Where to find plants in CPT area? HELP!

Hi

I am currently in Stellenbosch and urgently need to find some plants for my tank. Have been without an aquarium for 5 years and want to start up a new one, so I haven't got any plants at all.

I'm finding it very difficult to get any moderately healthy plants in the CPT area. Does anyone have some pointers for me?

I'm also looking to buy T5 lighting and would appreciate it if you could let me know where I can buy some at decent prices (and what decent prices are).

Had some large tanks, but I am starting with a small 60cm test tank for now and will start up the old tanks over a few months.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Ke

 

EDIT: stick to sponsors forums.....

 

Hi kobuse

I have tons of plants I am on the verge of throwing away, so if you'd like, come and collect them from me this Saturday. I'm in West Beach (next to Tableview & Blaauwberg). Let me know if you are coming through; I'll also give you a lot of tips and pointers where to go shop for fish & plants

Cheers
Dale

 

Hi Dale

Thanks a lot for the offer. Will PM you.

Kobus

 

Cool, I sent you a mail with my cell number. Call me so we can chat offline

Cheers
Dale

 

kobuse! I'm in stellies aswell. PM if you need some plants to start your tank off with. I have a small tank here with plenty of plants Small plants though, but it should be good enough to start your tank off with.

 

Sorry to bring up an old thread but this is interesting, this forum seems to have quite a few stellenbosch guys. So if you are in or around stellies/somerset... Post here so we can get together and trade plants and make lift clubs to the higher quality fish shops like panorama and hartlands..

 

Remember that I am also in this area and grow a lot of plants.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

There are alot of plants available on the market right now, I have seen Anubias, java fern, and swords in better condition and quantities than for a long time. They should be in shops. Daro are supplying them, so most petshops have access.

 

And us people in Port Elizabeth are still battling to get anything...
Who supplies plants to LFS's in PE? Anybody know?

 

Let's see....

First confer with your local hobbyists, FREE tankgrown plants are first prize.
THEN check with sponsors for the NEXT BEST THING.:blink1:

AquaPet, and daro primarily supply Cape petshops.

Yes, plants seem more robust, and larger. SA plant grower season/cycle are yielding larger sizes of more desirable species , it won't be long before the slump sets in again.
Then pickings become meagre, with dependence on some imports and whatever local growers can pull through to market.

I can offer healthy plants, AND GOOD T5 advice , price, and product.

pm me, or post in TheWaterZoo forum

TheWaterZoo DOES send fish, plants, accessories to PE, or anywhere there is airport OR Post Office access.

Occasionally an affiliate company supplies LFS.

pm for assistance

 

Daro/Campcon supply to all shops nationally.... fyi

 

Volume?

 

Looks like Iam gonna have to re-high-jack this thread

Dirk, this is phil aka Philfarm(I should change my nik but dont know how)
anyway I think it is way overdue I come visit your setup so we can trade some plants...

@citybowl; I agree there have been some interesting plants around lately I even found another barclaya longifolia bulb last weekend not to mention the pogostemon stellata, henk and I found the other day.. its exiting times:bigsmile:

 

Hi Eskimo

(you must have melted by now if you were a real Eskimo in Stellenbosch today, my fish are being cooked at home...... it is really brutally hot here today)

Yes, it is high time we met up again. I have been very busy with lectures but things will wind down after tomorrow, so maybe next week sometime, PM me and we can meet up.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

You are not kidding!!!
As per your advice I have ice blocks and a fan pointed at my tank...


As you know the next week or so is pretty busy for a student in stellies but will defiantly make a plan to meet up sometime, is there anything you have been looking for?

 

just got back from the airport - 42deg!

 

The two main distributors of the LFS market often supplies normal mondo grass, acorus and other outdoor plants to LFS. I've seen this many times with my own eyes, but yes, they do also get in proper aquatic plants most of the times.

Hobbyists must try and identify these outdoor plants when seeing them and refrain from buying them. I don't subscribe to LFS or distributors making money out of something that I believe isn't the real deal.

Cheers
D

 

I couldn't agree with you more Dale. I have actually witnessed a salesperson at Animal Kingdom in Pretoria advising a customer that Mondo grass grows so beautifully and he convinced the person to buy 20 plants for the foreground of his tank. What do you do in an instance like this? If you advise the customer about the fact that mondo grass belongs in your garden, then the owner of the petshop wants to throw you out because you are jeopardizing his sales. I just walked out in disgust.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

I actually thank you guys for educating me a year ago on this very topic.

What I do is once the sale is made whilst I'm in the shop, I go to the owner or person in charge and explain to them that the plants aren't aquatic and should stop selling them. Whether the chat helps or not, I don't know but I suppose we have to be brave enough to say our say and risk being thrown out of the shop. I know, easier said than done Gert is a perfect example....if he sees something he doesn't like in a LFS, he opens his mouth and goes completely ape. I've been with him at an LFS ni Bellville somewhere where this actually happened. Being the type of person that I am, I couldn't stop myself from laughing while this whole thing went down