
How much direct or indirect sunlight does the tank get there? Lucky bamboo does best in high light.
I went to my local Nursery & picked up what I'm hoping is Pothos, their were many to select from in small pots with no labels, they were mixed in with the Philodendron, I was told they were all basically the same, Is there a distinct difference? & if I did pick up the Philodendron is it safe to use in my filter?
I spent about a year trying dozens of different terrestrial plants to try to find which grew fastest and were most effective at removing nitrate. Epipremnum aureum (Pothos) and Syngonium podophyllum (Nephthytis, Arrowhead, Emerald Gem) are the fastest growing and most effective by far. Lucky bamboo doesn't grow very fast in comparison but does a good job of supporting itself. I think Arrowhead/Nephthytis is the best choice overall because it's great looking, fast growing and does a good job supporting itself. Pothos is the fastest growing but often confused with philodendrun. The impact on the water is very small though ... maybe a few ppm nitrate per week with some of the fastest growing plants.
I made this 8GL plant filter for my 75GL with a single oscar. When growing with very high artificial light the pothos reduced nitrate levels by about 10-15%.
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How much direct or indirect sunlight does the tank get there? Lucky bamboo does best in high light.
I spent about a year trying dozens of different terrestrial plants to try to find which grew fastest and were most effective at removing nitrate. Epipremnum aureum (Pothos) and Syngonium podophyllum (Nephthytis, Arrowhead, Emerald Gem) are the fastest growing and most effective by far. Lucky bamboo doesn't grow very fast in comparison but does a good job of supporting itself. I think Arrowhead/Nephthytis is the best choice overall because it's great looking, fast growing and does a good job supporting itself. Pothos is the fastest growing but often confused with philodendrun. The impact on the water is very small though ... maybe a few ppm nitrate per week with some of the fastest growing plants.
I made this 8GL plant filter for my 75GL with a single oscar. When growing with very high artificial light the pothos reduced nitrate levels by about 10-15%.
View attachment 1190545

Thx for the info, I know that Philodendron is toxic to pets if consumed, I just wasn't sure if it was safe for aquarium filters, either way thx again & I will keep you updatedI can tell by the fold in the leaves that you got pothos. It's a good variety too. Generally, the darker leaved pothos grow fastest. The 'Jade Pothos' with plain dark-green leaves is best but can be hard to find. Yours looks like 'Golden Pothos' which is also good. It has dark leaves with a little pattern or variegation. My plant filter has about 40% Golden Pothos, 40% Jade Pothos, 15% Arrowhead, 5% other. The 'Marbled Queen' pothos with highly variegated, very light-colored leaves is what you'd want to stay away from. It's very slow growing.
Pothos and some philodendrons look very similar and as potted plants they behave similarly. They're both heart-shaped, have similar light and water needs, and are vining plants. Still, if you give them something to climb, pothos will outgrow philodendron cordatum and hederaceum. But with the roots in water, my philodendrons haven't grown much at all while my pothos has grown from a few clippings just above the water line to several feet long.
Pothos has a more evident fold in the leaves than philodendron. This is a quick and easy way to differentiate between them after you've seen enough. There's only one way to tell for sure, 100%. You should check.
If the petioles or stems have grooves in some places which look like they might have been sliced open halfway with a razor (usually having brown color along the edges), it's pothos (left). If the stems have no grooves and are round everywhere along the stems or petioles, it's philodendron (right).
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I'm trying to replace my pothos with a cat safe alternative, would you know if the others are safe?
