Nitrate absorbing floating plants

[ShanerBock888]

https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Lant...TF8&qid=1485817721&sr=8-10&keywords=light+kit

Really cheap light, and comes with a hook so you can hang it from the top of your stand. As for plants, pothos is really easy. Just buy a plastic planter, drill holes all over the sides of it, like tons of them, fill it with lava rocks, plant pothos among the lava rocksand set it on the bottom of your sump. The pothos will fill the planter in no time, and they're heavy root-feeders so they take care of more nitrates than most plants.

 

[jaws7777]

https://www.amazon.com/Hanging-Lant...TF8&qid=1485817721&sr=8-10&keywords=light+kit

Really cheap light, and comes with a hook so you can hang it from the top of your stand. As for plants, pothos is really easy. Just buy a plastic planter, drill holes all over the sides of it, like tons of them, fill it with lava rocks, plant pothos among the lava rocksand set it on the bottom of your sump. The pothos will fill the planter in no time, and they're heavy root-feeders so they take care of more nitrates than most plants.

Can the pothos leafs be submerged ? I always thought only the root system was submerged.

 

[ShanerBock888]

Can the pothos leafs be submerged ? I always thought only the root system was submerged.

nah they can't be, I thought you had a wet/dry going with 6" or so of water on the bottom.

 

[jaws7777]

Nope but i could rig up a basket/shower holder thing

 

[ShanerBock888]

Nope but i could rig up a basket/shower holder thing

yeah definitely. You could rest a piece of egg crate on top, with a hole cut in the middle of it, large enough for the bottom of the planter to go through but small enough where the top lip of it rests on top of the egg crate

 

[jaws7777]

I use Salvinia(if not restricted in your state) or Amazon frogbit. I've also had good results with watercress or pothos. The duckweeds and azollas are a bit too messy for me. Adding the plants as long as they are growing well, can really do good job at keeping nitrates low.

What would you co sider the best with absorbing nitrates ?

Could try hornwort if your lfs has any. Been growing like crazy in my tanks. Pulled a 5ft piece out of my 90 yesterday, stuff was wrapped around my poor bacopa haha. Mine had frogbit also, I should grab some.

Some people on craigslist were selling water lettuce and hyacinths, maybe those would work if you have grow lights above your sump. I think they need really strong lights. Any algae growth from strong lighting should help too. I think you just can't ship them to ca, not sure about buying in state haha. It's probably the plant popo on cl though hahahaha.

How o you think the hornwort is inregards to nitrate absorption?

yeah definitely. You could rest a piece of egg crate on top, with a hole cut in the middle of it, large enough for the bottom of the planter to go through but small enough where the top lip of it rests on top of the egg crate

Cool i have a bunch of egg crate/lighting diffuser

 

[jaws7777]

So ive been reading up on some of the plants suggested and i cant wait to try this.

Gonna see if i can find any of these locally. Really like some of the things i read about Salvinia, frogbit, and water lettuce. Maybe just get all 3 and see who outperforms. Do they need special or high lighting ? Can i just get by with a reg light like ShanerBock888 posted ? Also how many hrs a day should i keep the light on

 

[ShanerBock888]

So ive been reading up on some of the plants suggested and i cant wait to try this.

Gonna see if i can find any of these locally. Really like some of the things i read about Salvinia, frogbit, and water lettuce. Maybe just get all 3 and see who outperforms. Do they need special or high lighting ? Can i just get by with a reg light like ShanerBock888 posted ? Also how many hrs a day should i keep the light on

I tired salvinia under just an LED once, it looked great and survived, but it just grew very slowly, which isn't always bad. The pothos will actually grow pretty fast, even with just an LED.

 

[Polyaddict86]

yeah definitely. You could rest a piece of egg crate on top, with a hole cut in the middle of it, large enough for the bottom of the planter to go through but small enough where the top lip of it rests on top of the egg crate

Thats a good idea.

 

[Polyaddict86]

So ive been reading up on some of the plants suggested and i cant wait to try this.

Gonna see if i can find any of these locally. Really like some of the things i read about Salvinia, frogbit, and water lettuce. Maybe just get all 3 and see who outperforms. Do they need special or high lighting ? Can i just get by with a reg light like ShanerBock888 posted ? Also how many hrs a day should i keep the light on

I like the frogbit, i have to see and read abut salvinia.