pothos for a nitrate filter?

[Rass]

I also have crypt wendtii, crypt spiralis, rotala indica, dwarf sagitarria,and hornwort in there. All of which came as cuttings and baby plants from my main planted 72 bowfront angel tank and heavily planted 40 breeder with yellow tiger endlers, blue dream neos, and tons of rams horn, Malaysian trumpet, and a couple other varieties of smaller snails.

 

[duanes]

yea i have cichlids like oscars, so idk if they can live with submerged plants

This is why I use separate but connected refugiums and get the benefits plants provide for water quality, for large (or vegetarian) cichlids that won't tolerate or eat aquatic plants in their own tanks.
Beside plants they "might" contain shrimp, or fry, or other small fish I work with.
Below a planted 30 gal refugium/sump, that was connected in line with a 150 gal large cichlid tank

Below same refugium, during a water change.

 

[cichlid tank]

This is why I use separate but connected refugiums and get the benefits plants provide for water quality, for large (or vegetarian) cichlids that won't tolerate or eat aquatic plants in their own tanks.
Beside plants they "might" contain shrimp, or fry, or other small fish I work with.
Below a planted 30 gal refugium/sump, that was connected in line with a 150 gal large cichlid tank

Below same refugium, during a water change.

so the tanks on a dresser (55 gal) with some temporary cichlids in it. (oscar, jd, a green sunfish) got 2 75 gallon HOB filters, getting a big sponge filter, and wanting some plants. so i cant go under the tank bc its a dresser, so i'm thinking if i saw a perfect hole in the lid to put a cheap plastic pot, place some plants like either bamboo or pothos or other stuff, and fill it in with gravel but the roots hang in the water. thoughts?

 

[duanes]

Sumps do not need to be directly under a tank in a stand.
They can be off to the side, on the other side of a wall, even on another floor.
Simply configuring the plumbing accordingly allows a sump to be just about anywhere, as long a gravity is taken into account.
I prefer them to be outset so maintenance is easy, getting access to pumps, or to clean media without having to contort, or reach between bottom of stand and top of tank is important, and having room to remove pumps or other equipment helps.
With my current 180 gal, there are two sumps, one directly behind the tank, one off to the right.

Also prefer to have enough room to ad bio-towers and fractionation, below in this 75 gallon sump, that handles a line of about 500 gallons of tanks.