# Where to buy plants now?



## Garuf (21 Nov 2010)

As title really, now that Planted box are no-longer shipping, Where's best for cheap plants? Preferably Aquafluers not the terrible mush you get from "Far east re-distributors" (We all know who they are), I'm considering living waters but I don't know what their prices are like, their plant lists are very impressive indeed.  I'd considered Aqua dip but on seeing an order that'd been sent to Pet City before it's demise I was less than impressed, isolated case? Anyone tried them?
Anyone any ideas? Think cheap, I'm not made of money!  

Gareth.


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## johnny70 (22 Nov 2010)

Nothing wrong with Aquadip, there quailty is way better than the Far East supplier as it's only coming in from Holland, assuming that the supplier keeps them right, you should have no issues with them at all. last time I have a order from Aquadip I got a case of 50+ pots to try and was very impessed.


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## Gfish (22 Nov 2010)

I've bought plants from PlantedTanks.co.uk recently and have been very impressed with packaging, advice, service and most of all price. Makes me want to purchase more and try new plants


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## ghostsword (22 Nov 2010)

Plantedtanks plants are good, got no issue with them, but the plants from Living Water are just fantastic, there is no way you can get better than that. Price wise, they are very good, and the quality is outstanding. 

Pitty they do not ship plants out.


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## Gfish (22 Nov 2010)

'Living water' ?  What's that, a shop? Or are you taking plants from the rivers!? Lol


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (22 Nov 2010)

Website address would help

Regards
Paul


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## Nelson (22 Nov 2010)

http://www.livingwatersonline.co.uk/index.htm  .


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (22 Nov 2010)

nelson said:
			
		

> http://www.livingwatersonline.co.uk/index.htm   .



thx mate

regards
paul


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## foxfish (22 Nov 2010)

Interesting shop but do they sell anything mail order?


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## Nelson (22 Nov 2010)

foxfish said:
			
		

> Interesting shop but do they sell anything mail order?


not yet   .but if you call and ask you never know   .


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## Gfish (22 Nov 2010)

Where are they ? I'm looking on my IPhone and I can't see a contact page???


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## Nelson (22 Nov 2010)

Gfish said:
			
		

> Where are they ? I'm looking on my IPhone and I can't see a contact page???


croydon,surrey.
http://www.livingwatersonline.co.uk/contact.htm


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## Garuf (24 Nov 2010)

I'll have to give TLW a call. I'd recently said things were getting better with regards to plants. Oh the irony.


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## russchilds (24 Nov 2010)

Living Waters is great!! Big, big plant choice and good quality fish.


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## LondonDragon (24 Nov 2010)

LW possibly the best LFS in the world!!


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## ghostsword (24 Nov 2010)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> LW possibly the best LFS in the world!!



Like a museum...  very very good.


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## a1Matt (24 Nov 2010)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> LW possibly the best LFS in the world!!



Easy the best I have been to 

I am told there is one in Peru that will knock the socks off of all UK stores.  I think they have an unfair advantage, particularly with the driftwood, what with the amazon running through the country!


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## Garuf (24 Nov 2010)

Looks like I'm going to have to take a train ride down to london for the day to collect everything! If I can find a cheap enough ticket that seems like the best way of getting stuff. 
It just occured to me, Ae sell af plants, not as cheaply but probably worth a gander!


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## LondonDragon (24 Nov 2010)

Never had a problem with AquaFleur plants, more than one sponsor sell them. I have both AF and Tropica available at my local LFSs!


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## Garuf (24 Nov 2010)

I have bog plants or nothing available through mine, Â£9 per anubias rhizome isn't exactly cheap for the special order I'd have to do to get real aquatics.


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## Garuf (27 Nov 2010)

LondonDragon said:
			
		

> Never had a problem with AquaFleur plants, more than one sponsor sell them. I have both AF and Tropica available at my local LFSs!


Sorry Paulo, I'm going mad recently, I ddin't register with what you said, which are the other Af sellers?


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## LondonDragon (27 Nov 2010)

Plantedbox did sell them and also AE! as far as I am aware!


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## Garuf (27 Nov 2010)

hahaha Did, that's the reason I started this thread.  
Ae don't have the plants I need, I should probably shoot them an email...


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## LondonDragon (28 Nov 2010)

You could always try plantedtanks as suggested, however I have read mixed reviews, haven't brought any plants from them so I in no position to comment either way.


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## Garuf (28 Nov 2010)

Yeah, I've read mixed reviews. I'm not really big on any of the far east and then send them on sorts of companies, you always feel you've been cheated.


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## Gfish (28 Nov 2010)

Lol  why you think you've been cheated? Do you feel the same when the postman brings you your post? Or when you buy a bag of spuds from the supermarket, or when you have to buy petrol from the garage?  middle men exist, but in many cases they exist with huge advantage. Not always however.
Some online companies, in aquatics or elsewhere don't even handle their plants or goods and have them sent direct from their supplier. This does bug me, but only when I get inferior product. The best of them handle the product and post out themselves, so in the case of plants, they're inspected and treated. This is very important. Before dealing with any online retailer, I just call and ask such questions.
And some of the better ones have actually contacted me before delivery and said things like " I'm afraid the plant has arrived but isn't as large or isn't the one or isn't in a pot or something else. Then give me the option. I appreciate this kind of personal service.


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## Garuf (28 Nov 2010)

More because when you buy pots you have a known quality associated with it. When you order a pot lets use Rotalla as an example, say you pay Â£4 and you get 25 usable stems. That's 16p a stem. Say you buy a bunch from somewhere else and pay Â£2.50 but only get 10 usable stems. That's 25p a stem... E. tennelus is another good example, I once did an entire foreground in a 60cm tank with 2 pots that cost Â£5 each. I later replanted it with lieanopsis I bought in bunches at Â£3 per bunch, I ended up needing to spend Â£36 to do the exact same portion. The other issue is transportation time, far east plants are almost never treated with the same reverence as their euro cousins, I took an order from Germany who sent over a refrigerated van especially to ensure the plants were the bees knees, A similar order I placed from Thailand ended up arriving as nothing but mush despite being in transit for only around a day more.  
Middle men I don't particularly have an issue with, gotta make a living, but the quality/price/quantity issue of bunched or per stem plants is never as good as it seems to be.


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## Frosties (28 Nov 2010)

*POST REMOVED FOR BREAKING UKAPS RULES AND GUIDELINES.*


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## Mark Evans (28 Nov 2010)

Sadly plantedbox are not selling, but aquafleur are ace. However, after visiting aquajardin, I can only say their plants are awesome!

Mainly tropica, but exceptional health. There were plants from another company (cant remember the name) which were also great.

Maybe they sell online?....ring to check. I'm sure they'd accommodate you Garuf


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## Garuf (28 Nov 2010)

Yeah, I miss PB. Sods law I'd waited all this time only for the shop to close it's doors so to speak.

I'll shoot AJ a phone call tomorrow and price up, I should ask Fluidsensor if they still do plants, they were always very reasonable. I'd have to put a special order in to AE to get all the plants I need as most of them aren't in stock. 
Hurry up and remember the name I want to research.


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## dw1305 (29 Nov 2010)

Hi all,
You could try Mike at the "Last Trading Post", he buy the plants for orders from the Far East, but he is expanding the "in-shop" planted side of the business with more holding tanks, and he can potentially get a wider range of plants than are listed. 
cheers Darrel


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## nry (29 Nov 2010)

Initial order via eBay but they also have a website:

http://www.theplanttank.co.uk/

I think they may be AF plants but not 100%, they're a Maidenhead Aquatics shop so far as the bags used to wrap the plants in suggested.  Fixed delivery cost however much you order and they sent me a 10% off voucher for my next order on their website.  Got some HC via eBay and it was pretty good, not as big as some Tropica pots I've had, but it was only Â£2.50 + carriage.


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## bjorn (3 Dec 2010)

I just started with a planted tank just over a month ago. I've tried 3 different online retailers so far:

1. http://www.thegreenmachineonline.com/
By far the best company, very friendly and the plants they sent out have been of the highest quality (Tropica). They also have a lot of ADA gear and good stock of most things you would need. I ordered several items from them including ADA lily pipes and pump, all delivered in perfect condition. Their website is easy to use and have images of all products. I spoke to (the owner?) Jim, great guy and very helpful! 

2. https://aquarium-gardening.com/
I wasn't very happy about the plants I got, but it might be that they are for more advanced people. Just felt a bit disappointed. However I like the site because it gives you a very good overview of plants with information about each. They don't seem to have much gear though, for example only some weird looking CO2 non-gas system. It did feel like it was a home-based person.. rather than a company.

3. http://www.plantsalive.co.uk/
The owners are helpful and sorted out my order even when I changed it around several times. The plants delivered was in very good condition. I don't like the web site though, many of the products have no previews or photos, plus the information isn't always easy to read. Delivery might have been a bit slow, but could have been me a bit inpatient though.


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## Garuf (3 Dec 2010)

TGM are far too expensive for my means as it stands, that's why I'm after aquafluer plants, preferably. I'd love tropica plants but the outlay for them means they're only worth getting if the species is unique to Tropica. 

I've used plantsalive before, never again.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (3 Dec 2010)

Garth

Have you got a Dobbies Garden Centre near by: they sell tropica plants and if you buy three of the same they are only Â£10.00, single plants Â£3.99 - bargin plants.

Regards
Paul.


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## Garuf (4 Dec 2010)

Holy shhhhhhhh, that's good! I don't think I do, though I can soon trek to bridgemere while back home in January, I seem to remember them having a dobbies aquatics bit.


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## Dolly Sprint 16v (4 Dec 2010)

Garuf said:
			
		

> Holy shhhhhhhh, that's good! I don't think I do, though I can soon trek to bridgemere while back home in January, I seem to remember them having a dobbies aquatics bit.




Garth 

sorry mate - its Ripples @ Bridgemere. Open the attached and pop your post code in.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source ... BOv73zAi3Q

Regards
paul


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## Garuf (4 Dec 2010)

Ahh I see. The nearest one is too much of a trek away unless they deliver. I'm sure something will come up within my funds.


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## DHenry (6 Dec 2010)

nry said:
			
		

> Initial order via eBay but they also have a website:
> 
> http://www.theplanttank.co.uk/
> 
> I think they may be AF plants but not 100%, they're a Maidenhead Aquatics shop so far as the bags used to wrap the plants in suggested.  Fixed delivery cost however much you order and they sent me a 10% off voucher for my next order on their website.  Got some HC via eBay and it was pretty good, not as big as some Tropica pots I've had, but it was only Â£2.50 + carriage.



I just bought some HC from these guys also and its very good. Well impressed.


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## nry (6 Dec 2010)

DHenry said:
			
		

> nry said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Not loads of choice, but many of the more popular plants and prices are excellent.


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## foxfish (6 Dec 2010)

This is the same guy on Ebay http://shop.ebay.co.uk/theplanttank/m.html I also found the HC very good quality & value..


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## nry (6 Dec 2010)

foxfish said:
			
		

> This is the same guy on Ebay http://shop.ebay.co.uk/theplanttank/m.html I also found the HC very good quality & value..



Yeah, my first order was via eBay but they sent me a 10% off website for their site with the eBay order.  Guess it saves eBay fees


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