Tiny discovery that is definately worth sharing.

[FireMedic]

I have done no pruning. I let the roots grow as long as they please. I have provided ample ambient and direct lighting for the plants, that is all, really.

If I get a chance I will take some detailed photos of the plants and the roots, some more then 3 feet long.

The plants have been doing a wonderful job, in my humble opinion. They must be. I just had a dozen pups born in the system and the water is pristine. No activated charcoal. Mechanical and biological filtration only. Plus the plants.

Respectfully,
FireMedic.

 

[knifegill]

Thanks.
I'm only worried about the long roots because this is an Oscar tank. I'll just cut them when I have to and see if the plant lives, I guess. I think I might set up an additional HOB with nothing in it except the plant.

 

[FireMedic]

Try it as a little experiment, no harm in it.

I really have nothing but good to say about the use of plants as a component. They haven't failed me. Good luck and keep us posted.

-FM

 

[zix]

i have use plantas to filter most of my tanks, still do WG 2 X weak but i do overstook

the beads are full of clay balls LECA, that is also use like midia ,i use
2x3000l pumps

other tank and 2 more

 

[knifegill]

That looks like Liam's in Chinatown! Nice plants!

 

[spotfin]

My pothos continue to grow as well. I think one of the vines is close to 8' now. Checked the nitrate level yesterday and it was about 10ppm. Not too bad for 200 gals of water with 3 small rays and a bunch of tetras. I think the plants make a big difference.

 

[zix]

the plants from 2 and 3 pics green and purple leave need to be cut every weak , the vine i just let go true the roof

 

[justinf67]

so, i have been doing some research on adding plants to sumps, and the benefits. I havnt seen any in-depth discussions till now. I do not have any rays. in fact, I keep african cichlid mbuna. my tank is overstocked, with a sump which keeps the ammonia and nitrite in check very well. problem is, since i am overstocked, my nitrates do tend to climb pretty quickly. I was looking for a way to slow down the nitrates, and i feel this would be the best way to do so. Im not looking to stop doing water changes, just a little less often.
Plants in the tank are not an option as mbuna will destroy them quickly. I do have some room in the sump and from what i have read in this discussion, i have a few types i may try out. i have 2 concerns with this setup. One is at night, I do not want to starve my fish of oxygen. i would assume i need a heavy duty amount of plants to do this though, right? Second, i dont want to weaken my bio filter too much, because i rely on it heavily.
Question. for those that have done this in their sump, what lights did u use, and what length of time on and off? i do want to try this, just war
y of what could be a few risks....

 

[FireMedic]

so, i have been doing some research on adding plants to sumps, and the benefits. I havnt seen any in-depth discussions till now. I do not have any rays. in fact, I keep african cichlid mbuna. my tank is overstocked, with a sump which keeps the ammonia and nitrite in check very well. problem is, since i am overstocked, my nitrates do tend to climb pretty quickly. I was looking for a way to slow down the nitrates, and i feel this would be the best way to do so. Im not looking to stop doing water changes, just a little less often.
Plants in the tank are not an option as mbuna will destroy them quickly. I do have some room in the sump and from what i have read in this discussion, i have a few types i may try out. i have 2 concerns with this setup. One is at night, I do not want to starve my fish of oxygen. i would assume i need a heavy duty amount of plants to do this though, right? Second, i dont want to weaken my bio filter too much, because i rely on it heavily.
Question. for those that have done this in their sump, what lights did u use, and what length of time on and off? i do want to try this, just war
y of what could be a few risks....

Excellent thoughts.
First, I have rearranged the plants. There is one bunch actually planted with half its root system in soil and half the roots in the bio-section of my wet/dry sump. The bio-balls serve as artificial soil (of sorts). Another bunch of plants lives in the pump-sump area of the filter, the roots dangle freely in the water column.

Second, the soil planted bunch receives indirect sunlight from the windowsill it sits in. The leaves are deeply green and large. The bunch that is in the sump receives flourescent lighting from a 40w compact bulb that is 6 inches from them. It is lit 8hrs a day (on a timer).

Third, I have not noticed any deficit in oxygen during the night. I have a substantial amount of circulation and water cavitation to negate any build up of CO2 or depletion of O2. The plants surely enjoy the nitrates/nitrites/ammonia that the bacteria do not consume. These are the same plants in the original pictures at the beginning of this thread. The only difference is that they have grown and grown and grown.

I am attempting to add a small bypass circuit to my system in order to experimant with water hyacinth or bamboo. Nothing solid yet, just notes on paper for now.

Respectfully,
FireMedic.

 

[justinf67]

Excellent thoughts.
First, I have rearranged the plants. There is one bunch actually planted with half its root system in soil and half the roots in the bio-section of my wet/dry sump. The bio-balls serve as artificial soil (of sorts). Another bunch of plants lives in the pump-sump area of the filter, the roots dangle freely in the water column.

Second, the soil planted bunch receives indirect sunlight from the windowsill it sits in. The leaves are deeply green and large. The bunch that is in the sump receives flourescent lighting from a 40w compact bulb that is 6 inches from them. It is lit 8hrs a day (on a timer).

Third, I have not noticed any deficit in oxygen during the night. I have a substantial amount of circulation and water cavitation to negate any build up of CO2 or depletion of O2. The plants surely enjoy the nitrates/nitrites/ammonia that the bacteria do not consume. These are the same plants in the original pictures at the beginning of this thread. The only difference is that they have grown and grown and grown.

I am attempting to add a small bypass circuit to my system in order to experimant with water hyacinth or bamboo. Nothing solid yet, just notes on paper for now.

Respectfully,
FireMedic.

The more I think about it, the less I am worried about oxygen with my fish. First of all, I would need a massive amount of plants to rob all nutrients from an overstocked tank. Second, I have a turnover rate at around 15x per hour with a ton of surface agitation. Lastly, I will set my timers to be lit on the sump and tank at the same time...

Im sure the plants will love the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate from the water. I will avoid putting any plants until AFTER the bio tower. I think this way I will have less of a chance of weakening my bio filter. If I had plants in the bio section Id be too worried about them competing for food, and the bio losing..Not a problem, unless i remove plants. at that point, Id be in for a big spike....

I will be trying this, and recording my results. I will test PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate levels each day, prob for 2-4 weeks. That will be my baseline. After that, I will add some bamboo, and anachris post bio in the sump. I'll compare the difference it makes. Should be an interesting experiment if nothing else...