only plants for filtration? anybody else?

[sbuse]

Alright, sounds good. We must have just misunderstood each other from the start.

I never doubted that your plants are filtering the majority of the water. When I put in some plants in the next couple days, this is my hope as well.

i belive that was the case...i have plants in all my hob filters and my nitrates never get above 10-20ppm and have heavily stocked tanks...i let it go for a few months without a wc and i still had 15ppm, 0, 0, ph 7.5...that was on a 180gal with a heavy stocklist...plants are amazing...and easy to incorperat into a system...ex. just put some lucky bamboo in you hob filter and bam clearer water and lower nitrate levels

 

[sbuse]

It's a 55 gallon tank with a few plants, not a 1 million+ gallon lake or a river with constant flow where water is constantly being flushed out with new clean water.

the smalle water volume makes it easier to over filter with the plants...thats why when you put a betta in a 2 litre bottle with some plants and close the top it can live for years...yes i put it simpiler then it is, but i have done just that...

 

[therevolution]

I believe this would work. The entire tank: sand, rocks, and walls act as a biofilter. Plus the plants consuming ammonia and nitrates. Plus the planted Ac70 circulating the tank and consuming ammonia and nitrates.

Might not be everybody's cup of tea but i like it

Do you have substrate in the ac70?
And are you hanging a light above the plant in the filter?

 

[sbuse]

I believe this would work. The entire tank: sand, rocks, and walls act as a biofilter. Plus the plants consuming ammonia and nitrates. Plus the planted Ac70 circulating the tank and consuming ammonia and nitrates.

Might not be everybody's cup of tea but i like it

Do you have substrate in the ac70?
And are you hanging a light above the plant in the filter?

no i don't have substrate in the ac 70 i just left the sponge in for the plant to grow into...and thats it the spong and the plant...

the tank is infront of a bay window so it has sunlight all day...

 

[sbuse]

the camera doesn't work so i will try some pics with photobucket...

 

[sbuse]

here are the pics...they were done with a camera phone, but you can see what i am saying by plants only for filter and heathy stock...

 

[pjsmetana]

Whoa! What plant is that in your HOB filter? I was thinking of putting some Lucky Bamboo in my HOB filter... but that actually looks nice. Is the root something that grows like crazy? If so I'll stick with the bamboo.

 

[sbuse]

Whoa! What plant is that in your HOB filter? I was thinking of putting some Lucky Bamboo in my HOB filter... but that actually looks nice. Is the root something that grows like crazy? If so I'll stick with the bamboo.

it is the vine plant you find in wal-mart next to the bamboo...i got some bamboo in a diff tanks hob filter...the roots do get big, but that is why i left the sponge and the grey plastic to containe the roots...also the flow of the filter pushes the roots out the return and they can be trimmed...

 

[sbuse]

also i have never used co2, plant ferts...just put them in and the nature to the rest...my metal screen has alittle rust on it so iron could be getting in from that...

 

[Cichlidfeesh]

Cool looking tank, and awesome idea with the ac70 (I'm defiantly giving this a try) . Not to be too picky, but I would personally add a power head to the other side of the tank to aid in water circulation. Unless you are going for minimal electronics in the tank, in which case keep doing what you're doing