Just so you know your not going to see amazing results unless your tank is heavily stocked. There are many people who throw a plant or two in the tank and decide they don't work because 2-3 plants just dont suck up enough waste. I would get some cabomba, wisteria, hornwort, or anacharis. Cabomba and wisteria are my favorite because they tend to melt less then the other 2. Java moss also grows pretty quickly and has low light needs, but stem plants suck up more wastes.smokeythebair;4822787; said:
Nitrate experiment
- Thread starter smokeythebair
- Start date
Jgray152;4825876; said:
I agree, I mean if your tank cant sustain the plants they're not gonna grow. But I've been able to keep low light plants alive and growing just by adding a lightbulb with the correct spectrum to my tanks. I think the best plants are the ones you don't have to take special care for.
carsona246;4826041; said:
That really depends on your goal as a fish keeper with the particular tank...
OR...
Two different concepts, both really cool.
Plants in an aquarium do not suck up lots of nitrates because nothing in their environnent is maximised. To maximise the growth of a plant, four things need to be maximised : the lighting, the O2 at the roots level, the CO2 in the air, the nutrients level. If one of these is deficient, the growth will also be.
For exemple, a non aquatic plant receiving direct sun light will be able to consume suprisingly lots of nutrients (nitrates ...) comparatively to a plant placed in the bottom of an aqarium lighted with t8.
I would be very curious to see the results if someone could place a big plant with very high growth rate, let say a tomato plant, with the roots immerged in a sump, near the intake to maximise O2 at roots level, lighted with high pressure sodium or metal halide and CO2 injection.
I know it would be costly but it would produce almost 0ppm nitrates and good tomatoes !
For exemple, a non aquatic plant receiving direct sun light will be able to consume suprisingly lots of nutrients (nitrates ...) comparatively to a plant placed in the bottom of an aqarium lighted with t8.
I would be very curious to see the results if someone could place a big plant with very high growth rate, let say a tomato plant, with the roots immerged in a sump, near the intake to maximise O2 at roots level, lighted with high pressure sodium or metal halide and CO2 injection.
I know it would be costly but it would produce almost 0ppm nitrates and good tomatoes !
tableau;4828374; said:
I'm gonna try this, when summer comes around. The tank willbe in my garage, the sump with tomatoes outside... Maybe.
Uhm... Why has no one mentioned a RO/DI Unit yet?
Clean water... Mix 25% of the 'reject "This is filtered" in with the RO/DO water.
This will give you back your needed trace minerals.... also note PH should be neutral from the RO/DI water.. mixing will also buffer UP the PH depending on how hard your tap water is.
$130 = RO/DI unit. IT will pay for its self. Rather than throwing money @ chemicals
bulkreefsupply.com
Clean water... Mix 25% of the 'reject "This is filtered" in with the RO/DO water.
This will give you back your needed trace minerals.... also note PH should be neutral from the RO/DI water.. mixing will also buffer UP the PH depending on how hard your tap water is.
$130 = RO/DI unit. IT will pay for its self. Rather than throwing money @ chemicals
bulkreefsupply.com
After 4 days same results. The denitrate tank is still 60 and the pothos plant tank with two aquarium plants is 60. Its time for a water change so im taking 15g out of each 55g tank. Even if the nitrates did go down in 4days it would be going right back up with the water change. RO/DI? Isn't that what hooks up to your sink and requires new filters every 75g water change? Im going to get one more pothos plant and two more aquarium plants and see if that helps. The denitrate is in the filter of the other tank which i was told it wouldn't work proper there. Where should it go then??
