# JAVA FERN FROM PETCO



## lamthuyduong

I bought a live java fern from a petstore called Petco and I'm not really sure if it's a real aquatic plant or not. The java fern came in a long, round, plastic container and on the bottom of the container was a jello-like substance. It was sold on the shelf with other plants. The plants were not in an aquarium. On the package, it was not called java fern, but rather tropica fern. Although the latin name is microsorium pteropus. The company that produced the so called tropica fern is Complete Aquatic Systems (this information was on the back of the package) Will this java fern live? Has anyone bought this type of java fern from this company before?


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## Raul-7

Don't worry the plant will live. This is just the way the company packages the plant to ensure it doesn't dry out and die. I remember someone buying the exact same thing a while ago and he was very happy with it. 

Try searching for the name it might come up...


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## scitz

Be very careful about the other plants that are sold in those things. Only 3 or 4 of the species they sell like that are 'true aquatic' plants. Many of the swords are 'bog' species. I believe the only ones they sell like that that will do well in an aquarium long term were the Tropica Fern (aka Java Fern), Amazon Sword (not brasil or Borneo, those 2 will just die in 2 months or so), and Wisteria (though i think they called it something else) though there may be some more, those are what i can recall off the top of my head.

Also, due to the drier nature of the packaging and that it is hung on a shelf with no lighting besides whatever hits it from our MH ceiling lights, these things have a very high mortality rate, so check them out carefully before you pick one up.

As a petco employee, I can also say that they are going to phase out their live plants that we get that arent in those prepackaged things :evil: 

Although the only live plants we get are Anubias azureas (sp? large smooth leaved anubias) your basic amazon swords, H polysperma, a crypt every once in a blue moon, a bunch of bog plants like draconia, and bunches of elodea and wisteria.

I have been in contact with several higher ups about this issue, so we will see what becomes of it. Most likely nothing.


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## Sir_BlackhOle

Yeah the Petco here has a very poor selection of live (or barely live) plants for sale. Its dissapointing because they just opened it here a few months back and I was hoping they would have more.


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## daddyo72

I've used the "cylinder plants" and they work just fine for me. One thing I notice about petsmart, petco is they often don't know what the've got. In reference to fish, plants what have you. Do some searching and you may get a real deal.


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