# Interested in adding plants to my sump, but...



## Cich of it all (Mar 29, 2007)

...where do I start?

I have a 125 gallon sump that is connected to a 150 and 90. I'd like to add some plants to the sump to keep nitrates lower. I have plenty of space in there, but I'm not sure what do with it. The water is hard and ph 8.1 - (Malawi cichlids).

-What kind of plants should I get? - appearance is not an issue - sump is in the other room.
-What type of substrate should I use?
-Is a standard shop light with some full spectrum bulbs good enough light?
-If when I do a W/C in the sump, the plants are unsupported and dry for 10-15 minutes, is that going to be a problem?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated!!


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## peterl (Nov 27, 2006)

If appearance is not an issue, you could use big clumps of java moss. You could try duckweed--you'll soon be overrun with it. Maybe other floating plants like water lettuce. Anachris also grows like crazy. If you add salts to the water, the anachris might melt, though.

You don't need any substrate for any of these. If you want to keep the plants moderately clean, you can add shrimp to your sump.

A standard shop light with a 6500K bulb will work. The plants will be fine during water changes.

HTH


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I had java fern and crypts with not much impact on the algae/nitrates. I added vallisneria and it was gone overnight. I think you need something really fast growing. The downside is that Vallisneria needs more light. I have 3 watts/gallon on mine.


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## Guest (Jul 25, 2008)

You could just make a plant filter. I've seen people on the forum do it where they pump water into a gravel or some sort of inert medium with terrestrial plants in them...and the water would pump in and drain out. I'm not sure how well that would work but the plants sure should thrive with the constant watering with nitrogen rich water... The only thing I can't figure out with that is what substrate to use with the plants that won't dirty the water when it returns.


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## beanblog (Jun 19, 2008)

I pump water to a rubbermaid hydroponic setup. I've only tested on a 10 gallon, but I'm in the process of ramping up to use it for my 75.

http://beanblog.com/images/aquaponics/


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## dwarfpike (Jan 22, 2008)

Brazilian swords can be bare rooted ... they are usually sold by PetCo ... look like amazon swords, but have stiff leaves out of water instead of limp.


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

I would look at fast growing species such as hygrophelia or hornwort. note that surface species will have an advantage as they can grow faster due to metabolising atmospheric CO2.

I would look at using a proper plant substrate (so many brands out there)

yes, a shop light would be fine (the use of reflectors would be recommended) just make sure to add enough light to the sump though 2-300w or so... (ideally however use T5, as they are more effective, so you can have a lower wattage of them, but the same amount of light in the tank (aprox 1w T5 =1.5w T8))

dont worry about the plants, so long as their damp (and they wont dry out in 15 minutes) they'll be fine. worth noting that a lot of the planted tank experts plant dry, using a plant mister to keep the plants damp while they do the aquascaping and planting (whereas I 1/2 fill and shove them in with my fingers, plants grow, but their not as pretty as the other tanks...)

edit, 1 thing to note, avoid duckweed, if the sump is going to be empty for a while it'll all settle round the base, and clog equipment


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

Make sure you sterilize any plants to kill snails or snail eggs otherwise you could end up with a snail infestation. Potassium permanganate, alum or a very weak bleach solution could be used. Once you have snails they are almost impossible to get rid of.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I second that. 748johnd, where were you when I added my first plants!


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2008)

I agree with sterilizing plants. One thing to note also, I am not sure how well potassium pomegranate is with killing live snails already, so I'd also make the effort on looking for them and pulling them off manually then sterilize the plant to kill any remaining ones and eggs.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

here's the progress of root development my mangroves have achieved in only two months:








they started from pods floated in styrofoam flats, that lightly hold them upright, are exposed to room light only, but require adequate clearance above water for stem growth also. they are respected nitrate consumers, hardy, require no substrate,and they are cheap. HTH.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

I was going to say add some plants like Pothos or something related.

Put it in a clay pot and elevate the pot in the water if you need to. They grow no mater what and eat lots of Nitrates and stuff.

Mangroves are a good way to go!


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

only thing I would say with relation to the mangroves (not sure about pothos) is that their pretty slow growing.

using fast growing plants you will be able to remove more nitrate and other pollutants from the water than slow growing plants.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn said:


> only thing I would say with relation to the mangroves (not sure about pothos) is that their pretty slow growing.
> 
> using fast growing plants you will be able to remove more nitrate and other pollutants from the water than slow growing plants.


 i was of the understanding, that while mangroves are a slow growing plant above water, their root development can progress more rapidly if/when accommodated with a good source of nitrate. the 6 plants that i have started seem to display this feature to be true. with only four leaves developing from the shoot tip, both primary and lateral root have surpassed 4", with plenty of root hair on all. sorry to say, that i have no way of measuring their capacity to intake nitrate, compared to before their arrival. i never intend for them to save me water changes. it's just nice to finally have a pet that doesn't need feed picked up weekly. i'm sure these are no match for a cover of duckweed, but at least they stay where i put them. :wink: i've followed the thread from start, and i just thought including them, would be an interesting option from the same old, same old...


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

Here's a link to a post that I just made not to long ago it might help???
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... highlight=
We're kinda doing the same thing :thumb:


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## kornphlake (Feb 12, 2004)

Plants may destroy your biofilter. I had an established tank that I planted about 1 month ago, I tried taking filter media from that tank to seed a new tank and haven't been able to get ammonia to drop from .50ppm, after 1 week I don't see nitrite or nitrate. In the past I've been able to cycle a tank in 2-3 days using media from an established tank, now it looks I can't do that unless I have an unplanted tank to take media from. It looks like plants can consume ammonia faster than the bacteria, over time the plants starved my biofilter of ammonia and nitrite. Relying on plants for biofiltration isn't bad but I'm a little concerned that a heavy pruning or adjusting the lighting in my aquarium may put a planted tank into a mini-cycle. I'm almost convinced that a heavily planted tank only needs mechanical filtration and circulation the plants will do chemical and biofiltration better than the best artificial filters.


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## slickvic277 (Aug 20, 2006)

Go to the plantedtank.net they are the plant masters bar none take a look at there photo galleries and you might decide to put the plants in your aquarium instead of your sump.


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

lloyd said:


> here's the progress of root development my mangroves have achieved in only two months:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is awesome! So are you using any salt at all? I suggested your very set-up to terd ferguson when putting together his predatory community tank and was given a hard time ( by someone else, not terd) about how mangrove was strictly a brackish plant and could only grow that way.


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

ashilli48 said:


> lloyd said:
> 
> 
> > here's the progress of root development my mangroves have achieved in only two months:
> ...


 no salt. i actually keep these mangroves on top of dwarf shrimp tanks. they are just starters, so i do not know much of what to expect long term, but i like their progress so far.


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## ashilli48 (May 14, 2006)

How long have you had them? How big when you got them and from where?

The variety near the beaches here is protected so going out and grabbin some is a big no no, otherwise I would be trying some out!


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

ashilli48 said:


> How long have you had them?


 approx. 3 months.


ashilli48 said:


> How big when you got them?


 i received them as dry pods and they sprouted here.


ashilli48 said:


> and from where?


 internet auction, listed as 'red mangrove pods'


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## Cich of it all (Mar 29, 2007)

OP here. I added a few large hygros and some java moss. That plants seem to be doing well, but no noticeable reduction in nitrates.


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

I hear hornwart is really good for sumps/nitrate reduction


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

ashilli48 said:


> lloyd said:
> 
> 
> > here's the progress of root development my mangroves have achieved in only two months:
> ...


Let me just say thanks again for that suggestion. Mine have been alive and growing for months now. The nitrates went from 40 to 20 (over a couple of months) right before a water change. I use zero salt and zero special care other than a regular florescent light bulb between 12 and 15 hours a day. I use one of those low wattage spiral bulbs (regular light bulb type bulb) to save on energy usage in a clip on type shop light.

Like Lloyd said, the tops grow slowly but the roots grow much quicker. For me, they have worked great. I talked to someone else using them in the same way and he had pretty much the same results as me. My only problem is that I can't fit more in my sump. I readily recommend them to anyone that may be looking to reduce nitrates with a heavily stocked tank and/or heavy feedings.

For reference, I paid $6 each for mine from my local reefer shop. They were already sprouted with leaves and had good roots. They went straight from the saltwater tank into a bag and then into my freshwater sump. I have found that mine like to be deeper in the water with just a couple of inches of trunk below the leaves exposed.

Here's how I set mine up...

The trees.









I cut some holes in some Dow styrofoam and stuck the trees in.









I then floated them in my sump.


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## BenHugs (Jan 13, 2007)

Are there any small mangrove species?? I am putting a 3g planter (fed by tank water) behind my tank that I was going to put a phillodendron into, but a mangrove would be to cool instead of or aswell as the plant. I just don't want a huge tree in my living room


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## terd ferguson (Jul 31, 2007)

BenHugs said:


> Are there any small mangrove species?? I am putting a 3g planter (fed by tank water) behind my tank that I was going to put a phillodendron into, but a mangrove would be to cool instead of or aswell as the plant. I just don't want a huge tree in my living room


I don't know about small mangrove species. But I can tell you that in the nearly six months I've had mine, they've grown less than an inch taller in the leaves/trunk. The roots have grown more (maybe 2" to 3"), but they kind of curl up in the sump.


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