# so far 1 massive dissapointment . happier now



## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

plants arrived today , the polysperma wasnt great , the leaves looked a bit battered , the corymbosa was almost non existant , virtually nothing in the pot , 3 tiny little stems . the ozelot , well i cant comment on that because it was missing . didnt even effin get it 

they are sending me an ozelot and another corymbosa which i will have tomorrow .

on a side note the plants are all bent and droopy looking . is this normal ? will they come round and straighten up over the next few days ?

so far i feel a bit dejected and disapointed to say the least


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## windyboona (25 Apr 2013)

Sorry to hear that plant noob ! Can I ask where you purchased from so I can save myself the same trouble ,I've had enough of rubbish online aquatic stores with there bad approach to customer satisfaction this year ! 
Pm me if you don't want to put the details on here


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

really not happy with how things look . i can see myself taking it all out and comnpletely replanting tomorrow when the new plants come


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## Henry (25 Apr 2013)

Hygrophila species will grow and spread happily from the scraggiest looking stem. You might as well use them since you have them. With regards to them being bent, everything will grow towards the light once it gets going.


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

thats good to know .  hopefully a few days of co2 and ferts and things will look better


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## Henry (25 Apr 2013)

Consistent CO2 and ferts will see a single stem turn into an out of control jungle in a month.

Panic not, and good luck with your planting


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

thanks . its all planted , but tbh i dont think ive done a very good job . i think i need to seperate the stems out better and try again


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## Henry (25 Apr 2013)

I usually leave at least an inch between Hygrophila stems. Under the right conditions, their growth is as much horizontal as vertical. If you notice gaps that haven't closed up, they can always be filled later.
Corymbosa will need more room than that, it's quite the leafy thing.


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

i think its the limnophila aquatica , and the linderina rotundifolia i need to re-do . they were a pig to seperate so i just kinda planted them in big bunches


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## Henry (25 Apr 2013)

If it's at all similar to Limnophila sessiflora, you'll have to a tough time stopping it from growing  I found sessiflora to be an absolute nitrate HOG, it just went nuts.


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## fish fodder (25 Apr 2013)

windyboona said:


> Sorry to hear that plant noob ! Can I ask where you purchased from so I can save myself the same trouble ,I've had enough of rubbish online aquatic stores with there bad approach to customer satisfaction this year !
> Pm me if you don't want to put the details on here



TGM.... That surprises me


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

wont be shopping there again . £101 worth of plants my backside . i want to send them back for a refund , but i doubt i can now they are out of the pots


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## Henry (25 Apr 2013)

I'm pretty sure if you kick up a fuss (which by the sound of it, you have every right to do) they'll resolve the situation. Somebody must have noticed the plants' condition when they packed them.


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## fish fodder (25 Apr 2013)

Where they tropica ones?


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

yep


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

judge for yourselves .  i shouldnt of planted them . should of just sent them back


383205_366598873450240_1086965829_n(1) by mark pettican, on Flickr


298053_366600170116777_1264379833_n by mark pettican, on Flickr


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## George Farmer (25 Apr 2013)

Hi plantnoob

Your plants look relatively normal to me for brand new plants fresh from shipment. They will soon perk up in the right conditions. Bent stems etc. are to be expected from mail order plants.

If you wish to make a complaint regarding the lack of plant mass then please contact the retailer directly, as per the UKAPS Rules and Guidelines, and I'm sure they will help further.

Cheers,
George


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

i have emailed them george . this is why i didnt name them in the thread , i didnt want the thing to become some kind of witch hunt .


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## scuttler (25 Apr 2013)

They do look normal but i tend to steer clear on postal orders as iv been disappointed in the past, i know its not realistic for some. I am lucky enough to live near the shop and the stock is amazing, always satisfied


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## Aron_Dip (25 Apr 2013)

don't worry mate my plants was too a little worse for wear from transit but 1 week on and all is picking up well.. one thing i did notice was snails lots of.. i wasted the plants as much as i could before planting but did you see any?


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

nope no snails .  maybe i'm being a bist hasty to express disapointment , but with this being my 1st ever proper plant order i was expecting to look at the tank and go " yep that looks nice" . perhaps my lack of experience/knowledge showing .


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## Aron_Dip (25 Apr 2013)

i felt the same mate as me too spent 120 on plants and was too my first planted tank but things soon pick up mate and plants adapt quick give it a week and and all will be good


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## BigTom (25 Apr 2013)

Yeah they don't look too bad to me to be honest, just a bit bedraggled from posting. Give them a day or two to figure out which way is up and get settled in. The stems should bulk out very quickly once you've trimmed and replanted them a few times. Crypts and HC will obviously be a bit slower.


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## stu_ (25 Apr 2013)

Hi Mark
TBH one of the first things i discovered is that i always underestimated how many pots i really needed to get a decent plant mass from the outset.
With the co2 going,& a bit of trimming/replanting, everything will start to fill in the gaps.


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

thanks for the reassurance everybody . il give em plenty of co2 and see how they go .


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## Ady34 (25 Apr 2013)

Hey Mark,
sorry to hear of your difficulties and disappointment, its never nice to feel let down and a little despondent. Im sure TGM will do their best to resolve any issues.
What i would say is that your plants can quickly recover and fill in. Im sure you will have already seen it but check out this thread for the 'from this to this' examples. Its worth another look if you have seen it, and if you havnt itll give you an idea of how many tanks start their journey and what they turn into 
From this to This | UK Aquatic Plant Society
Most of them look a little sparse to start with.
Keep your chin up mate and nail the c02 
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

thanks ady . some real encouragement in those tanks . some amazing transformations .


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## fish fodder (25 Apr 2013)

Unfortunately that's the risk of mail order .... Don't look as bad as I imagined though


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## plantnoob (25 Apr 2013)

im sure from what people have said that things will look better in a week or so . but i still dont feel that what i got was worth £101 .  but then i guess this is all part of the learning curve .


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## Henry (26 Apr 2013)

Its the premium you pay for being able to choose your plants online. Shop plants are cheaper, but its rare to get anything of much interest. If you think about it as an investment, you will see big returns for next to nothing (price of ferts, CO2). You got the kind of plants you wanted, the quantitative issue will sort itself out soon enough.


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## plantnoob (26 Apr 2013)

to be fair to TGM the ozelot they sent me that was missing is a beauty . loads of it in the pot , very decent size and healthy , the replacement corymbosa also was much much better .

edit: i actually got 2 lovely ozelots from the 1 pot once all the rockwool was removed . i have also removed and replanted everything apart from the HC , this time seperating and planting stems individually in small groups . now instead of a pile of poo , i can actually see potential and am much happier .

have to say i feel a little bit embarrassed about the way i flapped and panicked . i would just like to thank everybody here for their patience and encouragement , and also ewan at TGM for doing his utmost to ensure i was happy


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## George Farmer (26 Apr 2013)

I love a happy ending. 

A worthwhile thread anyway, especially for other newcomers to the hobby who are inexperienced with mail-order plants, so nothing to be ashamed of.


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## plantnoob (26 Apr 2013)

ive got another couple of stem plants coming next week to fill in a big gap at the left rear of the tank , and then il resurect the journal with the 1st planted photo so i can keep a visual record of the tanks progress . compared to yesterday i am really enjoying the tank now . as the saying gos , what a difference a day makes !


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## linkinruss (26 Apr 2013)

Good stuff. I've ordered loads of plants from TGM and I've got them in there still today. 

Try and order from AE as its a bit cheaper.


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## plantnoob (26 Apr 2013)

AE is where the other plants are coming from .  ordered them last night so should have them soon .


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## aliclarke86 (12 May 2013)

Any update on this one mate?


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## plantnoob (16 May 2013)

yep the plants from AE are simply fantastic , ordered thursday night , received them saturday morning . half the price , twice the ammount . stronger , healthier , better packaged and imho better value . sure they may not have quite the range that tgm have , but from now on they will be my " go to " place for all my plants . anything they havent got i will see if its in the for sale section on here .


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