Cheap plants, less nitrate! POTHOS

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THE serrasalmus rhom
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Nov 3, 2011
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I'm working on one but will be a month or more before I get it together. Will have approx. 1000 gallons on a 125 gallon sump system with loads of Pothos. The cost of water any more it's definitely something to work on!
Agreed! A 125gal filled with pothos will definitely cut down on the water bill! Can't wait to see! Keep us updated

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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
 

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THE serrasalmus rhom
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Updated pothos pic! It is growing like crazy!


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Very nice! Pretty soon they'll be growing on the ceiling! What kind of nitrate drop are you seeing?



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Grishtargan

Gambusia
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Oct 4, 2013
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Very nice! Pretty soon they'll be growing on the ceiling! What kind of nitrate drop are you seeing?



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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
My nitrates are never over 10! The only reason I have to do water changes is to get the large turds out from my goldfish.


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slippery slimecoat

Polypterus
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Jan 26, 2012
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Put pothos in an AC110 a couple months ago. After a couple weeks I started to see a lot of new growth starting. Been growing well considering I have little to no direct light on the plant. Not sure what it's done for my nitrates. To be honest, I don't even own a test kit lol.

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uploadfromtaptalk1400345452516.jpg

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muscle

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 27, 2011
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Tampa, Florida
My wife got me some giant pothos today. I will take better pictures when I get it in the stock tank.

uploadfromtaptalk1400642576640.jpg

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muscle

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 27, 2011
182
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Tampa, Florida
Here's a picture of my sump. I hope the new giant pothos takes off. This stock tank or another connected to it, will eventually be put outside the lanai. Then it will really take off.

uploadfromtaptalk1400673119245.jpg
 

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THE serrasalmus rhom
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Put pothos in an AC110 a couple months ago. After a couple weeks I started to see a lot of new growth starting. Been growing well considering I have little to no direct light on the plant. Not sure what it's done for my nitrates. To be honest, I don't even own a test kit lol.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Growth comes from waste and waste (nitrates) produce energy the plant needs to grow.

There is still a little uncertainty if pothos consumes ammonia before it can be converted to nitrites then nitrates thus less nitrates or if it just consumes nitrates after the Bio process! Either way the end result is a reduction in nitrates!

Some have reported great results in new tanks when using pothos to lower ammonia.

Just buy a 9$ API nitrate liquid test kit at your lfs. That way you can measure the amount of reduction which means you can fine tune your water change schedule/amount saving time and money!


Here's a picture of my sump. I hope the new giant pothos takes off. This stock tank or another connected to it, will eventually be put outside the lanai. Then it will really take off.

View attachment 1013814
Wow I've never seen pothos for sale in that mature of a state! It really needs tons of room, the right climate and light to maintain or even expand that size of plant! Sadly in aquariums or homes they seldom exceed the juvenile phase of growth which is fine because the plant mass still grows in size.

In the wild they get even bigger and flower, its actually a very complicated species with many sub species and variants! A plant like yours is easily 3 or more years old! The setup you have looks great but you may want to give it hooks or ties so it can climb and spread, also you most definitely want some bright ambient light or some 5000-6500k cfl bulbs shining on them! Your outdoor idea is a great one. Hopefully you have a large Bio load to supply the nitrates this plant will require!

uploadfromtaptalk1400694343665.jpg

I hope your environment is capable of sustaining such a beast! Your the 1st on this sticky to try out an adult specimen, please keep us updated on your progress!



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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
 

muscle

Gambusia
MFK Member
Apr 27, 2011
182
0
16
Tampa, Florida
Here in Florida, giant pothos is easily found growing up oak trees. My wife got this off a friends neighbor that was trimming theirs. The picture doesn't do the amount and size justice. I have access to a lot more if needed.

My tanks are outside on my lanai. The stock tank get lots of indirect sunlight all day. The above picture was taken around 7am or so. The main reason I want to move it outside the lanai is to provide more room to grow. It's currently zip tied to a pvc trellis that I made. It's funny... I have tons of pothos. You just don't see it because it's covered up now. LOL

I will have to keep an eye on things to make sure I have enough bio-load to support all the plants. The stock tank has at least 100 platies / mollies. The main tank has 9 juvi midas. I will probably move some of the smaller pothos to my other tanks not connected to the stock tank.

I am currently running an automatic drip system that changes out about 200 gallons a week. I'm going to shut it down for now and see what happens.
 

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THE serrasalmus rhom
MFK Member
Nov 3, 2011
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Here in Florida, giant pothos is easily found growing up oak trees. My wife got this off a friends neighbor that was trimming theirs. The picture doesn't do the amount and size justice. I have access to a lot more if needed.

My tanks are outside on my lanai. The stock tank get lots of indirect sunlight all day. The above picture was taken around 7am or so. The main reason I want to move it outside the lanai is to provide more room to grow. It's currently zip tied to a pvc trellis that I made. It's funny... I have tons of pothos. You just don't see it because it's covered up now. LOL

I will have to keep an eye on things to make sure I have enough bio-load to support all the plants. The stock tank has at least 100 platies / mollies. The main tank has 9 juvi midas. I will probably move some of the smaller pothos to my other tanks not connected to the stock tank.

I am currently running an automatic drip system that changes out about 200 gallons a week. I'm going to shut it down for now and see what happens.
I would definitely test while the drip is off, it can take pothos up to a month to establish h20 roots and intake the nutrients to lower nitrates!

If you snipped the roots a couple inches before placing in sump it usually acclimates the plant to water quicker, but either way it should come around given light and nitrates.

Didn't realize you live in Florida! That's awesome you can just snatch an adult pothos plant in your area! Here in Indianapolis we pay 8-15$ for a gallon pot of juvenile pothos :(

Would love to get my hands on a mature specimen like yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely can't wait to see the results! If it works I'm sure it will suck up water and nitrates extremely fast/efficient! Thanks for your interesting contribution to this sticky, much appreciated!!


×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
 
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