Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tank Plant Advice => Topic started by: Cod_only_knows on March 31, 2016, 08:16:58 AM
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Hi all,
Planning a major tank overhaul and have found K2Aqua to sell a wide range of 'in-vitro' plants at very reasonable prices. Has anyone bought from this seller?
I've also never bought 'in-vitro' plants, but they seem like a great way to buy aquarium plants. Does anyone have any experience with in-vitro plants?
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In before someone comes in here to tell you, they're a waste of money and that "back in my day I could buy a bunch of mixed plants for a shilling and still have change for a pastry!" :rotfl:
FWIW I haven't bought from this store, but have bought Monte Carlo and Lilaeopsis brasiliensis from my LFS.
The Lilaeopsis brasiliensis did really well, but the Monte Carlo was an experiment that didn't work.
I'd buy in-vitro plants again in a heartbeat, I'd have the pastry another day. ;)
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I haven't bought from this site, but was wondering if we could have the plants AND the pastry (cinnamon swirl, yum) and just accept that it no longer costs a shilling? :)
If you do buy the plants I'd be interested to know how you get on.
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I've considered these a time or two but wonder why I just wouldn't buy normal plants. What's the advantage?
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I don't know this supplier, but I think the advantage of "In-Vitro" plants is that they are guaranteed snail and insecticide free.
Skittler
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Whatever type of plants, and wherever you buy them, they will only thrive if you can give them the right conditions.
Cheap plants are cheap because they are easy to grow which is why they are also often the most successful in most tanks. I'm always amazed at how quickly "stem plants" (which are basically unrooted cuttings) grow roots, sometimes quite an extensive growth within a few days. As I often try to root cuttings of garden plants, I only wish they were as fast and easy. It's the nature of many aquatic plants to spread by small pieces which have broken off, I guess you have to root pretty quickly if you don't want to be swept away again.
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I've considered these a time or two but wonder why I just wouldn't buy normal plants. What's the advantage?
Tissue culture aquarium plants – also known as ‘in-vitro’ plants – are manufactured in a laboratory using the latest tissue culture technologies to produce unique & high quality plants in plastic polypropylene pots.
They are grown in sterile conditions using a fertile gel/liquid.
GUARANTEED to be free from snails, pests, algae and pesticides, making them perfect for shrimp keepers and any planted tank enthusiast.
http://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/blog/2014/07/13/the-future-of-aquarium-plants-in-vitro/
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You can't produce "unique" plants by tissue culture, you can only produce the same type of plant that you started with.
The main reasons tissue culture is used for non-aquatic plants are :
1. to quickly produce a large number of plants of species which are difficult to propagate by other means
2. to produce virus free plants
If you think sterility is really important then they might be worth while, but to me (as with so many aquarium products) it's just a way to get people to spend more money than they need to. Once they are planted, they will just be the same as any other plant.
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I didn't write it, I pasted it. And yes, clearly it's a marketing piece. C:-)
The most beneficial reason for buying plants like this, in my opinion, is buying plant species that you can't find otherwise.
I haven't found plants like Monte Carlo, Hemianthus Callitrichoides or Lilaeopsis brasiliensis sold in any other way.
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Well, they are all available on EBay, some say "in vitro", others don't but there's little difference in price. All of these plants seem to be slow growing which probably explains the relatively high prices.
A surprisingly high number of popular garden centre plants and house plants are propagated by tissue culture. It's remarkable how vast numbers of plants can be produced from a few original cells. Apparently in the USA you can buy diy micropropagation kits, don't know if they are available here but I'll stick to seeds and cuttings for now.
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Thanks for all the feedback everyone.
The only reason I'm interested in 'in-vitro' plants is the quantity you seem to get. There appear to be a far greater number of plants than you get in a standard pot. Snails have already infiltrated my tank, so not too bothered about a few more hitchhikers. The lack of pesticide isn't too much of an issue either as my LFS separates the plants that have been treated from those that haven't.
I'm aiming to setup a low-light tank with a variety of cryptocoryne, bucephalandra and anubias plants along with some Rotala rotundifolia and Micranthemum umbrosum. I've decided to invest in making my Aquanano 40 a stunning little tank, rather than buy a bigger tank and not be able to invest in setting it up as I would like.
I'm going to give K2Aqua a go as they have excellent feedback.
Now to decide on substrate...