Here in Florida, where anything warm weather related can grow, it is a real problem in places. Hydrilla has choked out many bodies of water, and tons of money is spent trying to eradicate it. If you check out this site, you get an idea of the number of non-natives found in Florida.

 

The wierd thing is these three plants have been federally banned for over 10 years. Hydrilla for well over 20 years. Nobody has sold hydrilla in decades, if it ever was sold as an aquarium plant. More than likely it was sold as a pond plant, which is what the other two are as well. Elodea, (the only one of the three that has been used in aquariums) is actually used by water treatment facilities, to this day. Since Elodea is on the federal noxious weed list, I don't know how it could ever be transported into your state to reach the stores.

 

Cabomba caroliniana is a hugh problem on Long Island. I saw it growing completely out of control on a recent visit to a park here. It's amazing, but it's still sold in many LFS for $3.99

 

It's not the specifics of the article that caught my attention. What was remarkable to me was the front page coverage and the specific reference to aquarium owners. The hobby hasn't really been big enough in the past to generate such scrutiny.

 

The nature of the news media.. Making even the simplest and most innocent of things look DANGEROUS.

Don't get me wrong, I can respect their reasoning for not wanting to disrupt the local eco system. I just like to make fun of the media.