Is this plant a good plant?

[jjohnwm]

Well, being a loving doting plant dad to many terrestrials, that comment is like me saying to you, "I'm gonna get a dog John, but if it dies, meh, it's only a dog!" Lol.

Joking aside, do plant people really feel like that?

To me, all animals deserve some consideration as living things and should be treated accordingly. Some, like dogs, cats, birds, etc., can absolutely elicit positive emotions of love and affection, but even the "lower" animals deserve respect. Plants...although alive...just don't elicit the same kind of feelings, IMHO.

I feel bad when I cut down a tree or other plant, but it's strictly a matter of considering it a waste.

Mind you...they're better than bots...

OP, if that is a Vallisneria (I'm sure it's either that or Sagittaria), the best I can say is that I can actually grow that plant with pretty good success; no special plant lights or fertilizers or CO2 injection or fancy substrates or any other high-tech stuff. Just ordinary shop-lights, set on timers with two separate on/off cycles of about 4-5 hours each day, sand substrate, all fertilizer and CO2 courtesy of my fish. If I can grow the stuff...anybody can.

 

[Something Fishy Here]

To be honest my first reaction was also that he bought something first then asked questions, but age notwithstanding, he did say he asked the shop owner about the clams and was misinformed, and on the plants, i am in John's camp, sorry Esox. And at least Jimjam is trying to confirm what he's been told by the shop owner and asking for more information on how to keep his purchases healthy.

 

[esoxlucius]

Joking aside, do plant people really feel like that?

I've never been a dog person, so putting cats first, or plants for that matter, is an easy choice for me. But you're right, a plant is a plant, it doesn't matter if it withers and dies, but a dog dying? even I get that that would be a more heartbreaking situation.

It's not necessarily the plant itself dying that would bother me, it would be more along the lines that I failed to keep it alive! It would be the failure on my part that would frustrate me.

I'm still pretty new to plants and I usually research the hell out of them. Plants are definitely on a par with any aquarium fish when it comes to particular needs to thrive. As with fish they are all different and if you don't cater for those particular needs, well, they wither and die, lol.

The challenge of keeping my various plants happy and thriving is quickly surpassing my interest in fish keeping.

I'm not exactly what you'd call a tree hugger, yet, lol, but I love plants, they are very rewarding when you get it right, just like fish keeping.

 

[jjohnwm]

I've never been a dog person...

I am unsurprised. Remember the original Terminator movie? The surviving human resistance used dogs to detect Terminators trying to infiltrate human encampments; the keen canine perceptions would instantly distinguish between a human being and a killer bot...

Just sayin'...

...so putting cats first...

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Should be ok if you've bought it from a local shop, but it's banned here and a lot of countries apparently. Wish I could get some, it would be nice to have something growing well in my tank.

 

[Something Fishy Here]

John i feel like a traitor but this article coincidentally came up in a podcast i was listening to today...

Plants May "Scream" Out Loud When Stressed: Study

The research published in the journal Cell suggests that plants can also generate airborne sounds in response to stress.

www.ndtv.com

 

[Chet E.]

You will never know if you'll like a plant if you don't give it a try. Hopefully, you'll have success.
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Vallisneria, likely the plant in question, can grow very long draping across the top of the water and blocking light from other plants. It is still a very good aquarium plant. It can propagate over time into a nuisance, but that's part of the fun. And personally, meh, it goes good on a salad.
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Last fall I saw a chain of five rolling in the waves near shore at a lake so I brought them home to quarantine in a small container. (10" x 6" x 3"). Only one survived the transition, but it has since grown throughout into a nice little colony.
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Though not a feature plant in my aquariums, it is fun to have a few of them in a display. After almost a year these should be safe to add to any of my display aquariums should it be desired.
.

 

[Cal Amari]

When some call it a nuisance does that just mean it can take some maintenance over imte, as in trimming and or removing excess? Wouldn't a fast growing plant like this be ideal for removing nitrates and waste from a tank as they're being turned into excess plant matter in a sense then you're removing them from the tank? Pretty new to plants myself, and may be missing something on the scaping or aesthetic side of this, but it seems like functionally, a nuisance plant is ideal for water quality. Unless it's not as good at pulling nitrogen products out of the waer or something else I'm missing.

 

[jjohnwm]

When some call it a nuisance does that just mean it can take some maintenance over imte, as in trimming and or removing excess? Wouldn't a fast growing plant like this be ideal for removing nitrates and waste from a tank as they're being turned into excess plant matter in a sense then you're removing them from the tank? Pretty new to plants myself, and may be missing something on the scaping or aesthetic side of this, but it seems like functionally, a nuisance plant is ideal for water quality. Unless it's not as good at pulling nitrogen products out of the waer or something else I'm missing.

I am always puzzled by the use of the word "nuisance" with respect to aquarium plants. People whine and moan endlessly about Duckweed, for example, complaining about the endless and exhausting toil involved in controlling the stuff. Really? Your aquarium has a few square feet of surface area; running a net over it a few times takes a couple of minutes, tops, and easily allows you to remove 95-99% of the stuff, taking with it a crapload of nutrients that have been accumulating in your tank. Now, if you have decided to eliminate it completely, I agree that you are faced with a task...but simply controlling it is child's play. Use the excess as fish food (I add it to homemade gels), compost it, whatever. I let it grow extra dense over my indoor tanks as spring approaches, and then harvest it and drop it into my outdoor stock tanks when I fill them up. Instant filtration!

Same thing with Val. Sure it grows fast and spreads; IMHO, that's great! Thin it out once in a while...doesn't take more than a minute to do it...and use it just like Duckweed. I'm trying to decide if C Chet E. is serious or not regarding the use of it in salads...but I think I'm gonna try it!

Whether we are talking about fish or plants, it always seems that many people only want things they can't get (Snakeheads, Asian Aros, etc.) or can't successfully keep (fish species that simply won't live in your local tap water, giant monsters, etc.) or that nobody else has (Rare! Endangered! Unavailable! Gotta have it!!!). Things that are easily available, that are inexpensive and that grow and reproduce readily in captivity get zero respect...but for many us, those types of fish and plants provide exactly the kind of aquarium experience that is most satisfying and rewarding.

 

[esoxlucius]

The only "nuisance" plants to me are the ones which I have problems growing, and there have been many over the years. In fact I regard those plants as a total pita.

The few species which I have had luck with and take off to such an extent that it's a bi-weekly task with a machete to control them, now those aren't nuisance plants at all to me. They are a joy.

Plants, whichever way you look at it, are good for your tank. The aesthetics of them are great, they offer peaceful sanctuary for fish too, and food for some, somewhere to lay eggs too, but more importantly they are the best filtration method bar none when it comes to removing nitrate. It's win win win win win and win again with plants.

The only time plants become a real nuisance is when you have substrate diggers and fish that like to redecorate once in a while, and even then it's not the plants fault is it?

And by the way, I don't buy into the fact that once you have certain plants in your tank you are stuck with them forever, because seemingly they regrow from nothing when you remove them. Duckweed is the classic. Rubbish. I've successfully removed duckweed for it never to return in many tanks over the years.