Plant only filtration (why not popular in the hobby???)

AirstoND

Feeder Fish
Oct 2, 2011
2
0
0
US
Newbie here I placed Spath Lilies and plan on using arrowheads.

3questions

1) Should I trim all secondary roots and just leave primary?

2) I also accidentally pulled all but primary roots, will it still root?

3) Will draceana cinta work on a HOB?
 

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
Dont trim any roots
Yes
I dont know, maybe some else does. Google can help too
 

zoohouse

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 18, 2008
430
47
31
Arlington
I have an 8g cube that I don't have any filter in. For a month I didn't even have a airstone in it. It is full of java moss and a colony of endlers. I don't do any w/c and feed responsibly. I add about 1-2g of fresh water a week. It stays amazing clean and the water stays healthy. It has been setup for 2+yrs
 

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
Thanks ITHURTZ, I am also adding mint and Tradescantia zebrina(wandering jew)
My experience with the mint before I killed it. Keep ALL the stem OUT of the water and only have the roots in the water. IN the beginning I had the roots dangling in the water because it sat on a rock so the stem never touched water. Well I replanted and the stem touched the water, needless to say it died 4 weeks after. So just imo keep the stem maybe 1/4" away from the water and have just the 1/4" of roots above water and the rest under. They grew fine for me when I didnt kill it.

Wandering jew few weeks back I took a 4 leaf snip from home depot haha. Suprisingly it rooted and its growing now. The bottom 2 leaves died because they are in the water ( no other way to root it without drying the end out). But so far all is well, googling wandering jew some pics its MASSIVE and I want!

Just on a side note, Im kinda treating all my plants like a java fern, where if you cover the crown it dies. So I am trying to keep all plants above water and just roots below.
 

lnelms2

Plecostomus
MFK Member
May 27, 2008
663
76
61
Miamisburg, Ohio
Finally seeing results!!!

SETUP : 225
STOCK: 3 MM pups, 1 Leo Pup, 1 Hystrix pup

The tank has been up and running for over a year since I moved, the inhabitants have been in constant shuffle, the tank has even sat empty for a month or 2 but it has always had at least 1 FX5 on it. In addition to the FX5 I've added 3 AC110's on the tank, they are full of pothos, peace lilly, and nephthytis. Last Wednesday I did a 90% water change before adding the 5 rays.
So it's been a week with 5 ray pups, feeding 2-3x a day, I tested the water today and I'm at < 10ppm, I had to test it 3x because I couldn't believe it, lol.
 

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
excellent. keep a close eye on it before you make your 100% assumptions. Last week I had 0ppm but still did a 65% because i didnt beleive it haha. Just in my personal opinion if you get the same readings week after week for a month or so I would say its safe to assume! I would still add more plants haha.

Got any pics of the current setup?
 

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
where do u people find these dang peace lillies. I have looked ALLL over. I picked up a caca lilly or w.e maybe its the same thing. Havent put it in water yet, been sitting in the planter I bought it in. Maybe it will work.
 

hydrophyte

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 10, 2009
863
0
0
Madison, Wisconsin
I have the riparium planting my 56 going going pretty good right now. There are actually quite a few fish in there, but most of them are a group of P. buffei catfish that just hide in the back most of the time. I am thinking of switching them out and getting a group of Congo tetras instead.

 
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