Water Lettuce, Hyacinth & Red Root Floaters For Nitrates

Hey everyone,

My tank's all cycled and is heavily stocked. I do massive weekly water changes and I don't mind doing them but I would like to try and cut that down to a big change every 10-14 days if possible, or a 50-60% change every 7 days with nitrates remaining low. My thought was to build a separate flow chamber for the sump which would act as a 10 gallon ~ containment area for floating plants - particularly water lettuce, water hyacinth, and/or red root floaters. A compartment specifically illuminated by a grow light underneath my stand to encourage these plants to grow.

My question is, how effective would anyone hazard to guess this would be at reducing nitrates or keeping nitrates low? I know the root systems on these plants can become massive and I've read a few studies online about water lettuce used in water purification and similar systems; but I haven't read anything empirical or directly anecdotal about the cause and effect of the floating plants on nitrate levels. Any input is greatly appreciated!

Rick

 

Hey everyone,

My tank's all cycled and is heavily stocked. I do massive weekly water changes and I don't mind doing them but I would like to try and cut that down to a big change every 10-14 days if possible, or a 50-60% change every 7 days with nitrates remaining low. My thought was to build a separate flow chamber for the sump which would act as a 10 gallon ~ containment area for floating plants - particularly water lettuce, water hyacinth, and/or red root floaters. A compartment specifically illuminated by a grow light underneath my stand to encourage these plants to grow.

My question is, how effective would anyone hazard to guess this would be at reducing nitrates or keeping nitrates low? I know the root systems on these plants can become massive and I've read a few studies online about water lettuce used in water purification and similar systems; but I haven't read anything empirical or directly anecdotal about the cause and effect of the floating plants on nitrate levels. Any input is greatly appreciated!

Rick

My tap water has 20ppm nitrates coming from the tap, but my aquarium stays around 5ppm because of water changes along wit the Pothos cuttings I have rooted and growing from the back of my tank. Plants do help alot. Here is a pic of the back of my tank 7 months ago.

 

What size tank is that? Heavily stocked? What size water changes? I've also been considering terrestrial plants, but I've seen mixed reviews

 

Hi,
I've got minI water lettuce (and some duck weed) in my Nano shrimp tanks and Pothos in my goldfish tank.
Both seem to work well at reducing nitrates. The Pothos really is VERY good though, my tap water here in London is over 40, by the time the goldfish has lived in it a week, it's easily 80!
Since popping a few Pothos cuttings in my tank-all now rooting nicely ,the nitrates are down to 20.
When you say you've seen 'mixed reviews'-what are the negatives you've seen? I've only ever heard praise for Pothos here (hence my getting some)
The only thing I'd possibly add re floating plants is that, since they float on the surface, you're restricted by the surface area where they're going to live. When they start to multiple (and they do!!) any that get pushed under the surface will die and rot, thus adding to your nitrates.
Pothos, on the other hand, can just grow and grow as finnipper's amazing picture shows.
Here's a pic of my small cuttings so you can see how they start out, sorry it's a bit dark, it's early morning here and I'm off to work now!

 

Hi,
I've got minI water lettuce (and some duck weed) in my Nano shrimp tanks and Pothos in my goldfish tank.
Both seem to work well at reducing nitrates. The Pothos really is VERY good though, my tap water here in London is over 40, by the time the goldfish has lived in it a week, it's easily 80!
Since popping a few Pothos cuttings in my tank-all now rooting nicely ,the nitrates are down to 20.
When you say you've seen 'mixed reviews'-what are the negatives you've seen? I've only ever heard praise for Pothos here (hence my getting some)
The only thing I'd possibly add re floating plants is that, since they float on the surface, you're restricted by the surface area where they're going to live. When they start to multiple (and they do!!) any that get pushed under the surface will die and rot, thus adding to your nitrates.
Pothos, on the other hand, can just grow and grow as finnipper's amazing picture shows.
Here's a pic of my small cuttings so you can see how they start out, sorry it's a bit dark, it's early morning here and I'm off to work now!View attachment 450596

By mixed reviews I have heard a few different thoughts on how well Pothos actually work. I have heard people say they only work in the clay media aquaponic wet bed type of system, I've seen quite a few people just pop them into their filters or in the back of the tanks. I have seen some people say the pothos haven't grown very well at all. I have a 135 gallon tank, according to my readings, after a weeks worth of them living in it, I am getting around 20-30 ppm of Nitrate, then I do about a 90% water change and the nitrates plummet. My goal would be to try and keep them below 10, even closer to 5 if I could, that's the end goal!

I have space beside my tank for a separate compartment for floating plants with their grow lights, I could also do a small aquaponic bed (would have to be quiet, no flushing with the bell siphon as it is in my living room), and then I also have the option of pothos in my sump. I just want to make sure I am adding the most optimal option to my setup so that I'm not creating more grief for myself than need be.

One thing I would like to clear up is; terrestrial plants go straight for ammonia? or aquatic plants go straight for ammonia? I believe it's aquatic plants that cut off ammonia directly, and so if they don't absorb all of the ammonia, planted tanks can still have nitrates, but a video on YouTube yesterday has me confused.

 

My tap water has 20 ppm nitrates, but my tank only has 5ppm because of water changea AND Potkos cutting in the back of the tank I put in months ago. The fish like the roots too.

By mixed reviews I have heard a few different thoughts on how well Pothos actually work. I have heard people say they only work in the clay media aquaponic wet bed type of system, I've seen quite a few people just pop them into their filters or in the back of the tanks. I have seen some people say the pothos haven't grown very well at all. I have a 135 gallon tank, according to my readings, after a weeks worth of them living in it, I am getting around 20-30 ppm of Nitrate, then I do about a 90% water change and the nitrates plummet. My goal would be to try and keep them below 10, even closer to 5 if I could, that's the end goal!

I have space beside my tank for a separate compartment for floating plants with their grow lights, I could also do a small aquaponic bed (would have to be quiet, no flushing with the bell siphon as it is in my living room), and then I also have the option of pothos in my sump. I just want to make sure I am adding the most optimal option to my setup so that I'm not creating more grief for myself than need be.

One thing I would like to clear up is; terrestrial plants go straight for ammonia? or aquatic plants go straight for ammonia? I believe it's aquatic plants that cut off ammonia directly, and so if they don't absorb all of the ammonia, planted tanks can still have nitrates, but a video on YouTube yesterday has me confused.

 

Today, I added some pothos to my tank. Some are the marble variety, and some were the gold variety. Hopefully the nursery had these listed correctly. I cleaned off the roots, I god rid of the terrestrial root systems, and I stuck the plants behind my sponges in my Aquaclear 110's as well as put a few stems directly into the tank by having my powerhead chord pin it against a glass lid. The powerhead chord is very tight so I'm planning on them not moving but if I have to move them then so be it! One side of the tank gets more sun than the other so it should be interesting to see how the plants make out. I hope to see them grow like both of yours itsEmma and finnipper59 . The tank is horribly overrun with algae right now while my exams and my sickness have taken precedence over the past few days, but here's a quick video of where the plants are starting.

 

Today, I added some pothos to my tank. Some are the marble variety, and some were the gold variety. Hopefully the nursery had these listed correctly. I cleaned off the roots, I god rid of the terrestrial root systems, and I stuck the plants behind my sponges in my Aquaclear 110's as well as put a few stems directly into the tank by having my powerhead chord pin it against a glass lid. The powerhead chord is very tight so I'm planning on them not moving but if I have to move them then so be it! One side of the tank gets more sun than the other so it should be interesting to see how the plants make out. I hope to see them grow like both of yours itsEmma and finnipper59 . The tank is horribly overrun with algae right now while my exams and my sickness have taken precedence over the past few days, but here's a quick video of where the plants are starting.

My tap water has 20ppm nitrates but my Angelfish tank only has 5ppm nitrates because of the cuttings I put in last October. Here's some pictures. The clump of roots stay on one side of the tank and the fish love them.

 

finnipper59 That's a 30 gallon tank? How many angels? How often and what size water changes? I have 30 2-3" MalawI in my 135 gallon tank, and I have some small aquatic plants in my tank which I doubt are taking up much ammonia because they're covered in algae but they're still blooming new leaves. My bet is they are taking up some ammonia but not enough to totally inhibit nitrate spikes once the fish are larger. Eventually I will ween that number down to 15-20 large MalawI cichlids, but by then I hope the pothos are well established

 

You should start to see a noticeable reduction in the algae once the Pothos gets going. I know I definitely have. It's a lot better at controlling algae than my Amano Shrimp!
I think I'd probably wipe the existing green algae off the glass's for now, so the Pothos is starting with a level playing field, if you see what I mean.
Keep us posted on those nitrate readings....
Meanwhile, can I just ask you, finnipper59, how you get your Pothos roots so nice and 'fluffy' (can't think of a better word!) Mine are just long and straggly-do you trim off the ends?

 

You should start to see a noticeable reduction in the algae once the Pothos gets going. I know I definitely have. It's a lot better at controlling algae than my Amano Shrimp!
I think I'd probably wipe the existing green algae off the glass's for now, so the Pothos is starting with a level playing field, if you see what I mean.
Keep us posted on those nitrate readings....
Meanwhile, can I just ask you, finnipper59, how you get your Pothos roots so nice and 'fluffy' (can't think of a better word!) Mine are just long and straggly-do you trim off the ends?

It,s just a matter if time. My Pothos roots started out as just a few dangling roots and just began to branch out on their own.

 

It,s just a matter if time. My Pothos roots started out as just a few dangling roots and just began to branch out on their own.

Thank you! That's good to know, I'll just have to be patient...!

 

That particular tank has 3 angelfish. All water perameters are fine. But I do change 25% of the tank every other day. It's often changes, but the do poop a lot and often allow un eaten food to sink by them. So I do the often water changes just so I can vacuum the substrate. I have aother tank the same size with just a bonded pair of angelfish as well that gets the same treatment.

finnipper59 That's a 30 gallon tank? How many angels? How often and what size water changes? I have 30 2-3" MalawI in my 135 gallon tank, and I have some small aquatic plants in my tank which I doubt are taking up much ammonia because they're covered in algae but they're still blooming new leaves. My bet is they are taking up some ammonia but not enough to totally inhibit nitrate spikes once the fish are larger. Eventually I will ween that number down to 15-20 large MalawI cichlids, but by then I hope the pothos are well established

 

So while I was out at the doctor's I stopped and grabbed a massive pothos from home depot. This thing has got to be 10-15x more than what I got from Sheridan - for the same amount of money . I wasn't impressed but hey I'm pleased with my find. I found a YouTube video on how to make a little hook to float in the tank so hold the plants .I also posted a photo to show where the plants are in relation to the window on the west side which has a blind and curtains. I'll now be opening the curtains, but, leaving the blind down daily to allow the plants to enjoy some diffused sunlight!

If the plants don't do well at first where they currently are I may take the sponge out of one of my AC110'S for space to allow the roots to grow in there but for the time being I like my little hook setup, especially with the fact I want some roots in the tank. In the coming months when I drill the tank I'm going to have a separate compartment off to the side dedicated to growing pothos, monstera, umbrella plant and arrowhead to deal with the nitrates. The main sump will handle the first few parts of the nitrogen cycle, and I will keep a few clippings in the main display for show and because I like the roots (the idea of them for now) filling in the top part of the tank above the rockwork!

 

That particular tank has 3 angelfish. All water perameters are fine. But I do change 25% of the tank every other day. It's often changes, but the do poop a lot and often allow un eaten food to sink by them. So I do the often water changes just so I can vacuum the substrate. I have aother tank the same size with just a bonded pair of angelfish as well that gets the same treatment.

finnipper59 I had been doing daily 5-10% water changes on my tank prior to this past week, starting early May, and using the bucket or two of water with fish waste in it for my mum's gardening beds out front of the house. The plant growth was unbelievable! As long as the water parameters are good then no need for concern, my concern was with my cichlids growing (quickly I might add) the ntirates are going to creep up on me, even with the 90-95% water changes weekly. I'm hoping to bring the water change level down to 50-60% while keeping nitrates in check around <=5-10 ppm at all times. That was the original goal with the water hyacinth, water lettuce and red root floaters, but after reading about Pothos a TON on Oscar forums, and a 'big fish keeper' forum, alongside your guys encouragement I'm going to give the pothos a try.

You should start to see a noticeable reduction in the algae once the Pothos gets going. I know I definitely have. It's a lot better at controlling algae than my Amano Shrimp!
I think I'd probably wipe the existing green algae off the glass's for now, so the Pothos is starting with a level playing field, if you see what I mean.
Keep us posted on those nitrate readings....
Meanwhile, can I just ask you, finnipper59, how you get your Pothos roots so nice and 'fluffy' (can't think of a better word!) Mine are just long and straggly-do you trim off the ends?

itsEmma I'm going to be wiping the algae off completely tomorrow when I do a water change that's long overdue (permitting I'm somewhat nearer to full health), and I'm hoping by next week to see some root growth on both sets of plants. I have pothos in one of my AC110's and some in the holder as you can see in the picture above. I'm hoping by the time the colder weather comes, with the lower amount of sunlight, I will have a fairly thick plant that can handle a fair amount of waste (approximately early to mid October I expect the weather shift), and my best outcome is that my plant is long enough to reach a lattice I would like to build in the west window. As the plant grows I would just continue to rap it around and around the lattice. Then again, I do have other plans, as I mentioned above.

 

An update a few months later on my tank. The tank is a couple of days post water change, hardly any algae in sight, aside from on the rocks - which I'm alright with. The fish love the algae on the rocks to graze on!

Anyways, I ended up removing the pothos clusters I pictured in July. They didn't take to the thank. I had left a small piece in a goblet of water in my study space, forgotten about it on a shelf, and then noticed it had rooted after a few weeks. I ended up taking that stem with the water roots and putting it into my HOB. It's been a couple of months, and the plant has doubled in size. It has 8 leaves, it started with 3 or 4 and has amassed a root structure atleast 6-8x the size of what it was when I moved it from the goblet to the HOB.

I'm very pleased with how it's growing, I'm hoping by turning it slightly toward the front of the filter it will get some more light from my lights. As it gets bigger, I'm going to split it and put some in my other HOB. Next summer I'll be fitting the tank with a sump, and at that point, the plant will have its roots in the overflow box and will sit under my lights, that should fuel some growth.

I haven't done a nitrate test recently. I will on Saturday when I do my next water change, and I'll snap a picture of the roots then as well. If anyone is interested in the growth, I can post a YouTube video of where it started just for reference.

Thanks to everyone who gave their input! I may not need water lettuce in my sump if this plant is going to keep growing like this!

 

HI again!
It was great to read how your Pothos has grown, they do take a while to get going, but once they do, they're unstoppable!
I'm sure you'll be very pleasantly surprised by your nitrate reading on Saturday and I agree that now the Pothos is doing all the work, water lettuce etc are probably not necessary.
Thanks for the update, it's always nice to know how things turn out!

 

HI again!
It was great to read how your Pothos has grown, they do take a while to get going, but once they do, they're unstoppable!
I'm sure you'll be very pleasantly surprised by your nitrate reading on Saturday and I agree that now the Pothos is doing all the work, water lettuce etc are probably not necessary.
Thanks for the update, it's always nice to know how things turn out!

I appreciate that. I'm looking forward to my results on the weekend. Obviously a lot of the tank is still a work in progress (bare stand, shop lights, etc) but knowing the water is going to be helped by the pothos has brought some light to a long tunnel!