C. Orientalis w/ outside plants?

[andrew]

Hey i was wondering if i could just go and get plants from outside my house for my c. orientalis? Like aquatic plants from a lake near my house. Or moss from outside in the house in the forest. I live in washington so i wasnt sure if there were certain bacterias that he couldnt live with or something.
Thanks
Andrew

 

[mark]

Hello, I am not an expert, and you should probably get advice from someone else just to be safe. I would say they are not good, unless you can get all the "bad stuff" out of them, like all the microrganisms and stuff. And if you can, thats aweseome!

 

[andrew]

ok thanks!

 

[rose]

Hi Andrew, I wouldn't recommend it--one never knows what kinds of toxins or bacteria could be introduced. Unless you know the characteristics of each plant species you collect, it would be safer to just get vivarium plants at a pet store. Also, you should know what plants in your area are possibly protected--I would imagine that you wouldn't want to be an accidental lawbreaker...

 

[jesper]

Hi,
I have used plants and all kinds of stuff from "the nature". Just make sure there are no big carnivorous insects.
However, have you realized that the plants from outside might not be very suitable for an aquarium environment... Usually plants that like it in our tanks are tropical plants, if you live in for example Florida you can probably find loads of suitable plants outside. Here in Sweden there are only a few that stand the temps in an aquarium.

 

[mark]

I have also used outside plants before, many of them work really well. I live in Colorado, and these plants here have to live through EVERYTHING! Ha ha.

 

[marcus]

Uhm... just a question for Jesper..
What Swedish plants actually survives in a newt tank? I would seem to me that most swedish plants
would suffer a bad case of death in a tank, but then I havent tried that many I guess...

The only ones I´ve heard about are some aquatics such as Elodea and Ceratophyllum. I do belive I´ve heard rumors that Isoetes(cool!) and Chara(even better!) might make it.

 

[jesper]

Hehe, well you tell me Marcus - you are the biologist. I had the plants you named in mind, primarily Ceratophyllum. I didn't even know we had Elodea here - hmm that explains why I've thought some pond plants look like Elodea...
I am not much of a "field person"(thus far..), I just pick up whatever I find close to where I live

 

[joseph]

Never heard of Chara, and never had experience with Isoetes. If you do find it locally may be worth a try. They are supposed to make interesting foreground plants but require a bit of light.

 

[garrison]

I think the group Chara resides in is supposed to be the origin of the first land dwelling plants. I have some, it's kind of fragile but it grows well.

 

[marcus]

The species of Chara native to sweden usually possesses a formidable stench... never the less I guess I try it in the tank sometime.

Has anyone in the forum had any experience with Isoetes? I think its a very fascinating plant, closest living relative to the giant lycophytes of the devon and karbon era, AND has giant(1mm) spores!

 

[garrison]

I didn't want to mention it, but we could never keep Isoetes alive

. Glad my Chara doesn't stink!