Wild Plants?

[smiles669]

Hey guys. I'm new to the planted world, so I have a couple questions. The other day I went for a walk with some family out along a little side road with a large creek running beside it. There are some new plants starting up in there  that looked really nice and I'm just wondering if anybody has ever had any luck collecting wild plants, and if so, what did you do to make them safe for an aquarium afterwards? Thanks for any help guys!

 

[CJH0825]

I was wondering the same thing! I have alot of freshwater lakes around me and some of the plants are very nice looking and are fully submerged. Wondering if you can remove them ( carefully ) and take them home, wash them off and plant them in the tank.

 

[FiSh123FiSh]

Yes, you can add wild plants to your aquarium, however:

Make sure it's not private property.
The plants aren't near a polluted source.
You wash them thoroughly.
I would quarantine them just in case there are any snails, pests, etc

Normally it's a safer option to get your plants from a reliable source so as to have a guarantee.

 

[This Old Spouse]

The biggest problem with trying to use wild plants in your tropical aquarium is that they're adapted to chilly water, and a tropical tank is too warm. Even a cold water tank that's simply unheated is too warm for them.