proper permits and such, along with proper quarantine procedures(like in the case of small time hobbyists on collecting trips.) 

If you are interested in learning what these rules actually are there are many websites that explain them, or they are listed on the USDA website. I believe this would be a decent place to start: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...s-and-plant-products-permits/ct_plantproducts


----------



## Overwatch (Nov 26, 2016)

johnson18 said:


> It is up to you, the importer to obtain any necessary permits or photosanitary certificates, not the seller or [Ebay Link Removed] Which is far different than ebay's decision not to sell a flag(I have no interest in going into that topic or debating that.) The fact you think ICE would show up at your door shows your lack of knowledge on the topic, and that as a joke, I'm pretty sure is not appropriate for the forums anyways.


Why would think that ICE showing up at my door? 

ICE=immigration and customs enforcement. The plants would be considered customers enforcement as in things being imported into the US. I remember a number of years ago there use to be these " mod chips" that would allow your playstation or Xbox to work off DVD you burned yourself then ICE was going after those MOD chips. 

I am far more concerned about human diseases from illegal aliens entering the us than I am with some little Chinese seeds. If they want to stop diseases, they should force PETCO to invest in a UV sterilizer for their tank. I swear, they get an outbreak there and all the tanks filters are connected to each other. Why can't a billion dollar company invest in like a $200 UV sterilizer for their aquarium? 

As far as human disease, we had people coming in with Ebola a few years ago as well as AIDS both from Africa. There are also cases of TB and other diseases thought to be wiped out from all civilizes countries enter the US and putting us all at risk. Diseases that could wipe out humans should probably take priority over seeds from China. 

The government should have a pyramid and the greatest threats are on top which most of the effort gets focused and once those problems are solved, then they can go after the smaller stuff. 

If they focused on human disease and people who are not supposed to be here as much as they do with plant disease and plants which are not suppose to be here we would have a lot fewer problems today. 

Anyway, here is my swamp garden with Aquarium plants. Tell me how any plant is going to escape this fortress !!!!


----------



## johnson18 (Apr 29, 2011)

LOL. I started to just not reply in hopes that maybe @Darkblade48 might have some thoughts on your post. I will try only to reply to the parts of your post directly related to this forum as I have no interest in getting into a debate about the other portions. 

You apparently didn't check out the link provided. ICE has nothing to do with this as this would fall under the USDA. The illegal importation of plants and plant material is an agriculture issue. I would think that keeping people fed would be a priority in your government pyramid, but idk, maybe you don't consume food or other agriculture products. 

The diseases at Petco don't really have the possibility of creating a direct impact on the US agriculture. While the odds that these seeds will have anything in them or one them that will create a major issue if released into the environment, it is a possibility. The regulations have been created with proper consideration. If you look into the history of plant pathology and disease epidemics, there are several things that have come from imported plants or plant products & have had a major impact on agriculture or the environment. 

Unfortunately, your picture doesn't seem to work. I'd love to see it. "Swamp garden" sounds as if it's an outdoor pond of some sort, which I've always had a love for. Although, placing plants into an outdoor pond probably has a higher probability of plants making an "escape" then you might think. Many things can be moved by a variety of animals, like birds and mammals. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

eBay allows all kinds of crazy crap and doesn't monitor unless items and shady sellers are reported. That's common knowledge. It's one of the reasons we disallow eBay links. What's apparently not common knowledge, especially among some of you who are focused on creating drama for the purpose of creating drama, is that risking illegal import is serious.

You're welcome to your own opinions but you're not welcome to your own facts on that front. So keep your political opinions to yourself - that goes for everyone. Politics aren't welcome here and it's a violation of our Acceptable Use Policy to delve into political discussions. And no, this is not a free speech zone. This isn't government. 

If you're wondering how seriously APHIS, the USDA and Customs and Border Protection take phytosanitary documentation? We've had members of this forum go to jail within the past five years. 

And APHIS just spent nearly two months investigating another ring of now-former members of the forum for the illegal importation of plant material - including seeds, untreated wood and soil. I know this because we participated in the investigation. APHIS monitors forums like this. 

Closing this thread but leaving it intact so other members can see who is causing drama for the sake of causing drama. Additionally, it's important for everyone to know what's legal and what's not when it comes to smuggling plant material - even seeds - into any country. In the U.S., you could face jail time, extreme fines. The same goes for Canada.


----------

