Filtration plants
- Thread starter Aqua 4k
- Start date
If you mean by filtering, acting as a sponge for nutrients like nitrate?
As far as terrestrials go, just about any tropical plant from wet areas will do. I am using Diffeanbachia and Pothos (among others) in the photo below on the surface of my 180 gal tank.
As far as marginal plants (semi-submerged) below is Papyrus, in my 125 gal sump/refugium.
The top portion of the plant, needs to grow above the water line (as in the sump above)
The roots are submerged.
And of course all aquatic plants help somme degree.
But the plant mass must always far exceed the fish load (aquatic, terrestrial, and marginal) to be effective.
The sump below also contains a heavy growth of Vallisneria
With my heavily planted sump and tank (and regular water changes), nitrates are kept below the 5ppm level
As far as terrestrials go, just about any tropical plant from wet areas will do. I am using Diffeanbachia and Pothos (among others) in the photo below on the surface of my 180 gal tank.
As far as marginal plants (semi-submerged) below is Papyrus, in my 125 gal sump/refugium.
The top portion of the plant, needs to grow above the water line (as in the sump above)
The roots are submerged.
And of course all aquatic plants help somme degree.
But the plant mass must always far exceed the fish load (aquatic, terrestrial, and marginal) to be effective.
The sump below also contains a heavy growth of Vallisneria
With my heavily planted sump and tank (and regular water changes), nitrates are kept below the 5ppm level
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The key seems to be density, if you want them to help with filtering nitrate there needs to be a whole lot of plants and they need to be actively growing (have strong enough light and nutrients). Buying a couple aquatic plants won't do much, having a tank that is thickly packed with them will.
Pothos can also be grown in a filter box above the tank, basically a flower pot with a water pump which drains the water back into the display, and has tons of pothos growing .
Pothos can also be grown in a filter box above the tank, basically a flower pot with a water pump which drains the water back into the display, and has tons of pothos growing .
Also important to remember - Plants won’t replace the need for some water changes, even if with low fish biomass, the plants may get rid of much of the nitrate.
Thank you a lot!
I am going to save the planta yo say.
To buy It in a future.
Your plants looks great
Yes,i know i am going to put a lot.
I was searching to make a little help to the filter to reduce the nitrates.
And obviusly for the esthetic
Thanks
To me... nitrate is an indicator , it is a symptom of other contaminants we are not able to test for, like growth inhibiting hormones, pheromones and other less than desirable organic components in the soup that is our tank water.
If nitrate is high, it means that invisible things like fish urine in the soup, is thick and plants can only use just so much.
If nitrate is low, that soup is more like pure water.
Its kind of like the aold dage, "if its yellow, let it mellow", only for fish, that "mellowing" can get rather unhealthy, rather fast without frequent water changes.
Even with my aquatic jungle, I still change 30-40% every other day..
If nitrate is high, it means that invisible things like fish urine in the soup, is thick and plants can only use just so much.
If nitrate is low, that soup is more like pure water.
Its kind of like the aold dage, "if its yellow, let it mellow", only for fish, that "mellowing" can get rather unhealthy, rather fast without frequent water changes.
Even with my aquatic jungle, I still change 30-40% every other day..
I like duckweed...there, I said it! The stuff requires no maintenance, grows like wildfire, and is easy to control by scooping out as much or as little as you want with a net. Every time I remove a couple handfuls from a tank I am removing nitrates and other nutrients. It's one of the best algae controls you can have, simultaneously outcompeting the green scourge and also shading it. It provides a sense of security for skittish fish, especially surface-dwelling species like Butterflyfish, Hatchetfish, etc. It is also an easy-to-use addition to any homemade gel foods you may decide to make for your fish, especially if you are feeding herbivores. Got reptiles? Many turtles love it, and iguanas and other herbivorous lizards inhale the stuff.
I occasionally have die-offs, and even the odd tank where the stuff just won't grow, but generally speaking duckweed is bulletproof. I haven't any idea of how relatively effective it is in utilizing and trapping nitrate, but the simple fact is that I can remove more biomass in the form of duckweed from a typical tank, on an ongoing regular basis, than any other type of plant I have ever used, aquatic or terrestrial.
I prefer Giant Duckweed (used to be Lemna major, not sure what they are calling it nowadays), which is about twice the size of the common variety (Lemna minor) and to my eye much more attractive. L.major seems able to outcompete and eventually replace L.minor in my tanks, with the help of some selective culling.
People complain about how onerous the task of removing duckweed is. I don't get that at all; just scoop it out, easy-peasy. The only time it becomes troublesome is if you decide for some reason to completely remove every last trace of it; good luck with that.
I occasionally have die-offs, and even the odd tank where the stuff just won't grow, but generally speaking duckweed is bulletproof. I haven't any idea of how relatively effective it is in utilizing and trapping nitrate, but the simple fact is that I can remove more biomass in the form of duckweed from a typical tank, on an ongoing regular basis, than any other type of plant I have ever used, aquatic or terrestrial.
I prefer Giant Duckweed (used to be Lemna major, not sure what they are calling it nowadays), which is about twice the size of the common variety (Lemna minor) and to my eye much more attractive. L.major seems able to outcompete and eventually replace L.minor in my tanks, with the help of some selective culling.
People complain about how onerous the task of removing duckweed is. I don't get that at all; just scoop it out, easy-peasy. The only time it becomes troublesome is if you decide for some reason to completely remove every last trace of it; good luck with that.
I agree, great stuff
In the states I ws lucky enough to keep vegetarian fish species that loved to eat it.
Both Cincelichthys bocourti and pearsei, and Etroplus suratensus, so i had little trouble getting rid of it or any plant overages.
.
Here in Panama Salvinia (a form of giant duckweed) is available in many natural waters.
It usually ends up in my sumps.
There are studies that suggest it even removes toxic metals from waste water retention ponds.
