Pothos ivy as nitrate controller

[Paul, The Engineer]

i had just checked my tank after 4 weeks of new plants in the bucket... nitrate remains at 10ppm..
take a look at those roots after 4 weeks from a newly cut plants.....

[Tim]

wow they're loving the nutrients in your tank

[Paul, The Engineer]

wow they're loving the nutrients in your tank

not only that... i do not have to change the water on those days...

[Ryan34]

those roots look like they are growing well paul.

[Paul, The Engineer]

those roots look like they are growing well paul.

yes they are Ryan... considering that they started from newly cut bud and looks like that in 4 weeks...
i just did wash the fiber media on impulse... though my water remains at 10PPM nitrate... after 4 weeks
without water change... and to make sure my lutino will heal from the injury...

[Ryan34]

those roots look like they are growing well paul.

yes they are Ryan... considering that they started from newly cut bud and looks like that in 4 weeks...
i just did wash the fiber media on impulse... though my water remains at 10PPM nitrate... after 4 weeks
without water change... and to make sure my lutino will heal from the injury...

Sounds good.

[Capt.Dave]

Paul, can you estimate the biomass the plant/fish ratio? In other words the weight of the plants as compared to the weight of the fish in your system?

[Paul, The Engineer]

Paul, can you estimate the biomass the plant/fish ratio? In other words the weight of the plants as compared to the weight of the fish in your system?

during my previous pair that weighted 1.7 kilos (2 fish), the plants i have then was about 2.2 kilos.... i had to
check the weight because i was afraid that the top grid support may collapse. that was also the reason why i put some
flat support as reinforcement. however, my present set up/monsters will surely weigh more than that... maybe 5X more
than the plants...

why Skipper? any additional learning point???? right now i have 3 bucket of plants for my 220 gal tank... trying to
test how long will my nitrate stay normal...at least 10ppm.

[denimfiend]

Great thread, great forum.

How would you guys rate Water Hyacinth in terms of nitrate removal? Is it in the aquatic camp of preferring ammonium?

[OinKY]

Old thread...but question deserves an answer.
Eichhornia (Water Hyacinths) prefer ammonium,as do most aquatic plants,but will uptake nitrates in its absence.

If the use is in an enclosed environment containing fish then ammonium would probably be converted faster by the biological filtration leaving only the nitrates for uptake.It's direct competition between plants and filtration.

[denimfiend]

Thanks OinKY

Yeah, stumbled on the thread through google, sorry to bump an old one.

I'd like to try some planted HOBs, just dense plants with roots contained in mesh bags, no media. I came across the "rosette" water hyacinth (something of a dwarf) at the same time I was googling around pothos. It's cool to see this idea has grown into some awesome information. I haven't been interested in an Oscar tank for many years now.

Well, I wouldn't want to impose that kind of competition on a functioning nitrogen cycle. So, I'll probably try pothos with my idea. I'd be maximizing available space along the back of the tank, so not just like one HOB with a couple pothos

Incidentally, if anyone has a good idea of a brand to try for this, I'm all ears. The old-school Second Nature Whispers (the clear ones) seem like the best bet because the water flow out of the impeller is so high up, seems like roots straying out of the bags wouldn't have a tangling problem in the motor.

[OinKY]

I would think AquaClear-style HoBs would serve the purpose...or simply use "specimen containers" drilled full of holes and modified so that the filter discharges in to them.Roots shouldn't be a problem that way and any overgrowth would simply go through the holes and out into the tank (exposing them to some ammonia/ammonium before the filters).
I've used the specimen containers with Peace Lily,and various other Alums,as well as Pothos and Philodendron. Emergent bog-type/marsh plants do a job on nitrates and it's a simply matter to find "high moisture/high fert/low light" plants almost anywhere. I mention low light because you can arrange some extra lighting for your "bogs",but low light's seem happy with just the ambient light from the upper tank.

[denimfiend]

Hrm, yeah I could even run a circulating tank flow with miniscule powerheads through the containers...keep from "junking up" the back of the tank and having a bunch of intake tubes dropping down.

[OinKY]

You can clean it up,and simplify it,further by just drilling holes in the upper 1/3 and bottom of the container and using an aistone to create a current. Same principles as lift tubes and sponge filters.
Would think the slower flow would allow for more contact time.

[denimfiend]

I'll update as it gels. I'm juggling alot of final steps, between wanting plant filtration and hashing out the Lifegard stuff I've been amassing over the past couple of years.