will my pothos die in my sump?

I'm a ways into my 90g/40b African cichlid build.

Ive gotten ahold of a bit of pothos from local stores doing end of year clearance sales. I want to include it in my set up to help with excess nitrates.

Ive got it being acclimated in my 29g cichlid fry grow out tank. Only the roots are submerged. I know to keep the leaves above water.

I live in a cold climate (Wisconsin) the 40g sump will be insulated and have a secure top. I dont want to have much of the top of the sump exposed, mainly for the purposes of heat and moisture retention.

I want to know if the sump is 3/4 or so full if I can keep the pothos inside the tank above the water on a floating platform. It will be emersed but still inside the aquarium.

will it mold/rot or suffer problems from humidity? There will be several sponge filters inside the sump as well adding some minor air movement.

I think the fry living in the sump would appreciate the cover from the roots and be able to feed off any algae or w/e on them between daily feedings.

If height is a concern I considered a verticle column of acrylic on the lid to accomidate the pothos to grow upwards.

Thanks

Thats kind of the idea.

I figured it floating would be nice since it would stay consistant with the water.

Im trying to avoid unnecessary holes in the lid.

Can some of the roots be above the water? Do just the bottoms have to stay sibmerged?

I'm no stranger to killing and growing aquatic plants. This is just my first go with a terrestrial plant like pothos.

Sent from my SCH-R950 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

Thats kind of what I was afraid of. Ill keep it above the tank.

The stand is 36" tall. The 40b is only 16" tall I believe so ill have atleast 10 inches or so for it to grow plus room from side to side for it to grow out. Im planning on making a trellis to attatch it to to control it.


I have a fixture that has 2 25watt Cfl bulbs. I think around a couple thousand lumens total. Do you think that'll be enough or should I go the t5/t8 route?

Sent from my SCH-R950 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

Jk47, how did you put it in your sump? Did you cut a hole in the lid? Is it just laying in there? Or is it ina pot or basket?

Im worried about how much of the roots can be above water. Do your roots grow really long?

JK47 said:

The most important thing to remember with pothos is keep it simple. They are strong, badass little plants that would surprise you how tough they are, I've been using them for years.

I have a corner of my sump no mech media touches in the drip tray and have a ball of roots there. All the vines above are supported by this root ball and thats it. Again svery simple. When the roots get to long cut off what you don't like. They dont need as much root length as most think. More roots, nutrients and oxygen = faster growth so find a good balance for you.

IMO add pothos to the drip tray after acclimating in roots under water growth is strong. Once in the drip tray with open access to water and oxygen they grow fastest even with poor mans lighting.

View attachment 1031527

Click to expand...

Awesome. Thanks for the reply. Ive got a small 185gph 10watt utility pump. I think im going to put a small tray or holding tank resting on top of the sump and ill let it pump water up and spray the roots with a spray bar leaving thrm partially submerged too. Then it'll drain back down. Maybe I'll add a tower of bioballs somewhere in the mix.