Cheap plants, less nitrate! POTHOS

[Chub_by]

On the same note as there are way too many pages full of info to look through but is there a mesh bag I can use to contain the roots in my sump?

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Why would you? If you trim the plant you are removing nutrients from the water which is generally the point of pothos. If you just contain them, you might as well not have any? I'm kinda confused :sly:

 

[timbo6684]

Why would you? If you trim the plant you are removing nutrients from the water which is generally the point of pothos. If you just contain them, you might as well not have any? I'm kinda confused :sly:

Roots contained in a mesh bag would prevent them from growing into my return pump.

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[gangster]

Roots contained in a mesh bag would prevent them from growing into my return pump.

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I dont see why this would be a bad thing. Give it a shot. It should work great. But the roots may try and find a way outta the bag so just keep an eye on them. And remember....the more light the pothos plant has the better it will grow.

 

[gangster]

Update pothos neon is going crazy! Nitrates are staying around 20 ppm. View attachment 919825

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Pothos looks great in the sump. How is your stock and wc schedule now?

 

[shelbybmc]

I think Im just overstocked in my growout. I have not tested water streight from the tap but after a week with Pothos im still above 40ppm going through prime like a mofo. Getting a Aqueon WC today so until the fish go in the bigger tank Ill just enjoy the WC's lol

 

[gangster]

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[F1 VET]

Wow, first off thanks to Gangster and sinister for answering questions and giving advise whilst I've been gone! -thanks guys!

Secondly here's an update on my pothos, again a simple hydro basket with the roots planted in pea gravel, if you know my setup you can tell I moved them over to the right to switch things up a bit:
Before

After

Nitrate reduction is at an all time high, after 2 weeks of no WC my shoal of messy adult piranhas only spike at 10-20ppm Max.

Im very happy with everyone who has contributed to this sticky and shared their experiences! Thanks a ton!

Very inspiring post...heres mine I just put in...also have some other ones soaking in water to remove the dirt...

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Looks incredible and thanks!

View attachment 915954


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Awesome!

Well I can tell you one of my tanks had a blood red reading on nitrates before I put the pothos in 3 days ago and now its a dark orange but no red...this really works so I added some house plants to a little bigger tank yesterday

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Nice!

Ditched the lotus. Added a second pothos plant

View attachment 916564


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Looks amazingly clean!

Sounds very interesting, I will scope out my local home depot and lowes for supplies.

Just worried about my fishroom looking like a jungle, how often are you all trimming these plants?

Also what is the best way to make those hydroponics baskets float or only sit partially submerged?

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They don't grow to out of control, I like mine draping down the tank but that's just me, but it would be easy to prune. Really doesn't matter how you set it up as long as roots are in the water your good, preferably a place with decent water flow!

In the open air it grows pretty fast, but its also sitting under a 2 bulb T5 HO fixture. It'll take a while before overgrowing the top of the tank (a month or two) but proper maintenance will keep it at bay.

I've got Home Depot light diffusers that I need to install in the top of my tank to hang the baskets, but work has slowed down that DIY, and I have 1 pothos in each HOB filter. The two plants span the entire 6 foot length of the tank and even creep up the walls if you don't watch them.

I believe it'll consume some ammonia and nitrite, but not on the level of nitrates. And the jungle look can be really cool if done in moderation.

View attachment 917067

Looks great, love the look. I just use a simple 15" florescent light but even ambient sunlight is sufficient although it may not grow as fast!

The roots and base can be submerged fully, but leafs will eventually rot if they are submerged...leafs that are out of the water should be fine, but if they are underwater and rot they will mess with the water quality.

If the floating basket is flipped over because of unsupported heavy branches and leafs, it'll make a big mess in the sump.

+1

Recently turned my LFS on to Pothos and Philodendron....

The 110 gallon Discus tank at Fishy Bizness in Merritt Island, FL.

In the last month the nitrates were reduced from 20ppm to 10ppm without a water change. Ph of this tank is kept at 6.5. Under water plants include several species of Anubius but not A. nana and Java Ferns. No plants in the sand bed. All are glued to wood with coral glue until they are rooted on the wood. The discus LOVE the plants and are no longer scared and always hiding but out and about and looking happy. This fish store now gives me lots of free stuff and has asked me to design more tank systems for them....

(forgive my using size 4 text, I have poor computer vision.)

Awesome, soon pothos will take over the world!

My roots in my basket started rotting for some reason and screwed with my water quality and I trimmed them down mad and used an HOB for strictly pothos with some scrubbers for the roots and my tanks a bit over stocked and after one week with no WC my nitrate is just now hitting a little over 40ppm so I now an doing once a week WC rather than 2 or 3 like before


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That's great and always snip a inch off the roots before planting

My extremely DIY pothos has grown some nice roots, now to find a way to secure it... And make more of them

Glad you like it

On the same note as there are way too many pages full of info to look through but is there a mesh bag I can use to contain the roots in my sump?

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It will work

Too many pages to go through. Sorry if its already been asked, but can I put it in a HOB filter and habe the roots kinda hanging?

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Yes, as long as the roots make contact with the water your fine.

Update pothos neon is going crazy! Nitrates are staying around 20 ppm. View attachment 919825

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Sweet

View attachment 920826View attachment 920827View attachment 920828


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Bad ass!




Thanks again guys for keeping this going and on track !

 

[gangster]

Thanks for starting the thread F1 vet!
It showed me a whole new aspect of filtration. ON top of that its easy, cheap and looks cool.
One of these days I'll get a good test kit. I never liked the api ones you add water.
ANy others that dont break the bank and work good?

 

[F1 VET]

Thanks for starting the thread F1 vet!
It showed me a whole new aspect of filtration. ON top of that its easy, cheap and looks cool.
One of these days I'll get a good test kit. I never liked the api ones you add water.
ANy others that dont break the bank and work good?

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No problem. Never thought it'd blow up this big but as you said a 10$ plant that literally can cut n03 in half is awesome! The only other liquid accurate kits that I've used are Serra, if your tanks cycled then just test nitrates every week till they stabilize and you know your water change routine!


Thanks again for helping others while I've been gone

 

[gangster]

Thanks f1. I guess i just need to buy a new api kit then.
Im likn this aspect of fish keeping a whole lot more.
Now if I could only find a crazy hybrid pothos plant.