New Project-Native Refugium, and a Few Q's About Native Plants...

[fisher12889]

So I've been researching freshwater refugiums, and they seem like a viable option for removing ammonia, nitrite, and even nitrate. This article... http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/dsb.html also gave me some ideas.

I came up with this...

It's a 55 (will be hooked up to a 125). There is a 3" bed of pool filter sand, with a total water depth of about 15". I will be adding blackworms, ghost shrimp (and possibly some other native shrimp...suggestions?) as well as snails.

I also plan on adding plants, and that is where I could use some help. Since I am keeping this all native, my choices are kinda limited. I was thinking hornwort, however I don't like how it spreads little "leaves" everywhere. Anacharis was another option, but it can't be planted (right?) and I want something that will grow a decent root system. How do you think lily pads would work? I will have 130W (2 65W power compacts).

Thank you for any input on this project (positive or negative lol) and I will also try to answer any questions if you have them!

 

[Noto]

Going native doesn't limit your choices much; a very large proportion of plants available in the trade are native to North America.

Anacharis can be planted. Unfortunately, plants sold as "anacharis" may be several different, similar species, only one of which (Elodea canadensis) is a North American native. Most of the others are noxious weeds and really shouldn't be in the trade at all. Guppy grass (Najas guadelupensis), green cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana), and Ludwigia repens are commonly available native stem plants.

True waterlilies (Nymphaea and Nuphar) get big- probably too big for your sump- with a massive rhizome. Banana plant/floating heart (Nymphoides aquatica) and American frogbit (Limnobium spongiae) are better choices for that look.

There are too many other natives available to list here. What sort of plants do you want? Do you want the plants to be mainly ammonia sponges, or are you selecting based on looks, or what?

 

[fisher12889]

Going native doesn't limit your choices much; a very large proportion of plants available in the trade are native to North America.

Anacharis can be planted. Unfortunately, plants sold as "anacharis" may be several different, similar species, only one of which (Elodea canadensis) is a North American native. Most of the others are noxious weeds and really shouldn't be in the trade at all. Guppy grass (Najas guadelupensis), green cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana), and Ludwigia repens are commonly available native stem plants.

True waterlilies (Nymphaea and Nuphar) get big- probably too big for your sump- with a massive rhizome. Banana plant/floating heart (Nymphoides aquatica) and American frogbit (Limnobium spongiae) are better choices for that look.

There are too many other natives available to list here. What sort of plants do you want? Do you want the plants to be mainly ammonia sponges, or are you selecting based on looks, or what?

Thank you for commenting on this... I'm mostly looking for plants that will clean up ammo and such, but since I have an iron stand, everything will be visible so the more attractive the better.

 

[fisher12889]

Also, on Elodea canadensis...how can one identify it from the other species?

I'm pretty sure I've seen some subspecies of Najas guadelupensis at some lakes around here...

I like the banana plants too...and I would probably still end up adding a water lily to the 125.

How are these species, as far as nitrate removal and hardiness?

 

[Noto]

Elodea ID vs. other waterweeds: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/images/line_drawings/hydcom22.jpg. The main character to look for is small leaves in whorls of three (leaves paired or in whorls of 4+ in exotic species).

In general, the faster a plant grows the more ammonia it takes up. Fast-growing stem and floating plants that grow like gangbusters indefinitely are going to be better ammonia removers in the long term than lilies or other big plants that will be space-limited and hard to trim. Plants that reproduce readily by runners are other good choices. Plants that can grow either submersed or emergent, such as hairgrasses, swords, sags, cardinal plant, etc. will generally grow faster if emergent due to the greater supply of CO2 available to them from the air.

Duckweed is probably one of the most effective ammonia removers available, especially since it is easy to scoop out the excess and toss it in the trash when needed. It can get obnoxious, though; you have to be careful not to let it clog your pump intakes, and it can be hard to eradicate if you change your mind about wanting it.

Some genera that might be good for you:

Alisma
Azolla
Bacopa
Cabomba
Ceratophyllum
Echinodorus
Eleocharis
Elodea
Heteranthera
Hydrocotyle
Juncus
Lemna
Limnobium
Lobelia
Ludwigia
Najas
Nymphoides
Potamogeton
Sagittaria
Spirodela
Vallisneria
Wolffia

If you find a particular species offered and aren't sure if it's native or not, check against the USDAPlants database: http://plants.usda.gov/java/. Simply search for the species name and hit the "Show Native Status" button; this will show you what parts of the US and Canada the species is native or introduced to. You can also search for the genus and look at all the US species at once; for example, if you look at the Echinodorus page (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ECHIN6) you will see first the overall range of the genus in the US, then below that thumbnail maps showing the range of each of the five species found in the US. The blue color on each of the range maps tells you that the species is native (introduced species would be in gray). You can see that one of the five is only found in Puerto Rico; of the other four, two (E. cordifolius and the pygmy chain sword, E. tenellus) are common in the trade.

 

[fisher12889]

Thanks for posting that Noto! Lots of useful info there!

 

[kzimmerman]

you might want to think about using a few nonnatives, like pathos and the like. Just put their roots in the water, leave everything else out of the water. From what I understand, that is the most efficient organic compound remover, as the plants have more co2, and can grow faster. Just an idea, not everyone wants vines coming from their tank!