• We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

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

For those looking at planting a substrate based planted area, a good aquaponics bed really thrives after quite an extended time as the micro flora and fauna establish. Try not to disturb the substrate in your planted area and some go as far as leaving the root system in to fast track growth for new plants and to continue to supply the life in the substrate. Worms do a good job in there too.
Bare rooted plants growing in the water do well with a bubble stream around the roots to increase water flow around the root system.
The biggest limiting factor I've found in water culture of fish, plants, fish/plants is oxygen and then light. Good oxygen levels in the water keep life thriving throughout. Degassing water helps keep it all healthy.

Have used plants on my own goldfish farm and others ie aquaponics systems. Used algae and seaweed in an abalone farm. Have used plant filter to clean waste water from aquaculture farms for reintroduction back into the environment or reuse.

Nice thread for plenty of discussion from experience for sharing.
 
Hoping to use floating plants in aquaculture baskets to try and get the nitrate levels in the work tank with the red belly pacu down. No sump to work with, so unless I build a sump, everything need to go up on top. Golden Pothos is first choice on plants, might do lucky bamboo or actual water plants second. No natural sunlight to work with, so need to supplement the office light with a growing light or two.
 
ITHURTZ said:
ANd what it looks like right now



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None of these plants died in the 6 months (minus the hosta, its a new addition as well as the mint plant)

If you want a nitrate sucker, from my opinion of the last 6 months, arrowheads, throw the pothos out they cant compare to the arrowheads growth. Pothos do come in 2nd place compared to the rest of my stock. Spider plants they dont grow fast enough, you would need way to many plants. I am more excited to see how the hostas respond. SO far its staying perking and d oing fine. If the hosta grows like it does in part sun outside, then its a no contest on who the king nitrate sucker is. Im trying to grow a maple tree in there as well, but first 3 seeds got moldy, so I am gonna try and sprout it in a wet napkin first then stick it in.

The lighting has been and still is being supplied by a 4' shop light with 2 t8 daylight bulbs on for 8.5hrs a day
Click to expand...

Agree! I have found arrowhead to be by far my fastest growing plant!
 
Quick update until the next couple weeks I am moving into a permanent house. last month I broke down and trimmed the arrowheads, they were branched ALL over the place and I had a hard time turning the light on and comming by the computer.
Turtles tank is doing great with that big ol 36"+
20150101_191442 by smetters20, on Flickr

20150101_191430 by smetters20, on Flickr

Fish get a new 501gal currently in fill up process, when the weather is warmer out I plan to make a 8x3ish container, but this time I want to make sections to keep certain plants to themselves, ahem arrowheads, and possible wandering jew.
 
I had originally planned to write a big long post about all of this but while browsing for data sources I came across a video that basically summed it up. This is truly a complete cycle and uses natures design rather than all of the chemicals and mechanical filtration home aquariasts have created over the years.


[video=youtube_share;coUb1qUnMvk]http://youtu.be/coUb1qUnMvk[/video]
 
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