Cheap plants, less nitrate! POTHOS
- Thread starter F1 VET
- Start date
Duckweed is very effective but you need a lot to equal the nitrate reduction plus it floats and will cover the light in some cases. Or aquatic plants like water sprite are decent and grow like weeds!
There are plenty of ways to mount the plant so that it is inaccessible by cats and dogs! You can buy cheap and thin chicken wire at your hardware store and easily make a canopy with some zip ties.
Do you have a picture of your setup? I could give you better suggestions possibly.
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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
Ok, heres my diy challenge....
I'm looking for pothos holder suggestions for a few tanks and will post pics one tank at a time. I've experimented with pothos in the past and had mixed results. The mistakes were mine. I'm attributing the lack of success to incorrect placement and stems slipping into the water. Since I'm an avid gardener this failure did not make me happy!
First tank...
Last summer I made an attempt at pothos in my 110g SA Cichlid tank which failed miserably. They were attached to egg crate with zip ties and positioned between on the back of the glass and top of my 3d BG. Every time I opened the lids on the tank the egg crate would shift and stems would slip into the tank. This resulted in rotting stems and dying leaves. Eventually the pothos died off completely.
This tank is against the wall, so the pothos roots will have to sit between the glass and BG. There's a narrow space where a basket of some sort can be placed. I'm concerned about disruption to the pothos when the lids are opened/moved during feeding and maintenance. Theres more info on this tank in the link below. Thanks in advance for input and suggestions!
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...570098-110g-SA-Cichlid-PT-update-amp-critique
I'm looking for pothos holder suggestions for a few tanks and will post pics one tank at a time. I've experimented with pothos in the past and had mixed results. The mistakes were mine. I'm attributing the lack of success to incorrect placement and stems slipping into the water. Since I'm an avid gardener this failure did not make me happy!
First tank...
Last summer I made an attempt at pothos in my 110g SA Cichlid tank which failed miserably. They were attached to egg crate with zip ties and positioned between on the back of the glass and top of my 3d BG. Every time I opened the lids on the tank the egg crate would shift and stems would slip into the tank. This resulted in rotting stems and dying leaves. Eventually the pothos died off completely.
This tank is against the wall, so the pothos roots will have to sit between the glass and BG. There's a narrow space where a basket of some sort can be placed. I'm concerned about disruption to the pothos when the lids are opened/moved during feeding and maintenance. Theres more info on this tank in the link below. Thanks in advance for input and suggestions!
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...570098-110g-SA-Cichlid-PT-update-amp-critique
I would try this item which is found on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KKN0TS/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It worked well for me, however you'll want to replace the suction cups on the back with something more durable.
You can get some clay hydroponic balls which will help the roots take hold, just don't put too many into the plastic holder or you'll have weight issues and the suction cups wont hold on tight enough.
The suction cups failed for me because of the weight issues, however I was lucky enough to have a second glass lid on the back of my 125g, and it holds two monster pothos plants just fine.
Good luck
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KKN0TS/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It worked well for me, however you'll want to replace the suction cups on the back with something more durable.
You can get some clay hydroponic balls which will help the roots take hold, just don't put too many into the plastic holder or you'll have weight issues and the suction cups wont hold on tight enough.
The suction cups failed for me because of the weight issues, however I was lucky enough to have a second glass lid on the back of my 125g, and it holds two monster pothos plants just fine.
Good luck
Well the roots should be about 8-12" when you buy them in a bunch, so I would go to Walmart and buy plastic mesh screen
and make a rectangular box that's about 6" tall (accounting for the space between the waterline and top of the tank, need about 4-5" of the box submerged) 8" long 4" deep or however big that gap is. Just cut the screen and zip tie together, also if it were me I wouldn't want it to be white so grab some krylon fusion and paint it black or w/e color you prefer then let the leaves sit on the glass! This box would be fine for a large plant and more importantly water will still flow thru the box!To mount you can tie a string on each end and tack or screw it on the end or use an eye hook. Bio balls or some other light substrate material will help as said above.
Make sure you have nitrates to feed it! I've wondered how and if pothos would out compete algae or plants for nutrients!
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__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
Thanks! Using mesh is a good idea. Ive always liked the shower caddy idea and could definitely use that on another tank. There's no way it would suction to the 3d bg on this tank. The gap is only 2 inches wide from glass to rim of tank. The additional impediment has been the 3d BG. Its about 1 inch thick and 1inch below the rim of the tank. So if it was a narrow holder and as deep as needed, if it didn't 'step' in like an inverted hob, then it would be on an awkward angle. And that would be visible from the side view.
Unless, there was a way to somehow drop anchor it from the rim of the tank and securely attach it to the bg. I'm picturing something similar to the way a wreath is hung with an over the door hanger like the pic below. Below is something I made to create terracing slopes when I first set up the tank. Ive been mulling this over for a while and am still stumped.
I don't see how pothos could compete with my plants for nutrients. Especially since I don't have top floaters. Im not sure about competing with algae, but it would be ok w/me if it did keep nutrients from algae! The plants are rooted in ecocomplete substrate and have root tabs. The pothos roots are suspended in water 28 inches away from the substrate.
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Unless, there was a way to somehow drop anchor it from the rim of the tank and securely attach it to the bg. I'm picturing something similar to the way a wreath is hung with an over the door hanger like the pic below. Below is something I made to create terracing slopes when I first set up the tank. Ive been mulling this over for a while and am still stumped.
I don't see how pothos could compete with my plants for nutrients. Especially since I don't have top floaters. Im not sure about competing with algae, but it would be ok w/me if it did keep nutrients from algae! The plants are rooted in ecocomplete substrate and have root tabs. The pothos roots are suspended in water 28 inches away from the substrate.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Thanks for the idea. Can you post a pic of how you mounted the caddy? Your suggestion will work for another tank that already has pothos, but needs more!
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Buy me a plane ticket (1st class) and ill come up there and do it for free food/beer ;P
Judging by that rock on your finger you can afford it!
×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
Judging by that rock on your finger you can afford it!
×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
ROFL, not fair! You can't even see it in this pic! We'd definitely provide free room/food/beer.
You're on your own with the flight until my private jet is repaired ~ and I have a bridge to sell you too
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It was actually in a different pic you had somewhere elseROFL, not fair! You can't even see it in this pic! We'd definitely provide free room/food/beer.
You're on your own with the flight until my private jet is repaired ~ and I have a bridge to sell you too
Sent from my Nexus 10 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
And with unlimited beer a floor or couch will do just fine, just be sure to throw a blanket over me before you hit the hay!
Not sure I get the bridge comment?
×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
