First Plant

[Slipstream]

Bought a Lobelia Cardinalis Today. Its my first Aquarium plant, now i gotta buy something to plant it IN.. :laugh:

[CACAdmin]

Congrats on the plant purchase... and good for you noting the name. (I never did I kicked myself afterwards). I had to look it up on Plantgeek.net as I'm clueless about most plants. Very nice. Did you get the smaller or larger variety?

[KnaveTO]

I hate to tell you this but what you purchased is not an aquatic plant. It is terrestial plant that is considered toxic and poisonous.

http://www.scib.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=102&p_type=all&p_sci=sci&p_x=px

[chem]

Lobelia is a true aquatic plant. I have had it in my tank for a long time. Be careful when trimming it. Cut low and replant the upper portion.

[PPulcher]

Nice score on the lobelia! I grow lobelia in my backyard garden, in the problem area that is very wet during the spring and fall. Various cultivars will grow underwater. It's been used for a long time in aquaria, particularly in Dutch aquascapes.

[Slipstream]

I dunno which is a bigger variety than the other.. LOL.. I took a picture, ill try to get it up here today. Hey KnaveTo, that plant MAY be poisonous to humans if MISUSED, but it isnt to fish, people have used it in Aquariums quite a bit.

[Slipstream]

Heres a picture. I still hafta get some substrate that it will grow in.
My rainbow Shark loves it, he swims in the leaves and sits there.. lol.. imma going to try to get a picture of it, and hopefully it will bush out some more :)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/Battlewedge/Personal%20Aquariums/HPIM0319.jpg

[chem]

There are two types: small form and normal. I thought that I had small form (small leaves) until I put one stem all by itself in a high light tank. The plant took off and got so large that it looked like a sword.

You have bought the emmersed grown form so you can expect it to go through an adjustment phase to your tank. It will eventually lose its purple underside and become bright green.

Take them out of the pot and plant each stem within a few inches of on another and they will form a dense bush. Put a root tab under it though because they are root feeders. One warning though; they tend to like a lot of light so if you dont have it make sure to put it in the brightest part of your tank.

[Melody]

Sounds like a good one for the 90 - how tall & wide does it get? I'd probably have to pot it. I could look it up but I'm sleepy....lol.

[DaFishMan]

"I hate to tell you this but what you purchased is not an aquatic plant. It is terrestial plant that is considered toxic and poisonous."

Cardinal Flower is a 'semi-aquatic' plant, not terrestrial, as it grows near bodies of water only.

It's aquatic form will prove to be a nice easy plant for your tank. (It's converted to aquatic from it's emmerse form, or from seed)
It's toxicity has never posed a problem in an aquarium that I've heard of. You and your fish will be quite safe :)

I had the aquatic form for over a year when my plant mentor sent me some.
Mine lasted over a year it did well and posed no problems to myself or my fish. :)

Emmersed form does not always convert easily to aquatic. It may take more then one try. Good Luck and enjoy your new plant ! :)

[KnaveTO]

Not trying to be difficult here or anything but there are basically only two types of plants, aquatic and terrestial (in regards to the type of plants we keep). Some terrestial plants can grow immersed in water and will do well, however most people that keep planted aquaria will shy away from terrestial plants that are grwon immersed. A plant that is considered 'semi-aquatic' is still a terrestial plant that has adapted its form for aquatic growth but its' natural occurance is still outside the water.

[chem]

This is a shot from the 10 000 square meter tropica warehouse in Denmark. They are the largest aquatic plant supplier in the world. The vast majority of their plants are grown emmersed. When you buy a potted plant at a Big Als (crypts, reineckii etc) this is where it came from. I believe that they grow something in the neighbourhood of 200 different species that are then shipped to aquarium stores around the world.

http://i.pbase.com/u18/plantella/medium/33045183.VisitTropica18.jpg

[DaFishMan]

No worries my friend, and good points :)

I just wanted to reassure Slipstream that Cardinal Flower is a SAFE plant for an aquarium. Your warning left that out, and could cause someone to toss the plant in panic, fearing the worst for their fish.
I shouldn't have to tell this to a Resto Druid :twitcy:

Cheers :)

[Melody]

My understanding of semi-aquatic plants in nature is they are located in places where they may be fully or partially submerged, either all the time or part of the time. Flood plains, for example. 'Semi-aquatic' is a scientific plant classification. 'Marginal' plants refers to plants that like wet conditions and may be partially submerged, such as those appropriate for the edge of a pond.

The adaptation issues are mainly due to what they call 'oxygen stress'.

I made it my business to know this stuff the first time I got ripped off through the purchase of a terrestrial plant for the aquarium. :mad:

[DaFishMan]

My first challenge was emmersed Limnophila Aromatica (didn't know it was emmerse when purchased). However when I bought it, it was mushy in the bag, not much of a chance to convert it LOL.

[Melody]

I'm not going to ask why you bought a mushy plant because that would be rude. :Angel:

[DaFishMan]

I didn't know it was mushy until I went to plant it ! :eek:

[Melody]

I wasn't asking, but that answer makes perfect sense. :wink: