Flexible Plant Weights – Soft Bendable Anchors for Live Aquarium Plants
Despite being commonly called 'lead weights' in the hobby, our weights are crafted from a Zinc Magnesium alloy, making them entirely harmless to every resident of your aquarium.
Use plant weight to wrap around the base, and bottom part of the plants. For best results, use an APF White Foam™ to protect the stem of aquarium plants from direct contact with a lead weight. Bury the base of aquarium plants in the substrate to promote root growth.
- APF Plant Weights for Aquarium Plants
- Safe for Aquarium use, not toxic to fish, snail, or shrimp
- Easy to keep plants weighted, anchors down
- Won't rust, flexible & easy to bent, reuse, and fully recyclable
- Tips: Use more lead weight to anchor the larger plant
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers said these are "pliable and versatile" weights that effectively keep aquarium plants anchored. Many praised their flexibility for wrapping around stems without damage. Some concerns noted about width being too large for small plants and potential sharp edges that could harm fish.
- Pliable and versatile, exactly what you need for anything from mosses to stem plants
- Much more flexible, easier to wrap around the stalk 2-3 times without crushing it
- 25 will last forever! Great buy!
r
I recently bought a pack of plant weights from you and they have been much easier to work with because yours are so much more flexible. The other plant weights of equal weight are hard to get wrapped around the plant's stalk. They are much thicker and hard to bend without damaging the stalk. Your weights are thinner and can be easily wrapped around the stalk 2-3 times without crushing it. They also protect the stalk better as I push them deep into the substrate when planting. They are also easier to shape when used in other applications
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D
So far
D
(redacted)
w
Wrong item - Small roll of tubing instead of the lead.
C
I love these weights, they're pliable and versatile and exactly what you need for anything from mosses to stem plants
S
Very pliable, trimmable with scissors if desired
T
They sink.
B
Work perfectly
C
your fish opens themselves up on an exposed section
K
they are ok as weights go but too wide for my taste. Trying to use them on small chunks of dwarf hairgrass was hopeless. Half of the plants I used them on are already floating. If I could find a way to cut them in half lengthwise I'd be happy.
V
Heavier than weights I have received in the past.
P
Exactly as described.
c
25 will last forever! great buy!
R
As described first time buying weights haven't used them yet but its going to help from my plants floating away
J
Purchased these along w/ the APF foam. The 2 products together work great for keeping plants down in the substrate.
C
It says lead but I was under the understanding you can use lead in a fish aquarium
Great question, and a fair thing to double check! Despite the common hobby nickname "lead weights," ours are actually made from a zinc-magnesium alloy, not real lead. They're entirely safe for aquarium use and won't harm fish, snails, shrimp, or any other tank inhabitants. The "lead" name is just leftover terminology from the hobby since that's what plant weights used to be made from years ago.
J
Hey I was wondering is the lead safe for fish. I’ve heard that lead may be dangerous to animals but I was just wondering.
Totally understandable to double check! You'll be glad to know they're not actually made of lead despite the common hobby name - ours are made from a zinc-magnesium alloy, which is non-toxic and safe for fish, shrimp, snails, and every other resident of your tank.
M
Wait.... are these pronounces (leed) or pronounced lead as in like lead weight or (lead paint). If these are lead weights isnt that toxic?
Good news either way - they're not made of actual lead, so no toxicity concern regardless of pronunciation! They're crafted from a zinc-magnesium alloy, which is completely safe for aquarium use. The "lead" name is just old hobby terminology that stuck around from when plant weights really were made of lead years ago.
D
Would I have to worry about the lead leaching into the water and killing my fish over time?
No need to worry there! These aren't actually made of lead - they're a zinc-magnesium alloy, so there's no lead to leach out in the first place. They're designed to be safe for long-term use in aquariums and won't harm your fish over time.
D
what are these weights made of
They're made from a zinc-magnesium alloy rather than actual lead - despite the common hobby nickname "lead weights," so they're entirely safe to use in an aquarium with fish, shrimp, or snails.
C
Are they made of actual lead?
Yes, but not 100% lead according to the manufacturer
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