Filter Plants

[ChoclateBetta]

How many of you use semi-aquatic plants in your aquariums I use lucky bamboo growing out of the spot between lid and filter in both tanks in my twenty gallon filter is two pothos one peace lily two lucky bamboos and in my ten I use two peace lilies and one lucky bamboo I chose plants that NASA said really clean air.

[ChoclateBetta]

Hello

[ChoclateBetta]

So any of you keep live plants in filters?

[LebronTheBetta]

What's the point in this exactly? I'm curious..

[ChoclateBetta]

I just wanted to talk about live plants in filters I got the idea from my science teacher his filters filled with sand, snails, and algae no filter media the tanks stayed spotless he did water changes it turned incredible and he had guppies breeding even fiddler crabs last time I checked.

[kfryman]

That reason is not really the point.

The point is that these plants, will suck up nutrients from the water column, in order to grow, one of those nutrients includes ammonia/nitrate. With access to CO2 in the atmosphere, which is much more concentrated than in aquarium water with no CO2 injection, they will grow much faster, which equals more nutrients being taken out of the water. This only really works if you have a light the plant can get to, with only ambient light, the plant won't grow as fast as it would if it had a light above it or direct sunlight.

[ChoclateBetta]

They in the 20 get 75watts and in the 10 25watts plus natural light i also use some plants that remove dangerous chemicals from the air.

[Perseusmom]

Sounds like a great idea ChoclateBetta !

[ChoclateBetta]

Thanks it really looks interesting too.

[kfryman]

Dangerous chemicals? Can you explain please.