I put lily pads too that grow super rapidly and basically indestructible. Provide shade and very difficult to uproot.
any good plants that take out nitrate that aren’t over the top?
- Thread starter shern
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Elodea and najas guadalupensis (aka guppy grass) are really good for moping up nutrients and can be grown as floating plants.
If you have jumpy fish then any plant that floats will help and as mentioned before floating plants have access to atmospheric co2, so will grow much quicker.
If you have jumpy fish then any plant that floats will help and as mentioned before floating plants have access to atmospheric co2, so will grow much quicker.
In my own experience, and that of many wastewater treatment facilities, water lettuce and water hyacinth are the two best nutrient transporters. I’ll see if I can find the article but there was a study done on water lettuce, and its ability to grow 15sq ft per day. It’s an insane amount of spread.
I had a planted tank with it on top, kept lids on and well lit, zero nitrates for almost a year. Very light bioload, three make bettas, some SAE, shrimp, snails and various others. I only changed 10% every three weeks and fertilized weekly as they were too effective and needed an outside food source.
I had a planted tank with it on top, kept lids on and well lit, zero nitrates for almost a year. Very light bioload, three make bettas, some SAE, shrimp, snails and various others. I only changed 10% every three weeks and fertilized weekly as they were too effective and needed an outside food source.
I’ve got my heavy stocked 300G down to zero nitrates but not quite into negative, my wisteria is mostly to thank for that. I’m slowly covering everything in spikey moss too but that will take time.
I’ve been using a product bioclean twice a week 3xscoops. Removes all the fish poop, within a a week or so, from my white sand without me destroying the BB habitat by syphoning. Best thing I’ve ever gleamed from MFK in my weekly habits.
Rooted plants like Val, swords or crypts get most of their nutrients through their roots and the soil. Stem plants like wysteria, guppy grass and suck through their leaves. Especially, when left as floaters. Swords are especially needy when it comes to root feeding and will require fertilizing regularly.
Pothos with roots in the tank works well for me. Most of my cichlids destroy any plants, but seem to leave the roots alone. Duck weed works well. It is messy and hard to get rid of if you change your mind latter.
Anything with its leaves above the water will tend to grow quicker because it can get co2 from the atmosphere whereas under water co2 is often low in concentration unless we add it. It why the suggestion of floating plants, pothos etc above, is the fastest way to reduce nutrient levels in a tank but weedy species like hornwort, guppy grass, vallis are pretty good as well and so simple they don't need a green thumb.
completely safe to use right? i’ve got some scales fish i’m worried about. always a struggle finding solutes for them
Can’t overdose at all, but it may cloud your water for a while. I have clown loaches and fire eels.
