K1 Media or Plants(Pothos)?

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Fire Eel
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My tank has a side filter and I'm debating on whether to stick with my current K1 setup or converting the K1 chamber(9"x6") into growing pothos..
Reason for this is the air pump diaphragms keep tearing every few weeks(I've been replacing them for some time now) and the air pump itself is making a lot of noise in the bedroom..
So far the water quality is great and fish is happy but I wanted opinions from you guys to see if it's worth switching to pothos..

I've attached a pic of the side filter for reference..

K1.JPG
 

JK47

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not worth it at all IMO. Pothos are fun, they do make an impact. A very small one that is in no way a comparison to K1. If the diaphragms suck to change and the noise is high maybe consider ditching the air pump all together.

A chamber that size can easily be ran by a powerhead or small pump and it wold be silent. A small Rio 250 GPH pump pointed towards the surface should be enough for that size bed. .
 

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Fire Eel
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Oct 11, 2008
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not worth it at all IMO. Pothos are fun, they do make an impact. A very small one that is in no way a comparison to K1. If the diaphragms suck to change and the noise is high maybe consider ditching the air pump all together.

A chamber that size can easily be ran by a powerhead or small pump and it wold be silent. A small Rio 250 GPH pump pointed towards the surface should be enough for that size bed. .
Ok, I'll take your word for it since you are the founder for the pothos thread lol
Regarding the usage of powerhead/small pump, wouldn't it clash with the flow of the return pump? I've actually tried using pump to churn the K1 media but somehow it didn't work for me then(for whatever reason the K1 never matured even after a year).. which was the reason I switched to air pump..
 

JK47

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Ok, I'll take your word for it since you are the founder for the pothos thread lol
Regarding the usage of powerhead/small pump, wouldn't it clash with the flow of the return pump? I've actually tried using pump to churn the K1 media but somehow it didn't work for me then(for whatever reason the K1 never matured even after a year).. which was the reason I switched to air pump..
Clash, how so? I don't think it would. I recommended the Rio because I used one for a long time until I converted air pump brands and it worked great. What I am describing is a small pump in the middle of the K1 chamber, with the pump output pointed up. From a fluid dynamics standpoint, the upward motion of a small pump replicates the same uplift that the air pump does.
 

J. H.

Potamotrygon
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Pothos (and its alternatives) are great, I disagree with JK47 JK47 in that the nitrogen removed has to do with plant size and available light, not chamber size; a powerful grolight and a big plant coiled in on itself in there might leave you with 0 nitrate. However, I don't think it would be less work, as you need to keep roots clean and out of vital bits of your system, cut away dead or dying leaves and care for the plant. (macro and micro ferts may be needed to get max denitration.) I think K1 is lower maintenance than a plant, unless you factor in WC.
 
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JK47

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Pothos (and its alternatives) are great, I disagree with JK47 JK47 in that the nitrogen removed has to do with plant size and available light, not chamber size; a powerful grolight and a big plant coiled in on itself in there might leave you with 0 nitrate. However, I don't think it would be less work, as you need to keep roots clean and out of vital bits of your system, cut away dead or dying leaves and care for the plant. (macro and micro ferts may be needed to get max denitration.) I think K1 is lower maintenance than a plant, unless you factor in WC.
I'm not stating it doesn't work or speaking in general terms. I'm stating that in comparison to K1 (a highly efficient biological media) pothos does not stack up. I respect your opinion and love plant filtration, however, in good conscience cannot say that pothos would be the better option of the two which I understood to be the OP's question. 9"x6" is not a large enough area for pothos to compete with something as efficient as K1.
 
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J. H.

Potamotrygon
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It's just 9x6? how much clearance before you hit the top?
Truth is, you could probably run both, as plants growing in water tend to send out short, fat roots that wouldn't get in the way of the K1 much.
Plants will eat up ammonia faster than Nitrate, so the K1 and pothos may fight each other.
 
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