What aquarium plant is best at sucking off nitrates?
- Thread starter Michaelscarn23
- Start date
You can try duckweed as a floating plant but beware it grows exponentially, however some fish like eating it. If you don't want an infestation of duckweed try dwarf lettuce as it grows quite fast as well. You can also have water pothos with the roots in the aquarium and the leaves above, they are very good for reducing nitrates. Most plants that grow fast and take up surface area, such as Vallisneria, are good at taking up nitrate.
Probably some of the best plants are frog bit, pothos, hornwort, elodea, najas.
Duck weed does grow fast it's a nightmare it gets everywhere I'd strongly urge you to stay away from it. I had it in my system by itself for awhile because I thought it was a good nitrate user. It does help but not as well as frog bit and frog bit is much easier and imo looks better then duck weed.
Most plants that have roots in the water and leaves out will be better at removal of nitrates then submerged plants. Co2 content of air is much higher then water and plants can use it easier out of air then water. Co2 will dictate or directly control your plants ability to use and need of nitrates.
Mix of things frog bit, a lily of some sort, mangrove, and for the life of me I can't think of the other floating plants.
Mostly pothos and frog bit.
Duck weed does grow fast it's a nightmare it gets everywhere I'd strongly urge you to stay away from it. I had it in my system by itself for awhile because I thought it was a good nitrate user. It does help but not as well as frog bit and frog bit is much easier and imo looks better then duck weed.
Most plants that have roots in the water and leaves out will be better at removal of nitrates then submerged plants. Co2 content of air is much higher then water and plants can use it easier out of air then water. Co2 will dictate or directly control your plants ability to use and need of nitrates.
Mix of things frog bit, a lily of some sort, mangrove, and for the life of me I can't think of the other floating plants.
Mostly pothos and frog bit.
Looks like some Water Hyacinth as well...yet another plant I can't grow.
I like Duckweed because it's so easy to prune and thin out. Nothing to cut, nothing to uproot, just dip some out and use it as food for turtles or herbivorous fish. Every netful I take out is just that much more nitrate being removed from my tank. I like Hornwort for the same reason, although not many critters want to eat it.
The only time Duckweed is troublesome is when/if you ever decide to eliminate it. Controlling it is easy; eradicating it is...well, let's just say that if you listen to me and get some, and then change your mind later, you will curse me forever.
That's true. Although it wasn't your fault. I don't have anything that would eat duck weed. I did finally eliminate it.Looks like some Water Hyacinth as well...yet another plant I can't grow.
I like Duckweed because it's so easy to prune and thin out. Nothing to cut, nothing to uproot, just dip some out and use it as food for turtles or herbivorous fish. Every netful I take out is just that much more nitrate being removed from my tank. I like Hornwort for the same reason, although not many critters want to eat it.
The only time Duckweed is troublesome is when/if you ever decide to eliminate it. Controlling it is easy; eradicating it is...well, let's just say that if you listen to me and get some, and then change your mind later, you will curse me forever.
There's a YT channel called Foo the Flowerhorn that grows things like strawberries and sweet potatoes in his betta tank with no filter, CO2, or ferts. So just for fun I stuck a sweet potato in a cup of tank water about a month ago. After a few weeks the first roots started to grow and then purple vines sprouted from the top. Its about 8" now and the leaves finally started opening so I'm about to put it in my tank after i find something to hold it. No idea how effective it is for nitrates but looks kinda cool anyways.
I have found water lettuce to work very well if you have a small tank get the dwarf one.
