Website Review

Plants are not one of my better areas. However, for those who are keen on plants there is a well-known secret fertilizer created by a European company called Tropica. The stuff is not cheap by any means, but it turns losers into plant growing phenoms. While surfing around I found that not only does Tropica make a great fertilizer, they also have perhaps the best database of plants on the internet. Trust me you can get lost for hours looking through this one.

Original Content (10)

As far as I know, everything on this site is original content gathered from hours of experience and experiments with plants. The plant database I don’t believe contains every plant available to the hobbyist, but it contains most every plant you will ever see for sale in an aquarium store. Each plant listing gives some scientific information about the plant, and some practical information. Light, Temperature, pH and Hardness requirements are all listed. I find this very useful as plants that require soft water will not grow in the hard alkaline water I pull from my tap. Rather than trying to change the water chemistry, I find it is better to buy things that fit the water chemistry of my particular area. This information on every plant is priceless, the only problem is the lack of an ability to search or sort plants by their needs.

Value to the Hobby (10)

For anyone who keeps plants this site is a goldmine. For those who don’t keep plants but would like to, the database on plants is a great help. However, there is even more to help you along your way. There are articles and other information about keeping plants and keeping algae away.

Visuals (5)

Whereas this site provides a wealth of useful information, it unfortunately does not back it up with a very showy site. For my money I take information over glitz everyday. The site is easy enough to navigate, and the plant database does include an image of each plant. This helps to identify the plants. However, most the images used are far from awe-inspiring. The site was kept simple, sweet, and straightforward, so there is not much eye-candy.

Overall (8)

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about keeping plants, this should be your first stop. I’d begin with the articles and then work into the plant database and look for plants that appeal to you and will work in your water. This is a MUST stop for anyone who wants to keep plants, and somewhat unknown site that is becoming more appreciated with time. Oh and while you are there, see if you can find someone who carries that famous Tropica fertilizer, I guarantee it will make your plant-keeping easier.