PLANTS And POOP

[PatrickMW36]

I'm planning on planting a carpet of Dwarf Hairgrass in my Pickerel's tank. I'm a beginner when in comes to plants and have never carpeted my tank floor. The tank only holds my 2 10 inch Pickerel. My Filtration does a great job of keeping their water prestine. The issue is that they are larger fish and take large poops. I keep the tank bare bottom and have to net out their poop because it doesent get sucked in the filter. So my question is will the plants absorb all their waste? I won't be able to skim the bottom with a net without damaging the plants. Whenever I keep plants I keep them in pots. So I don't know if I'll end up with excess waste. I would appreciate hearing your guys experience with this and if it might be a problem Any solutions.
- Thanks MFK

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Use potted plants in the back and at the ends,a mix of hornwort,valisneria and java fern,and u can add pothos at the top of the tank.

 

[Drx6x]

some what. this is where snails really help as they eat the pop and make it smaller. just incase you didn't know hair grass is pretty demanding in light and co2 for any chance of a carpet.

 

[Fat Homer]

Barebottom and Hairgrass dont exactly go together to be honest, you'll also need to have a proper substrate if you want to go that route...

Not to mention, normally people avoid larger fish with newly planted tanks because they can also uproot everything before its setteled in...

 

[skjl47]

snails really help as they eat the pop and make it smaller.

Hello; This is my experience as well. An example from my experience. I took in a large pleco from a neighbor. Had it in a bare bottom tank. Lots of long stringy poo that was unsightly. I added some rams horn snails. The snails reduced the pleco poo to much smaller size. This was much easier to siphon out and was not so unsightly.
Had a couple of other benefits. One being that the live hornwort plants grew really well to the point I had to harvest it. Another being that the snails became so numerous hat I could use them as live food for my other fish.

you'll also need to have a proper substrate

Hello; I like a fairly deep substrate of around four inches or more.

To further answer your question it is my observation that there will be some parts of fish poo that will remain even with live plants and snails. Volume and size may be reduced and the plants will take up products of the nitrogen cycle which is a benefit. You will still have to do regular siphon sessions of the stuff that remains.

Good luck

 

[PatrickMW36]

Barebottom and Hairgrass dont exactly go together to be honest, you'll also need to have a proper substrate if you want to go that route...

Not to mention, normally people avoid larger fish with newly planted tanks because they can also uproot everything before its setteled in...

I keep it bare bottom now. I will add substrate when putting in plants. And I thought of that. They never mess up the decorations but I'm considering starting it in my Alli snappers tank who is in a tank way to big for him and just moving him then move the fish in once it's settled

 

[PatrickMW36]

some what. this is where snails really help as they eat the pop and make it smaller. just incase you didn't know hair grass is pretty demanding in light and co2 for any chance of a carpet.

Yea was deffinetly going to get some snails as well as shrimp

 

[Drx6x]

pickerels will thank you for the snack of shrimp more than likely so i would go with some ghosts at 1st.

 

[PatrickMW36]

pickerels will thank you for the snack of shrimp more than likely so i would go with some ghosts at 1st.

Yea that's what I have in there. They usually keep them alone tho.