Im thinking of putting a Plant or two in my Sump (to help with Phosphates) What plants would be good for this an not grow to large?
Plant question
- Thread starter joeytoe
- Start date
A floating plant like salvinia sucks up nitrates and is fairly easy to control. When you get too much of it, just throw handfulls of it out. Unfortunately, most nitrate-sucking plants grow very quickly and can become large, but you can trim them easily and either replant the trimmings or just throw them out. Wisteria and hornwort are two that come to mind. You can root them or leave them floating.
MoJo said:
I saw some potted mini amazon swords today at the LFS. I think i may get 1 or 2 of them.
I agree with illustrae floating plants helps on algae and nitrate/ phosphate.
Lemna minor-duckweed may grow really fast. But it's also difficult to get rid of.
Lemna minor-duckweed may grow really fast. But it's also difficult to get rid of.
I would try water lettuce. With good lighting, these things grow like crazy. And the more and faster something grows, the better off it is for your needs. Fast growers use up lots of nutrients.
I had a similar question for my lfs about cutting nitrates in that manner. But he told me all about a sump with plants and he advised against swords. The die off will be a mess but other than that, the moss is good
Remember, your sump will need to get a bit of light for anything to grow.
Swords aren't a terribly good choice. However, anything fast growing is. Anacharis and hornwort are both great choices. Duckweed is also a very good choice, but it can be a real nuisance to get rid of.
If you don't have cats, you can use pothos (philodendron). It's a terrestrial plant. Stick cuttings into your tank/sump, not submerged, just the roots/end. It will grow with the roots submerged and suck out nitrates. Again, it's poisonous to other animals, so don't use it if you have them. You can use spiderplant instead.
Swords aren't a terribly good choice. However, anything fast growing is. Anacharis and hornwort are both great choices. Duckweed is also a very good choice, but it can be a real nuisance to get rid of.
If you don't have cats, you can use pothos (philodendron). It's a terrestrial plant. Stick cuttings into your tank/sump, not submerged, just the roots/end. It will grow with the roots submerged and suck out nitrates. Again, it's poisonous to other animals, so don't use it if you have them. You can use spiderplant instead.