The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)??? AQUARIUM SAFE?

[keepinfish]

I grow some The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) around the flower beds at my house, they are very easy to take cuttings and grow very long roots very fast. Would this plant be safe to grow the cuttings in a sump?

I know when you take a cutting a milky white stuff comes out, i still use it in my koi pond and do not have any issues, but want to see what others think before i use it in my ray tank.

 

[Noto]

I do not believe sweet potatos are at all toxic. Some Ipomoea species have toxic seeds, but the vegetative parts are fine. The milky appearance of the sap is due to latex, which is a common and harmless component of the sap of many plants (lettuce, for example, also contains latex).

 

[keepinfish]

interesting, the white milky stuff is what concerned me.

 

[velanarris]

I wouldn't stick them in my tank.

 

[keepinfish]

I wouldn't stick them in my tank.

any reason?

 

[velanarris]

Latex compounds don't decay or degrade in water. Unless you have bacteria disposing of them (which I'm not sure that particular bacteria type is readily available in the aquarium) you'll have it build up over time.

 

[devder1]

interesting, the white milky stuff is what concerned me.

 

[Rikesh]

which is a common and harmless component of the sap of many plants (lettuce, for example, also contains latex).

Is that true? I always get that thing on me when I collect seeds on lettuce.

 

[seove]

I started growing sweet potato slips in my HOB overflow filter and when the slips get long enough I break them off and put in aquarium filter or sump. Waiting to see if they will survive planted or if they will survive snails and crayfish in sump.

 

[West1]

interesting, the white milky stuff is what concerned me.