Filtration

[tash]

here is what I posted before:

I have some Epipremnum pinnatum 'Marble Queen' (aka marble queen pothos) cuttings starting to root right now. I can't use them in my tank because my husband thinks it looks tacky :lol: but they are also labeled by NASA as being one of the top indoor air purifying plants (along with Chlorophytum comosum aka spider plant which I also have babies of).

here are some cuttings a few weeks ago right after I took them. It is called "marble queen" because it is green and white variegated (depending on the light, less light will make it produce all green leaves). the "golden" variety is yellow and green variegated.

spider plants are known for being able to live in offices and stuff. I don't know how long they last in just water. I just let them root then plant them in dirt.

the pothos I have will just turn all green with less light. if you don't care about the variegation then it doesn't really matter. I like the variegation and have it in a hanging pot upstairs in front of a south/east window with a sheer curtain filtering the light. the new leaves that emerge on the side of the pot where the pot is blocking the light are usually green or mostly green (you can see that in the photo above). I have read that in low light growth will be slow and leaves will be smaller and green. But in really good light (like outside in Florida) the leaves can be massive.

Hemigraphis exotica, the purple waffle plant is known as an annual outside, a houseplant and sometimes it is sold as an aquarium plant. But I have heard that after a while (like a year) it starts not doing so well completely submerged. I do know in a pot with dirt it needs to be watered frequently. Might be interesting to see how well it does with roots submerged and leaves above. It has a really unique look with waffly hammered looking purple leaves. I have it under a 25 watt curio light and it grows very fast (it is quite close to the light though). as with the pothos if it doesn't have enough light it will turn all green. My husband thinks the waffle thing looks weird. I have one of these too that needs trimming..... (it fell over because it got top heavy)

(if you can't tell my other hobby is plants )

 

[Sonny Disposition]

Thanks, Tash. Good information.

If you want to know if something will grow in a fish tank with roots submerged but leaves above the water line, then bring me a cuttings. A lot of my tanks have the lights suspended above the tank, so I can test them and let you know how they do.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tash @ Jan 6 2009, 12:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

here is what I posted before:

I have some Epipremnum pinnatum 'Marble Queen' (aka marble queen pothos) cuttings starting to root right now. I can't use them in my tank because my husband thinks it looks tacky :lol: but they are also labeled by NASA as being one of the top indoor air purifying plants (along with Chlorophytum comosum aka spider plant which I also have babies of).

here are some cuttings a few weeks ago right after I took them. It is called "marble queen" because it is green and white variegated (depending on the light, less light will make it produce all green leaves). the "golden" variety is yellow and green variegated.

spider plants are known for being able to live in offices and stuff. I don't know how long they last in just water. I just let them root then plant them in dirt.

the pothos I have will just turn all green with less light. if you don't care about the variegation then it doesn't really matter. I like the variegation and have it in a hanging pot upstairs in front of a south/east window with a sheer curtain filtering the light. the new leaves that emerge on the side of the pot where the pot is blocking the light are usually green or mostly green (you can see that in the photo above). I have read that in low light growth will be slow and leaves will be smaller and green. But in really good light (like outside in Florida) the leaves can be massive.

Hemigraphis exotica, the purple waffle plant is known as an annual outside, a houseplant and sometimes it is sold as an aquarium plant. But I have heard that after a while (like a year) it starts not doing so well completely submerged. I do know in a pot with dirt it needs to be watered frequently. Might be interesting to see how well it does with roots submerged and leaves above. It has a really unique look with waffly hammered looking purple leaves. I have it under a 25 watt curio light and it grows very fast (it is quite close to the light though). as with the pothos if it doesn't have enough light it will turn all green. My husband thinks the waffle thing looks weird. I have one of these too that needs trimming..... (it fell over because it got top heavy)

(if you can't tell my other hobby is plants )[/b]

 

[tash]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sonny Disposition @ Jan 6 2009, 12:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Thanks, Tash. Good information.

If you want to know if something will grow in a fish tank with roots submerged but leaves above the water line, then bring me a cuttings. A lot of my tanks have the lights suspended above the tank, so I can test them and let you know how they do.[/b]

it will probably take a long time since they can survive underwater for months or years. find me sat for a cutting. and make sure to keep notes for a biotype article so we can hear all about it

 

[Sonny Disposition]

OK. Thanks. Right now I'm growing Pothos and Bacopa carolinensis, both of which are doing phenomenally well. The Bacopa was really a surprise. I just threw a few fronds in the tank. (I brought back from a Florida trip years ago.) It's grown out of the tank and over the side into a big tangled mass.

The pothos and Bacopa Tanks are among the cleanest I have, considering how I've fallen behind on water changes. (I've been busy working on the multiple tank water changing system.)

Since Bacopa grows under water as well, I'm going to plant some in a gravel tub in my 55 long, and see if it breaks the water's surface. If it works, then that should be a really clean tank.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tash @ Jan 6 2009, 01:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Sonny Disposition @ Jan 6 2009, 12:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, Tash. Good information.

If you want to know if something will grow in a fish tank with roots submerged but leaves above the water line, then bring me a cuttings. A lot of my tanks have the lights suspended above the tank, so I can test them and let you know how they do.[/b]

it will probably take a long time since they can survive underwater for months or years. find me sat for a cutting. and make sure to keep notes for a biotype article so we can hear all about it
[/b][/quote]

 

[maddog10]

Just fired up the new rack of eight 40Longs. Setting up the filters had to be the easiest DIY project I have ever done. I used two 1/2" PVC risers in each tank and they move a lot of water. The tank looks so much 'cleaner' without the hydro sponges lined up against the back of the tank. This will make the tank easier to clean. I have a huge amount of filter area, so once the tank is cycled I could overstock the tank if needed (which I do not need to do). Aside form the initial cost of the foam, which I think will be more than worth it in the long, there is no reason why everyone shouldn't have 1, 2 or 30 tanks filtered in this manner.

 

[RIFT_LAKES_RULE]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (maddog10 @ Jan 9 2009, 07:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Just fired up the new rack of eight 40Longs. Setting up the filters had to be the easiest DIY project I have ever done. I used two 1/2" PVC risers in each tank and they move a lot of water. The tank looks so much 'cleaner' without the hydro sponges lined up against the back of the tank. This will make the tank easier to clean. I have a huge amount of filter area, so once the tank is cycled I could overstock the tank if needed (which I do not need to do). Aside form the initial cost of the foam, which I think will be more than worth it in the long, there is no reason why everyone shouldn't have 1, 2 or 30 tanks filtered in this manner.[/b]

Can you link me to a site that sells this stuff? Are you using the course or fine sponge? I'm gonna have to try setting up some tanks like this.

 

[maddog10]

You can get it from Plecocaves.com
Discus Hans was talking about selling it (hopefully he will see this and chime in).

I am using the fine pores.

 

[RIFT_LAKES_RULE]

Thanks Mike. I've got a nice room in the basement that I'm going to be setting up for my "man cave", and since I'll be setting up a few tanks at a time I might just do all of the smaller tanks in this manner. The simplicity of this coupled with the tank not being cluttered with hydro's is really appealing.

 

[Pat Kelly]

Yes Hans is selling the foam.
contact him at:

discus-hans@comcast.net

 

[RIFT_LAKES_RULE]

Got another question concerning this type filter. I'm planning on having sand substrate in most of the tanks in the fishroom... is that going to cause problems by clogging the foam? I'm thinkin as long as the fish aren't constantly spitting mouthfulls of sand at it, only an inch or so at the bottom might get somewhat clogged. I'm definitely going with this type filtration.

 

[Pat Kelly]

You should be fine. Only will get a little in there. Not enought to cause problems.

 

[RIFT_LAKES_RULE]

Cool, thanks Pat. That's what I was thinking but figured I'd ask before potentially ruining a bunch of expensive sponge material.

 

[maddog10]

I have added sand in my catfish tanks, which use the foam, and it will only clog at the level of the sand. I would bet water can still get through that part as well.

 

[Pat Kelly]

Playing with the stuff now. Using it to divide a 33 into several sections. Putting air on each one. Should be a heck of a filter.
12X12.25 with 3 of them in there. lol

 

[Sonny Disposition]

Can you post a photo after you get it set up? (I love this technical stuff.)

Playing with the stuff now. Using it to divide a 33 into several sections. Putting air on each one. Should be a heck of a filter.
12X12.25 with 3 of them in there. lol

 

[maddog10]

Since I have set up a saltwater tank again, I have been toying with the idea of using this stuff to make a sump. Should make one heck of a filter if I can do it right.

 

[crazyclowntang]

Sonny Disposition, you say that your tanks with pothos are doing real good, does the plant eliminiate a lot of the nitrates and nitrites and does your water stay clear? I was thinking about doing this but was not sure if it was safe and I posted it up in another website and nobody paid attention to it. I guess I will try mine soooner or later but don't know if the wife will wanna have pothos coming out of the tank.

 

[Sonny Disposition]

Maybe Dr. Cowherd will chime in here. I'm not a chemist; he is, so if I screw up he can set us straight.

Anyway, my understanding is that plants can soak up a lot more ammonia if they have leaves that break the surface than if their leaves are submerged. So the denitrifying bacteria in the filters convert ammonia produced by the fish into nitrites and then into nitrates. So in theory, at least, if you have lots of plant leaves sticking out of your tank, they should soak up most of the ammonia and you should have very low levels of nitrites or nitrates.

I haven't tested mine. But I've been busy with lots of other things in the evenings, and have fallen behind on water changes. The tank with the pothos in it has a high fish load and the fish are all still healthy. So I'm assuming that's what's keeping the water clean. To be safe, I also have a htb filter on the tank too.

To address your concern about safety: I've found pothos to be really safe in a fish tank. My tank sits next to a basement window. The pothos roots are in the tank, and the leaves are crawling over the windowsill. And it has the biggest leaves of any pothos plant I've ever seen.

Another option is philodendron. Rosario LaCourte, a killifish guy who speaks at PVAS meetings from time to time, show pictures of his garage fishhouse, which has skylights and philodendron roots in just about every tank.

If you don't like plants growing out of the tank, get some floating plants, like frogbit or water sprite. Duckweed will keep your water clean, too. But it overwhelms everything and gets really annoying after awhile.

Whether your wife will give you a hard time about it, I don't know. (Mine has learned to live with it.) Most of my fish tanks are in the basement laundry room where visitors don't see them. The tanks are bare bottom and not much to look at. I just like to breed fish, and so I don't care much about setting up beautiful show tanks. Pothos growing out of the back of the tank may not look nice, but the fish are healthy.

 

[crazyclowntang]

Thanks for the reply Sonny Disposition, you cleared up a lot of doubts.

 

[RIFT_LAKES_RULE]

I just ordered a sheet of poret sponge material from plecocaves, now i'll get to try my hand at it. I've got an idea for the 40g 4ft long tanks that I'll be using for my Black calvus and Fire Fin Comps. When I get one all set up I'll post pictures and explain/describe my plans.