Using Land Plants in FW Aquarium

I was asked to post a couple of pictures of the Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema) as a means of filtering out forms of nitrogen. This is a 55 gallon tank with one large Cutlass variety of the "Ag" plant, with the plant roots in the water and leaves above. There are roughly 50 small fish in there, a combination of Corydoras, Guppies, Danios and Platys.

I have two large plants in another 55 G and if I change most of the tank water weekly, I don't need much mechanical filtration and haven't tested the tank water in several years. This tank has a small Hagan AC 30 that hangs on the back of the tank.

The "Ag" plant grows fast with a steady source of nutrients from the fish waste, so it has to be trimmed weekly.

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That is a very healthy looking happy plant. Is it bare rooted, or in a pot set on the bottom? I can't quite figure it out.. Thanks for posting the picture. Alison

 

Looks lovely! How much is "most" of the water that you change weekly? I would be interested in knowing the parameters before and after a change, just out of curiosity

 

Hello ali...

For a newly emersed "Ag" plant to survive, the roots have to be rinsed of all the potting mixture and the leaves must be above the water. Once the plant gets used to the new environment, new leaves can grow and survive under the water and others will grow above too.

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Hello Aqua...

This land plant is no different than aquatic plants I keep. It does best when it gets a constant source of clean water. I change roughly 60 percent of the water in my tanks weekly. This water change routine keeps the trace element levels high and steady, so the plant grows fast. The larger the plant, the more nitrogen it removes. I couldn't tell you how the water tests out. I stopped testing it years ago. I change out so much water and the "Ag" plants' root systems are so large, I know the water is essentially nitrogen free before and after a large water change.

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Attached is another photo of a 55 gallon tank with two emersed Aglaonema plants. Sorry for the dark picture, but I have several tanks in my basement and the lighting is the low "eco" type. The "Ag" plants require only room light, so standard, moderate aquarium plant lighting is more than enough. I added some floating plants for the benefit of the group of Red Wag Platys in there.

If you spend a little time setting up the plants with good aeration, the tank needs very minimal mechanical filtration. The plants will do the job more efficiently. I have $30.00 dollars in the plants and they take the place of much more expensive mechanical filters.

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