AquaticMagic eBay seller

Just received my order from http://stores.ebay.com/AquaticMagic Has been in transit from overseas for several weeks now. No telling how long it sat in US customs.

Pulled the packets out and here's what I found:

2 orders of Weeping moss: healthy, nice amount and very green!
2 orders of Flame moss: ditto
1 order of Christmas moss: ditto
2 orders of Pellia moss: DOA - contacted them for replacement

Considering the climatic temperatures these plants went through - I'm very surprised that the majority came in so healthy. I would purchase from them again. They are much cheaper than most sellers.

So now I have a row of moss/water filled yogurt containers in a windowsill - getting them ready for when I have time to seal them in planting nets and get them in the tanks. (My Java moss grows FAST when I put it in this window!)

They sent me java fern as Christmas moss and 80% of order was DOA and when I contacted them I never heard a reply. That was 2 years ago they may be better now.

i bought them once a long while ago, i heard they are better now. and i've heard stories of customs destroying live plants too.

I've gotten lots of plants and animals overseas. Most are shipped illegally with simple customs papers marked "Plastic Toys" and the like.

2Sci, What do you use for'planting nets' ? I tried hair nets but one of my tigar barbs got caught up in one and by the time I find him, it was just to late.

I've heard mixed reviews about them and unfortunately most have been on the south side of the chart. Plants look tempting but with reviews and customs...not going to chance it.

I ordered moss and got 3x5 cm earth, 2mm thick. They said to put it in aquarium and wait a while and watch. I watched it and watched it and watched it Nothing, no moss. I told them about it. Reply: you have to send a photo, and complain within 2 weeks... Yeah, right

Ordered some flame moss from them a few months ago and it took over a month to get her. It seemed like once they shipped it maybe only a week and a half but it took what seemed to be weeks for them to even fill the order.
When I got it the moss of still moist but browning. I put it in the ank and most of the brown melted away it seemed it be growing for awhile with a little new green but never recovered and pretty soon it all vanished...
I think if you are able to get the order quickly it will be fine but this was in the fall and it still was brown when it got here... not saying that everything is like this but it seems like many people have atleast 10-15% of their orders DOA...

Is there a reason to order from overseas instead of someone in the US? Cost I'm sure but is it worth it when it seems so much can go wrong with the order?

Most of the time is comes down to price or selection I normally order from planted aquariums central located out of Arizona I believe. They may not be dirt cheap but they have some very nice plants not to mention you get 6+ stems normally from them but these didn't carry the moss I wanted so I went to E-Bay.
I agree though always better to order as locally as possible!

They replied back to me immediately on the DOA Pellia moss. Waiting for replacement and withholding review on those.

I purchased the net material that AquaticMagic sells. It's worked like a dream! I've spread the order over far more area than I ever thought possible. Here's some pics:

Prepping some on tiles for snail tank:

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Snail tank tiles 7 days later. Showing nice growth and just beginning to pop up through netting:

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Spread some of the extra sprigs out using the wire mesh bottoms and green net top: (this is after leaving these small pieces in the window in yogurt containers for a week for some growth) Tossed these onto the bottom of my feeder quaranteen tank (also has my two young EBJDs)


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Ok, site's being a butt about loading more pics. Let me finish this on another post.

Continued.......

Same tank 14 days later. Have tons of growth. Mosses are between 1/4" and 3/4" above netting and growing like mad! (remember - they were flat with NOTHING poking through netting when I threw them in!) Xmas mosses are the slowest, Flame moss is the fastest growers.

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mine didnt work because i did not follow the directions,,,, your tanks look great....

great job! I looks really good.

I buy from them alot ive had mixed results with live plants...Ive had a few batches java moss DOA and some that were alive and well...I also have ordered a few anubias plants and they all lived.

Just wanted to put an update for them in here I ordered some Pellia from them and they shipped it air mail. I got this within a week and it looks very healthy. Came in a plastic mesh for easy grow out. Compared to the flame moss that was more or less DOA I got from them a few months ago this is a home run *Shrug* hit or miss I guess.

Update from me as well:

Replacement of two Pellias came in today - they sent me a Flame and a Weeping. Contacting them again about mix-up and asking for Pellia. I guess they tried - but perhaps their translator isn't the best?

Anyways, now I have extra Weeping and Flame. I'm going to net them to 2 3/4" tile squares tonight. If anyone's interested I might sell them in 2-3 weeks.

Here's what the growth looks like today after almost 5 weeks from my first batch of tiles:

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That's a good strong batch growing there! I really would like to try the flame moss again let me know if you want to sell some or not.
Funny enough is I have Pellia I just got in from them and you got in the flame moss that was DOA for me crazy lol

Can we say "lost in translation"?

Looked in my snail breeding tank to see how the mosses were doing. Surprise Surprise! The brown slimey remains of the Pellia I had spread out on one of them for the heck of it - are GROWING!!! Not as good and strong as the other mosses - but still - its got a couple little green fronds up.. I can't believe it! I'd spread the brown gunk out just so my snails would munch it up on the weekends.

Now I actually feel bad making them replace it. Although it did take 3 months for the brown goo to show a tiny bit of life. Or maybe my green arm from terrestrial gardening for the last twenty years - extended to the snail tank?

Haha some stuff is hard to kill I suppose