Plant only filtration (why not popular in the hobby???)
- Thread starter JK47
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Here are mine in my indoor mini pond taken today
Jesus those plants are striving in your water lolHere are mine in my indoor mini pond taken today
Today I cut the nitrogen deficient leaves and then took the picture. So I am cheating
These particular plants have lived in water for about 5 years now, so they're well adapted to water and their entire root systems and every single leave you see have grown in water. House plants need months to adapt to water and you won't see such growth for a long time after you put a plant in a tank....Once adapted, they flourish, better than in soil on the window. The trick is also lots of light. Mine get window and artificial light directly aimed at them. A slightly older picture below showing the chronic nitrogen deficiencies but I guess they do the job 
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Cory...
Prayer plants are one of several house plants that will grow with the roots immersed in the tank water. It's a much more efficient and less expensive means of filtering the tank water. I like Aglaonema or Chinese evergreens. They'll get quite large if you put them into a large fish tank. There is one drawback and that is the root system gets so large, the fish eventually will be crowded out of the tank. This is why I keep smaller fish in the tanks, like Guppies, Danios and a few Platys and Corydoras. The plants still require large water changes every couple of weeks to replenish the trace minerals in the water. The plants use them up fairly quickly.
Nice plant!
TTG
Prayer plants are one of several house plants that will grow with the roots immersed in the tank water. It's a much more efficient and less expensive means of filtering the tank water. I like Aglaonema or Chinese evergreens. They'll get quite large if you put them into a large fish tank. There is one drawback and that is the root system gets so large, the fish eventually will be crowded out of the tank. This is why I keep smaller fish in the tanks, like Guppies, Danios and a few Platys and Corydoras. The plants still require large water changes every couple of weeks to replenish the trace minerals in the water. The plants use them up fairly quickly.
Nice plant!
TTG
Yes, absolutely. I do weekly 50-70% water changes on that tank.
I actually kept a Prayer plant - Calathea a few years ago. It absolutely hated it in the tank....Plants that don't do well tend to get root melt eventually and pollute the tank..well not to an extent to cause any trouble of course but one should keep an eye when attempting new plants......I am sure that other types of prayer plants could do better. It all depends on the plant. The Calathea also hated direct light and would close its leaves...so perhaps suited to less illuminated areas...
Mine are in 7 inches diameter hanging baskets. For smaller tanks there are plenty of smaller species of plants that will not crowd the bottom and can be rooted in smaller containers. Upright plants need to be rooted and not just hanging with their roots with the water or they will not grow that well. Crawling plants can be placed directly without root support.
My baskets:
Good morning Cory...
When I started using the house plants a few years ago, I put them into plastic containers with holes to allow the roots to grow. Over time, the roots grew out of the basket and into the bottom material. At this point, the plastic basket is empty and the plant root system is sitting outside. The plants are in a 55 gallon tank with a strip light above. The water is really near nitrogen free. I feed the fish quite a bit and don't have to worry about uneaten food fouling the water. When the food dissolves, the plant roots take in the nutrients. I have a photo I'll share.
Good talking with you!
TTG
When I started using the house plants a few years ago, I put them into plastic containers with holes to allow the roots to grow. Over time, the roots grew out of the basket and into the bottom material. At this point, the plastic basket is empty and the plant root system is sitting outside. The plants are in a 55 gallon tank with a strip light above. The water is really near nitrogen free. I feed the fish quite a bit and don't have to worry about uneaten food fouling the water. When the food dissolves, the plant roots take in the nutrients. I have a photo I'll share.
Good talking with you!
TTG
Hello. I am looking forward to the pictures.
The below is a picture from a few years ago when I let everything grow out of the baskets so you can't make out where the basket is...I started off with riparium tiny baskets but they proved to be too unstable for plants that kept growing for years. The roots, as well as the base of the plants outgrew the baskets.....My plants often ended up falling in the water....
I have not grown emersed plants on a larger scale in anything smaller than a 5f tank so space was not an issue....
The below is a picture from a few years ago when I let everything grow out of the baskets so you can't make out where the basket is...I started off with riparium tiny baskets but they proved to be too unstable for plants that kept growing for years. The roots, as well as the base of the plants outgrew the baskets.....My plants often ended up falling in the water....
I have not grown emersed plants on a larger scale in anything smaller than a 5f tank so space was not an issue....
Hello again Cory...
Attached is a photo of a couple of different Chinese evergreens that I put into this 55 gallon tank as small plants a few years ago. With some light from a four bulb strip light from the local hardware store and fertilizer compliments of some Guppies and Platys, the plants grow pretty quickly. I keep several tanks like this one and maintenance is very manageable. The plants do a much better job of keeping the nitrogen out of the tank water than the mechanical filters.
TTG
Attached is a photo of a couple of different Chinese evergreens that I put into this 55 gallon tank as small plants a few years ago. With some light from a four bulb strip light from the local hardware store and fertilizer compliments of some Guppies and Platys, the plants grow pretty quickly. I keep several tanks like this one and maintenance is very manageable. The plants do a much better job of keeping the nitrogen out of the tank water than the mechanical filters.
TTG
Nice tank mate! I love the plants!!
It goes to show that the only limitation is space
I see what you mean about your roots obstructing the underwater space... The tank is stuffed with plants. I would actually use the top portion of the tank, the section that is above your water line to place sturdy baskets that stay in place and thus lift up all the plants higher, giving the fish some more room, then fill the tank up to the brim... I found very nice baskets in my local shop that come with a plastic handle, so they're permanently positioned near the water line. I previously used riparium plastic containers that attach to the glass with suction cups but my plants kept falling in the water as they grew bigger and bigger. I see you're having the same issue ....not sure its an issue
It goes to show that the only limitation is space
I see what you mean about your roots obstructing the underwater space...
The tank is stuffed with plants. I would actually use the top portion of the tank, the section that is above your water line to place sturdy baskets that stay in place and thus lift up all the plants higher, giving the fish some more room, then fill the tank up to the brim... I found very nice baskets in my local shop that come with a plastic handle, so they're permanently positioned near the water line. I previously used riparium plastic containers that attach to the glass with suction cups but my plants kept falling in the water as they grew bigger and bigger. I see you're having the same issue ....not sure its an issue 
