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

[duanes]

Pothos is kind of a generic term for a number of species and similar species of vine type house plants, used in the same erroneous manner some people use the name Texas cichlid (H cyanoguttatus), as a catchall for many Herichthys, including carpintus, minckleyi, aven H tamasopoensus none of which are really Texas cichlids, all found in Mexico, but not in Texas. (Semantics to some, and maybe one of the reasons we have so many unidentifiable mutts in the hobby?)
OK, off the soapbox.
Epipremnum aureum - Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum
Here is a better shot of my friends Pothos patch, where the young, small Pothos are on the ground in the shade, looking more like the kind found in your average aquarium, or as a house plant, but all part of the giant mother plant.

 

[Rogozhin75]

Wow, that's a big plant, I wonder if I can find any locally.

 

[JK47]

Pothos is kind of a generic term for a number of species and similar species of vine type house plants, used in the same erroneous manner some people use the name Texas cichlid (H cyanoguttatus), as a catchall for many Herichthys, including carpintus, minckleyi, aven H tamasopoensus none of which are really Texas cichlids, all found in Mexico, but not in Texas. (Semantics to some, and maybe one of the reasons we have so many unidentifiable mutts in the hobby?)
OK, off the soapbox.
Epipremnum aureum - Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epipremnum_aureum
Here is a better shot of my friends Pothos patch, where the young, small Pothos are on the ground in the shade, looking more like the kind found in your average aquarium, or as a house plant, but all part of the giant mother plant.
View attachment 1337479

Downright awesome, thanks for sharing, duanes !

 

[Terraphyte Tank Guy]

Zero dirt, whats in the box is lava rock and bio balls suspended above the bottom. What you see is just minor gunk sitting on top of the bio media

It...

For house plants to live long term in a water environment, the roots need to get a constant source of oxygen. I put an air stone directly under the plant roots and use an air pump to move the bubbles through the roots. This will provide O2 to the roots and mimics the environment the plants have when planted in a soil based medium, like potting soil.

TTG

 

[duanes]

I like to put Pothos on floating logs, some roots remain on the surface exposed, some grow into the logs, most spread out in the tank. I believe natural light has been the key in my tanks

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Zero dirt, whats in the box is lava rock and bio balls suspended above the bottom. What you see is just minor gunk sitting on top of the bio media

Maybe add some worm castings,I think you had a die off due to lack of available nutrients, as a plant grows it needs more nutrients

 

[Piscavores:)]

Ran out and got some Pothos after reading this thread, hope it works for my 55

 

[Terraphyte Tank Guy]

Ran out and got some Pothos after reading this thread, hope it works for my 55

Hello P...

The exposed root system is the nitrogen remover. But ,small plants like Pothos, have small roots and won't make a significant difference in the nitrogen levels in the tank water. The best plant you can use is the Chinese evergreen or Aglaonema. There several species and the Gemini, Cutlass and Modestum varieties get the largest. These plants will use all three forms of nitrogen faster than the bacteria colony. By using ammonia as soon as it becomes available, you have little nitrite and almost no nitrate. I use these plants in some of my larger tanks and never need to change the tank water. I just top them off with distilled water. Attached is a pic of a 60 gallon tank that hasn't needed a water change in close to a year. I don't plan on performing a water change on this tank. ever. The aquatic plants and fish grow and reproduce normally.

TTG

 

[J. H.]

Depen

Hello P...

The exposed root system is the nitrogen remover. But ,small plants like Pothos, have small roots and won't make a significant difference in the nitrogen levels in the tank water. The best plant you can use is the Chinese evergreen or Aglaonema. There several species and the Gemini, Cutlass and Modestum varieties get the largest. These plants will use all three forms of nitrogen faster than the bacteria colony. By using ammonia as soon as it becomes available, you have little nitrite and almost no nitrate. I use these plants in some of my larger tanks and never need to change the tank water. I just top them off with distilled water. Attached is a pic of a 60 gallon tank that hasn't needed a water change in close to a year. I don't plan on performing a water change on this tank. ever. The aquatic plants and fish grow and reproduce normally.

TTG

View attachment 1342785

Depends how big your pothos is. They can get huge. It's all about growth. The more it grows, the more nitrogen it pulls, and the bigger it is the more it grows. Some plants are better than others in that they are nitrogen pigs, some grow faster, and some are better than others because they pull a lot of heavy metals, both from the air you breathe and the water the fish swim in (NASA rated the pothos very high for this), but all things being equal, bigger is better. A kilo of pothos is probably roughly equal to a kilo of evergreen. There is also a question of temperature, aeration, ph, light and other conditions, in that some plants may be better suited to you than others. The only real wy to find out is trial and error.

 

[Terraphyte Tank Guy]

Depen

Depends how big your pothos is. They can get huge. It's all about growth. The more it grows, the more nitrogen it pulls, and the bigger it is the more it grows. Some plants are better than others in that they are nitrogen pigs, some grow faster, and some are better than others because they pull a lot of heavy metals, both from the air you breathe and the water the fish swim in (NASA rated the pothos very high for this), but all things being equal, bigger is better. A kilo of pothos is probably roughly equal to a kilo of evergreen. There is also a question of temperature, aeration, ph, light and other conditions, in that some plants may be better suited to you than others. The only real wy to find out is trial and error.

Yes, JH, you can use Pothos, but the plant is too viney and the root system doesn't grow thick enough to make a dent in the nitrogen that's produced in a large tank with a large fish load. The boys at NASA haven't used Aglaonema or they'd never go back to Pothos. The "AG" plant thrives in low light and stays on top of the tank. You only need a very small bacteria colony to use the small amount of nitrogen the fish produce at night when the house plants rest. Don't waste time on trial and error. Go to the nearest Lowe's and get a bunch of Chinese evergreen for a few dollars. Rinse off all the potting mixture and immerse the roots in the tank water with the leaves above. The tank water will stay near nitrogen free and you'll never have to do a water change.

TTG