leds for planted sump

[bicboihulk]

okay so i've finally have my sump set up. i have a 75 gallon tank with a 45 gallon sump. my tank has 1 hob aqua clear 110 filter and a eheim 2215 cannister filter which is already adequate filtration. the only reason i decided on building the sump was because i saw on youtube lol. the sump as of right now is bare and i was planning on adding just plants. will strip led lights be enough for low light plants such as anubias? i've never had plants before and i just want easy plants that will help with nitrite build up in my main display tank.

 

[Woefulrelic]

Have you considered a plant like pothos? They are terrestrial so you have to submerge the stem and roots, and the leaves have to grow out of the aquarium. These plants will be much more efficient at eliminating nitrates, and you can have space for whatever you want in the sump as they only need enough room to grow roots. I have pothos on all of my tanks, I bought one plant at Home Depot labeled golden ivy I believe. It has propogated and allowed me to establish it in multiple systems. They require very little light as they are used in home decorations and such. I also put them in hob filters. I don't have any pics of the pothos in the tank. The roots on these plants are poisonous to household pets like cats and dogs, so an alternative may be necessary if you have animals that can get into everything.

 

[bicboihulk]

i have a dog so i wouldn't risk it if it is poisonous and especially if it hangs out of the tank like that. the sump is just extra. the only reason why i added it is because i got the tank for dirt cheap...$20 to be exact. it was just dirty and i had to clean it and i re-caulk it just to be safe not that it was leaking. the sump isn't meant to hold anything it is just mostly for extra water volume as of right now. like i said i've already have 2 filters so i didn't have a need to add baffles or any extra filter media. i was considering either breeding feeders for my main tank OR just grow plants in the sump. the latter sounds a lot easier and less maintenance plus it gives me better water quality.

 

[Woefulrelic]

From what I understand pothos will use space, nutrients and light more efficiently than almost any aquatic plant you will want in your system. Pothos is not unique however, so this extends to many other terrestrial plants. I know almost nothing about plants so I can't offer alternatives. I'm sure others can chime in, but bamboo and papyrus come to mind. If your set on or limited to aquatic plants I would root anubias to driftwood and grow it out to sell.