Best place for plants are all in CT. (Sorry... couldn't resist. But all my plants actually come from CT... nothing great in the lps up here.) Contact Dolphin. He has some new stock in.
Petmasters boksburg has variety of stuff.. but might not be the best stuff.. go take a look.. but in terms of plants.. not very good.
Agree with Zoom - JHB definately lacking in the plant department so many fish shops so little plants - lotsa fish though
That's because you guys don't want the normal stuff that is available at your LPS stores. Guys, you need to realise that Dolphin put's up a list of plants that he CAN GET for you. You then place your order. He then orders it... It's IMPORTED. When the stock finally arrives (4-6 weeks later... if you have no problems at customs), he then has to ID the stuff, because 99% of the stuff, it isn't labelled. During this period, the plants are being quarantined for you... and they are being acclimatized to growing under water. 99.9% of aquatic plants are grown emersed, i.e roots in water, leaves out of water... and they need to be acclimatized to growing under water. So by the time you get your plants, they have been quarantined, correctly identified so that you get what you order, acclimitized, and are good quality. I know Dolphin runs CO2 on his plants, good light, and fertz. Show me ANY LPS store that offers this service with ANY plant you want, be guaranteed to get that plant the moment you walk into the LPS.. and have it is excellent growing condition. Milsky, all I was saying was contact Dolphin... he received stock recently, and I know he over orders sometimes to compensate for losses. He may actually have plants you can buy.
For the record - Dolphin had my my Plants with me in like 3 days (but that was a pickup not shipping)
I'm in Sandton but will be in PTA later. Don't mind driving around if it is worthwhile. Whee is dolphin based ?
Chaps, not to sound flippant but if you think about how much we spend on substrate, light, ferts, co2 and all the added extras, sacrificing cost on plants is really not an issue for me, I would be happy to pay a premium to be able to source good variety. Not to say that spending money is any guarantee on your plants growing well or even surviving but no point in 'getting it all right' if you are stuck with the same old average local species, I will pm dolphin and see if he can help
dude, interms of fish or plants? because their fish is by far the cheapest on ave and has more variety that ive seen in JHB.. if u know of another place please let me know.. milksky, depends on alot of things.. what is your tank size 1st of all? also, u want to go hightech with the substrate? co2 can cost alot.. equipment i mean
Shisr thanks for the post,.... too late she cried however... I have two tanks one jewel 180l and a Aqua h2o 400l both with Flourite, plenty light and a single co2 reg with solonoid connected to both tanks, dosing ferts mostly micros and potassium ...and getting prof drops when I get back so all of this is setup for HI TECH... I have been researching EI for some time now and will see how the Drops work out and may try one of the dosing regimes that Rudi has posted. I have to say that I cannot believe the impact of CO2 and ferts has had on plant growth and health, sounds stupid and really obvious but you will not believe it...some plants like Hygro growing inches in a week, Greenspot Algae blown away and my 75cm high tank starting fill out/upward and getting to the point where it is looking like it should. I have an interesting selection of plants at the moment but really am looking for variety , I regularly visit the well known LFS in Cape Town and seem to have exhausted the range of plants grown in SA (matikulu in Natal I think)... these guys do change their selection in summer as they can grow certain plants better in warmer temps so I will keep an eye out here too.. The biggest problem here is if you do some looking around on other forums overseas and see what these guys have access to, you end up realising how little is on offer....
As far as talking abt lfs, well the sponsors seem to run a very very different business approach to the LFS they seem to run their businesses on an order driven approach and are quite specialised, they are not really that geared to offering a broad range of 'typical' products. They source specialised and higher value items and I dont think are competing with LFS, further they are operating 'direct' businesses through this forum which means no retail costs or overheads and technically should be able to outcompete all lfs on price and one would assume value, given this the LFS market should not be competition...typical online model...correct me if I am wrong but this is all that I have seen in my short time as a TASA member. Each has its place, this forum however has provided invaluable insight to this hobby and the dos and donts, why not have an open discussion that we can all benefit by so long as you are not promoting a LFS... so long as it doesnt inhibit the business a sponsor can do. I would gain a lot from others opinions on who is out there, what they charge and whether they are reliable or not. There are so many stories of rip off artists and unscrupulous operators we would all benefit from and vice versa. I think the spirit of this forum is sharing this knowledge, it still has to be funded and someone has to pay for the benefit of hosting servers etc... I get this, I get the need for sponsors but it is sad if we were to loose the valuable insights from members on what is happening in the trade. Bear in mind that because of this thread I will more than likely hookup with Dolphin to get plants rather than run around Josi so interacting and debating LFS has its place in my opinion
We don't like you "naming-and-shaming" a LPS, because this is actually not ethical, in my opinion. Just because you had a bad experience, and didn't follow this experience up with the owner yourself, doesn't give you the right to come vent your anger, and name-and-shame on TASA. but more importantly... everyone says it's freedom of speech, however there is an extremely thin line between "freedom of speech" and "defamation of character". When you are naming-and-shaming" you are exercising your right to freedom of speech, however the LPS can rightfully, (and will more than likely win) a defamation of character law suit." We also do not like you giving out details and prices related to an LPA in the public forum, because our sponsors pay for the upkeep of this site. It is an agreeent that TASA has with the sponsors that we will not let people openly talk about the fact that PetSlobs in 88 Helderfontree shopping centre, telephone 778 5555, is selling their boyu canisters on special for R540.00. Joe Justice may be sponsoring the forum, and now you go an give FREE advertising for PetSlobs, and Joe Justice may be able to get an even better filter at half the price. Joe Justice feels he has been done in because he has lost on a potential sale. Joe Justice can offer a far better service, cheaper prices, and generally be so much more professional thatn Petslobs... but you as a member have gone and over-ridden this completely. That's mainly why we discourage people giving out details and prices of other LPS stores.
