# "How Pretty! *flips over tag* Wow, that's expensive!"



## Dienah (Jul 2, 2010)

So, I was just on the Big Al's online store website .. and well, as you could probably already assume, I'm here to rant about just how *EXPENSIVE* the ornaments are.

I'm re-decorating my tank coming soon. For substrate, okay, I could go along with the price. But come on, I saw like a 2 inch bamboo wall for nearly 30 big ones. Call me cheap, but I think these ornaments are just WAY too overpriced.

If anyone out there knows a good _cheap _place for ornaments, send em my way!!


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

*Who sells organic bamboo?*

If it were possible to get organic bamboo in TO, it would be easy to make a bamboo wall using just bamboo, a saw, and aquarium-safe silicone sealant.

Anybody know where to get organic bamboo?

(I'm also interested in it for making mason bee houses -- you can tie a cluster of bamboo rods together and have the same effect)


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## Angelic (Sep 13, 2010)

I know hamilton big als has organic bamboo =.

Honestly though, Big Als decorations are such a rip off =/


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Angelic said:


> I know hamilton big als has organic bamboo/


You mean, actual "sticks" of bamboo, or things made from bamboo?


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## Angelic (Sep 13, 2010)

characinfan said:


> You mean, actual "sticks" of bamboo, or things made from bamboo?


what do you mean things made of I mean green shoots of bamboo like the live planted kind. Unless you looking for like the yellow shoots that are all dead that you could just cut and stick together cause you can those at like home improivement stores and such, dunno if you can put them in a tank though


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Oh, I thought you meant a sort of screen thing made from dried bamboo, not an arrangement using living bamboo!  I was talking about dried bamboo stalks.

As for living bamboo without pesticides on it, I have no idea where to get it. Most "lucky bamboo" at florists, etc. is sprayed.


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## Angelic (Sep 13, 2010)

characinfan said:


> Oh, I thought you meant a sort of screen thing made from dried bamboo, not an arrangement using living bamboo!  I was talking about dried bamboo stalks.
> 
> As for living bamboo without pesticides on it, I have no idea where to get it. Most "lucky bamboo" at florists, etc. is sprayed.


I meant live bamboo X3 They look pretty cool but it wouldnt fit with the theme in my tanks =(
Well the living bamboo is at big als but they arent very tall and Im not sure where you can get safe non sprayed lucky bamboo either =S I wouldnt really want to chance it


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

'Lucky bamboo' isn't bamboo -- it's a Dracaena species with most of the leaves pulled off. Neither Dracaena nor bamboo are aquatic plants. If you want 'organic' Dracaena, just let it grow and root the parts that grew after you bought it.

Dead bamboo, the yellow stuff, will rot eventually, probably after some months or so. It won't last anything like as long as wood will.


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## Angelic (Sep 13, 2010)

people have grown lucky bamboo with leaves emersed although it isnt an aquatic plant >_> Obviously not in a really tall aquarium or anything


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## Holidays (Apr 18, 2010)

Go to Wallmart or Zellers they sell aquarium decors much cheaper than LFS.

I have a fake coral and clams air bubbles, new condition and clean, I'll sell em to ya


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## dp12345 (Sep 12, 2010)

u could go to any dollar store they have decors as well as bamboo u could just connect it with silicone to the size u want.
they also have small pots u could use to put your decor w/c is 3 for $1

dp


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

Del,

You're not the olny one jumping over the price of the ornements at BA's or Petsmart. Where do you live in T.O? Get a pair of rubbers on and walk the bluffs looking for wood. Go home and saw down the wood to the size what you need and zip tie or silicone/screw in slate to weight it down.


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## ar1_pyroboy (Jun 20, 2009)

Dienah said:


> So, I was just on the Big Al's online store website .. and well, as you could probably already assume, I'm here to rant about just how *EXPENSIVE* the ornaments are.
> 
> I'm re-decorating my tank coming soon. For substrate, okay, I could go along with the price. But come on, I saw like a 2 inch bamboo wall for nearly 30 big ones. Call me cheap, but I think these ornaments are just WAY too overpriced.
> 
> If anyone out there knows a good _cheap _place for ornaments, send em my way!!


I agree, I hate going to the stores and seeing the really cool decors only to find a $50 price tag on them, it's so frustrating.  I'll looking into some diy decors lol.


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## Fishfinder (Feb 17, 2008)

Yup... the pricetags on them is pretty crazy, i dont mind though since i like the natural look of wood, rock n live plants 

In the past i had tried live bamboo, started with 6 i think, 3 died within the first week or so, then the 3rd remaining one rotted out over a month or so. The remaining two grew some roots, some leaves and what not, but eventually the middle of the submerged stock rotted out, its a shame because they looked nice amongst jungle vals and the fish liked hiding around them.


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## ar1_pyroboy (Jun 20, 2009)

Fishfinder said:


> In the past i had tried live bamboo, started with 6 i think, 3 died within the first week or so, then the 3rd remaining one rotted out over a month or so. The remaining two grew some roots, some leaves and what not, but eventually the middle of the submerged stock rotted out, its a shame because they looked nice amongst jungle vals and the fish liked hiding around them.


LOL...why must all good things come to an end? hehe.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

I can no longer stand artificial decor of any kind. Even a dollar is too much for a lump of plastic.

Forget buying ornaments. Get rocks, and wood, and live plants. It's all you need. And you don't need to buy it at the LFS.

Although if you want mopani, you may as well just get it there.
or here on the classifieds section, or on Pricenetwork.ca


W


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## bcarlos (Nov 19, 2009)

KhuliLoachFan said:


> I can no longer stand artificial decor of any kind. Even a dollar is too much for a lump of plastic.
> 
> Forget buying ornaments. Get rocks, and wood, and live plants. It's all you need. And you don't need to buy it at the LFS.
> 
> W


x2

I think ornaments look tacky. The more natural you keep it, the better the tank looks IMO


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

I sort of feel the same as you carlos... Not that there's anything really wrong with putting in ornaments if that's what you like. Different stroke.

But honestly one nice thing about live plants is that they propagate so you can save some money that way.

Almond leaves are cheap and make a nice addition. I run boyd's chemipure and after 1 water change do not have any tannin stain to my water from them. So heh, it's worth looking into.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

live plants will be hard since she has goldfish, I put some hornwort in her tank. We don't see it anymore...


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

hah, yeah, then there's that problem


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