Finding aquarium plants for sale online has never been easier. But which sources offer the best selection for aquascape enthusiasts?
10 Best Sources of Aquarium Plants for Sale
If you’re looking to order aquatic plants online then the following 10 stores are the best in the business.
Buceplant
Buceplant tops this list as the best online aquatic plant store thanks to their tremendous selection. They stock more than common varieties you’ll find at your local pet store. The name hints at their focus: bucephalandra, one of my favorite aquarium plants.
Buceplant carries a large range of other rarities like Rotala species, several aquatic moss varieties, and tissue culture cups. Not to mention individually photographed driftwood pieces, carbon dioxide regulator equipment, and other planted tank essentials.
When you buy aquarium plants online, you are taking a bit of a risk. Shipments are sometimes delayed. Winter weather will freeze plants to death and the constant darkness of a box may weaken or kill them.
That’s why Buceplant also offers a live arrival guarantee. Like several of the best online aquarium plant stores they will provide a refund, store credit, or replacement. Even when it’s not their fault that your plants arrived dead.
Aquarium Plants Factory
Aquarium Plants Factory has 9 years of experience in the aquascaping industry. Based in California, they are top sellers on eBay but also maintain their own website.
Their website is one of the better organized ones as it caters to beginner, intermediate, and advanced level hobbyists alike. If you’re looking for a specific plant you will find it grouped by genus.
Yet beginners doing some shopping won’t feel overwhelmed. You are also able to search by the very broad categories of foreground, floating, epiphytic, and so on. Keep browsing their website as you’ll find “buy 2 get 1 free” aquarium live plants sales going on all the time.
Aquarium Plants Factory also caters to freshwater shrimp keepers, offering both Caridinia and Neocaridina species for sale.
AquariumPlants.com
AquariumPlants.com has an excellent balance of exotic and common plant species. You’ll find aquarium staples like cryptocoryne and ludwigia alongside rarities that even specialty breeders might not have.
Based in Tampa, FL, their year-round growing season ensures their stock remains plentiful. They are also a top pond plant distributor and carry both lotus and pond lilies of several varieties.
AquariumPlants.com is the best online aquarium plant store for decorations and growing supplies. Plant anchors, carbon dioxide generators, fish food, and fertilizers are all in stock here. Their driftwood collection is well managed and organized by variety. Common kinds like Malaysian driftwood sit alongside rare kinds like mopani and corcovado.
Live Aquaria
Based in Wisconsin, Live Aquaria offers a comprehensive range of aquarium fish, corals, live plants, and invertebrates. They made my previous list of the best online fish stores thanks to their selection and 14-day live arrival guarantee.
I recommend starting with their Aquarium Plant Packs. These are organized into collections that cover the fore, mid, and background needs of most tank sizes.
Live Aquaria is also the best website to buy live plants if you’re interested in marine macroalgae. These rare plants are difficult to find online or in person. Mermaid’s fan and dragon’s tongue algae are two species that every reef tank keeper needs to try.
Aquatic Arts
Aquatic Arts is one of the most impressive success stories of the past 9 years. The brand was founded in Indiana by David. He decided to start selling red cherry shrimp on eBay to try and make money without compromising on his values.
David’s business exploded, allowing him to expand his online aquatic store to include wholesale aquarium plants, exotic fish, freshwater crabs..And even their own brand of aquarium fish food.
Aquatic Arts is my favorite place to buy rare plants and fish from. Their photographs are taken with care, with excellent color accuracy. The selection often includes rare varieties that even other sellers on this list don’t carry.
AZGardens.com
AzGardens.com (Arizona Aquatic Gardens) is a leading fish, invertebrate, and plant distributor. They are experts in all things aquatic; from indoor aquariums to outdoor ornamental and game fish ponds. AzGardens also carries a wide range of algae mitigation tools, from chemicals to algae-eating species of animals.
Founded in 1987, AzGardens offers a wide range of bunched and potted aquarium plants for sale. Categories are well organized, with accurate photos and a balance of common and rare species.
Their selection of fish is also impressive, including both freshwater and saltwater options. Corals, clams, brackish water fish…There’s something for all skill levels in stock through Arizona Aquatic Gardens.
Florida Aquatic Nurseries
Florida Aquatic Nurseries is one of America’s oldest pond and aquarium plant providers. Started in 1957, this family owned and operated business is run by the founder’s sons Brad and Bruce McLane.
500 tanks and ponds are spread out over 15 acres of property. Seven greenhouses offer an additional 100,000 square feet of growing area for aquarium plants.
Florida Aquatic Nurseries is more than a cheap place to buy plants, though. They also develop their own varieties and lineages, including their “Compacta” and hybrid Amazon sword plants.
And if you are an outdoor pond keeper, Florida Aquatic Nurseries will be your website of choice. They carry over 250 different species and cultivars at any one time.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com is one of the largest companies in the world. Founded as an online book seller, they’ve expanded to include everything from furniture to car parts. Amazon is also a good place to buy aquarium plants online. Sellers sometimes offer Prime 2-day shipping, which is cheaper and faster than even some USPS orders.
The selection isn’t as diverse as Buceplant or Aquarium Plants Factory. But mosses, stem plants, and other staple varieties are all in stock. Do your research before buying an unfamiliar plant, though. Amazon sellers aren’t always the most reliable.
For example, it’s common to find listings for “aquarium plant seeds.” These seeds are terrestrial plants that end up dying in a week or two. Scammers are rare but do exist on Amazon so shop with caution.
AquaBid.com
AquaBid.com is one of the best websites for cheap aquarium plants. Since it uses an auction layout you pay as much as you want. Plants often come in huge bundles at low markups. Lucky bidders may end up with a bunch of plants for a few dollars before shipping prices.
One downside to auction sites is that you are forced to wait hours to days for it to close. Buy It Now is available for several plant auctions, however. If you don’t mind paying a little more, your new plants will ship faster. The site also carries a good selection of aquascape aquarium supplies.
AquaBid.com has a selection that is more limited than specialty stores like AquariumPlants.com. Since stock is maintained by whatever auctioneers care to share, there is no guarantee of a particular species being in stock. Rare mosses and stem plants are what I see most often. Alongside perennial favorites like Java fern and anubias.
eBay.com
If you’re looking for aquarium plants near me then it’s hard to beat eBay. The sellers here are local, national, and even international, depending on what you’re looking for.
Like AquaBid.com, the selection is more limited. Even a few of the big websites here sell on eBay. But most sellers cater to the beginner favorites like elodea or moneywort. With fewer exotic species for sale.
That said, I check eBay if I can’t find a particular plant elsewhere. Rare moss lovers will be surprised by the variety in stock here.
Conclusion
These stores that carry freshwater aquatic plants for sale may vary in their selection. But never in the quality of their goods. Do you prefer the excitement of an auction or a reliable transactional sale? Regardless, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
FAQs
The easiest plants to grow in a fish tank are those with minimal light and nutritional needs. They will grow slow but need little attention from you. Java moss, guppy grass, and hornwort are so easy to grow you don’t even need to root them. A bunch placed into the water will grow as a floating tangle.
Yes, they are worth the effort. Plants offer substantial benefits for little investment. They consume fish waste products like ammonia and CO2. These are fertilizers for plants. Plants also provide shade, places for fish to spawn, and compete with algae for nutrients. And the beauty of lush plant growth can’t be understated.
