Here's a quick photo update for my 56 Column riparium. I'm still working on the underwater area but this picture shows the riparium plants.
Plant only filtration (why not popular in the hobby???)
- Thread starter JK47
- Start date
Either my tank crashed or after 1 week of no water changes and 3 feedings in a week I am reading at 0 nitrates.......
Mines keeping my nitrate pretty low, but not 0. Was wondering if anyone else has any problems with water cloudyness. My roots tend to randomly die off, or some aquatic plants get stuck in the roots, and die off from being without light, and I get random bouts of water cloudyness with no ammonia/nitrite. Thinking about sticking the roots in a mesh bag to keep the aquatic plants from getting mixed in, and to keep the decaying roots from leaving the mesh bag, but I'm thinking that might be an eyesore, and as long as I do a waterchange every 2 weeks or so it usually clears up
A small detritivore might be helpful here to remove/recycle the dead roots/material. My first though is mystery snail, but MTS or any of several others will also work. Maybe even clam-shrimp or skuds... or tadpoles.
Be careful not to use anything that will eat the live material. No guppies, for example.
I was thinking about using plants for filtration, but was never sure about the effect the roots will have on the water quality. I guess this thread clears it up as it obviously works well. I think I will start with some pothos on the side of the tank since I have those growing in the house.
andyroo: I don't keep guppies and i guess ur saying no guppies cuz they will eat the plant roots right? I was wondering what other fish would do this? Just to know in the future...
andyroo: I don't keep guppies and i guess ur saying no guppies cuz they will eat the plant roots right? I was wondering what other fish would do this? Just to know in the future...
Guppies do eat the roots, particularly the root tips and all the great little hairy bits. For a riparium I don't think I'd fully trust anything shy of a GTF or Hydrolycus- hyper-predators. Nothing at all ominivorous like ciclids or tetras or gourami, or prone to boredom or Botia, though others will know more about this than I.
thats why you dont put roots in the water!
Also maybe roots are dying because of lack of water flow around certain parts?
Also maybe roots are dying because of lack of water flow around certain parts?
Of course u put the roots in the water, that's the whole point, to feed of the nitrates. Where else would u put them??
If I would use this method I wouldn't b concerned about the plants if the die off or not just for the well being of the fish. I heard that sometimes the roots rot in the water causing problems. But I guess ur right that it probably has to do with the water flow
RIparium plants can thrive with their roots in the water. IF you select plants that grow in wet areas in nature they will grow very well.
You have to see these excellent plants that MaddMaxx has been growing...
So here's the long awaited pictorial update. I moved just about a month ago, to a place with less room, but I was really happy that I found a place to put my monster 75g tank and I don't have to downsize and give up any of my plant space.
One of the original Bonsai's:
The BIG mamma-jamma (well over 30cm now...):
I'm getting ready to Bonsai the rest of these, as I don't want them to get much higher:
And the runt...
And a few of my other notables -
The freshwater Palm putting out some really nice new growth:
And the Leather Fern nice and full, and pushing out some new stock:
