Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, my plants just arrived in the mail the other day...I noticed they are very small(in 3 inch pots)...should I plant them now in the vivarium (my frog wont have any cover) or wait for them to grow, then plant them? Also, is it ok to water them with dirty fish water? I'm hoping to use it as a type of fertilizer.

Plant them now if you can provide adequate light...

Fish waste water is the best fertilizer there is. My african violets stay in bloom on fish water. Quite nice. I'll take pics and show how big and strong the bloom is.

Good luck.
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-Iman

1.1 BRBs (Ying and Yang)
1.1 JCPs (Striker and Sheila)
0.0.2 BPs (Spot and Speck)
0.0.4 Dendrobates Tinctorius 'Suriname Cobalts'
0.0.4 Dendrobates Auratus 'Costa Rican Green and Black'
5.5 Fish (Insert your favorite names here)
1.0 Miniature Daschund (Rue)

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What plants are these? If they are vining types and easily rooted plants, you may want to just wash the leaves off well, remove the plants from the pots and shake off most of the soil before planting, as you don't want chemical fertilizers or even insecticides in your tank. They will do just fine without any extra fertilization once in the tank, and especially after the frogs have been introduced. Dirty fish water is great for house plants, but I wouldn't use it inside the vivarium. It's been my experience that most plants don't really require a boost in a vivarium, and in fact over time, tend to become more enthusiastic than you necessarily need, and require cutting back. It may seem sparse at first, but they'll go gung-ho with a little time.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

The plants I purchased were: Calathea Corona, Ficus pumila var. quercifolia, Monochaetum sp. Ecuador, Pilea spruceana and a 10X10 sheet of live tropical moss.. not pillow moss no sure what kind... it's real thin though

Plant the Calathea after washing the leaves, but without disturbing the soil around the roots too much, but the rest of them can be washed, abused, and will take hold, even if you just throw them in side-wise. Even the Calathea would do this if you had the nerve to cut off half the roots and all of the leaves except the very center sprouts before stuffing it into place. But that's too much to ask of anyone who is not a veteran of many plant wars. I'm talking only of the tropical environment of a vivarium here. Outside of this, on a shelf or window sill, one could not be so careless with any of these plants.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)