# Mangroves + other nitrate reducing plants



## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

looking for alterative plant options, preferably ones that help lower the nitrate levels over time. there is close by natural lighting, and flouros on both tanks, but buying new lights isnt a financial option right now

that and I really just like the idea of my plecos darting around in big mangrove roots  

anyone have experience with these, or other suitable plants in freshwater?


please save the lecture about my nitrate levels and water changes/overfeeding etc etc


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

I will spare you the whole shpeel about water changers and feeding.  My favorite solution for nitrate reduction is plants. That's simply their full time job, they clean the water of ammonia, convert CO2 to oxygen, clean out toxic substances in the water, fish love it and it just beautifies a tank. Since you can't buy new lights, I suggest getting some low light plants. I recommend plants that can grow fast in low light, many people suggest moss but it grows way too slow for my taste. I can personally recommend Hygrophila Polysperma, some people love it, some people hate it. It grows FAST in low lighting and high lighting, doesn't require CO2 or ferts. Look at my tank http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14480 mostly Hygros. They grow fast to the point that 10 stems can turn into 20 stems in the span of a month or less. I have some available for sale and trade. Also have Phillips 6500K daylight bulbs, uses 13w but output of 60w, they are BRIGHT Compact Fluorescent bulbs that uses a normal lightbulb base. PM me if you wanna trade for anything, since you are low on money, I am in your shoes, dropped over $300 on my tank in the past few months.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Philip.Chan.92 said:


> Also have Phillips 6500K daylight bulbs, uses 13w but output of 60w, they are BRIGHT Compact Fluorescent bulbs that uses a normal lightbulb base.


How can it be 13w, but produce 60w?


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

The amount of nitrate plants remove is directly related to how much they grow. One of the best removers of plant nutrients is duckweed. Let it cover the tank and then remove 3/4 of it. Repeat fairly frequently.

If you want emersed plants, you can easily grow the low light vining houseplant called pothos (actually it's Scindapsis or Epipremnum) with its roots in the water and the rest of the plant trailing out towards the window. Another possibility is Monstera, sometimes called cut-leaf philodendron or swiss cheese plant. It puts out aerial roots. If you lead them into the water they will form a real jungly mass of roots. It also grows well with just some daylight from a window.

I haven't tried mangroves, but I'd like to some day. If you want some pothos, I've got a lot of rooted cuttings I can give you. Also, free duckweed. ;-)


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

Chris S said:


> How can it be 13w, but produce 60w?


What i mean to say is that it uses 13W but is as bright as 60W bulbs


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

You mean in terms of lumens or something?


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## Philip.Chan.92 (Apr 25, 2010)

nono i mean it outputs the same brightness that you would get with a 60w bulb.


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## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

bae said:


> The amount of nitrate plants remove is directly related to how much they grow. One of the best removers of plant nutrients is duckweed. Let it cover the tank and then remove 3/4 of it. Repeat fairly frequently.
> 
> If you want emersed plants, you can easily grow the low light vining houseplant called pothos (actually it's Scindapsis or Epipremnum) with its roots in the water and the rest of the plant trailing out towards the window. Another possibility is Monstera, sometimes called cut-leaf philodendron or swiss cheese plant. It puts out aerial roots. If you lead them into the water they will form a real jungly mass of roots. It also grows well with just some daylight from a window.
> 
> I haven't tried mangroves, but I'd like to some day. If you want some pothos, I've got a lot of rooted cuttings I can give you. Also, free duckweed. ;-)


very cool, you are quite the asset to this board, if you dont mind me saying so. all of your posts are informative and not at all condescending. thx 

planted plants (sounds weird) are of little to no use to me as my plecos tend to eat or chew on anything plant related. bought a bunch of frogbit and it was doing well until i went away for a week and a half and one of the plecos destroyed all of the root system on them. i've managed to nurse them back to health since i've been home and they are sending out roots again.

i have a good plan for the mangrove involving a piece of pvc filled with substrate sunk in a pile of rocks. I really like the thought of things growing out the top of my aquarium.

as far as lighting goes currently, i have a 48" stick light on my 75 gallon with two 40watt flouro bulbs in them. one is a marine glo and one is a power glo. i dont know what that relates to in the overall scheme of planted aquaria


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Philip.Chan.92 said:


> nono i mean it outputs the same brightness that you would get with a 60w bulb.


With a 60w *incandescent* bulb, right? The blurb on the packaging to help people to figure out which CFL to buy to replace the incandescents in their lamps and ceiling fixtures.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

vrb th hrb said:


> very cool, you are quite the asset to this board, if you dont mind me saying so. all of your posts are informative and not at all condescending. thx


Thanks. So far I have gotten only one PM full of foul language telling me to shut up!



> planted plants (sounds weird) are of little to no use to me as my plecos tend to eat or chew on anything plant related. bought a bunch of frogbit and it was doing well until i went away for a week and a half and one of the plecos destroyed all of the root system on them. i've managed to nurse them back to health since i've been home and they are sending out roots again.


Are you giving them vegetables and wood to rasp on? Most people use zucchini or cucumber, but some plecos like chunks of raw carrot, and some really need pieces of wood to keep their digestive systems healthy. There's a wide variation in diet between species, so maybe a pleco expert here can advise you.



> i have a good plan for the mangrove involving a piece of pvc filled with substrate sunk in a pile of rocks. I really like the thought of things growing out the top of my aquarium.


As long as your fish don't jump out... Well, not likely with plecos... ;-)



> as far as lighting goes currently, i have a 48" stick light on my 75 gallon with two 40watt flouro bulbs in them. one is a marine glo and one is a power glo. i dont know what that relates to in the overall scheme of planted aquaria


You'll get better looking light, and better for your plants, for much cheaper at a hardware or building supplies store. Many people like 'daylight', but I prefer 'cool white' or 'sunlight'. Something to think about when your tubes get that dark ring around the ends.


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## vrb th hrb (Feb 20, 2010)

> Thanks. So far I have gotten only one PM full of foul language telling me to shut up!


 lol thats not very nice at all...



> Are you giving them vegetables and wood to rasp on? Most people use zucchini or cucumber, but some plecos like chunks of raw carrot, and some really need pieces of wood to keep their digestive systems healthy. There's a wide variation in diet between species, so maybe a pleco expert here can advise you.


they are well fed little buggers, thats for sure. veggies 4-5 times a week, sweet pots, yams, cukes, broccoli stems and scallops or shrimp once or twice a week. and of course the usual pellet/wafers/frozen foods. lots of driftwood, as I have a royal and it's required in their diet, as well as just the general grazing of most plecos me thinks.



> As long as your fish don't jump out... Well, not likely with plecos... ;-)


 only ever happened once with plecos, and I think it was more that he was kicked out than he jumped out...... 



> You'll get better looking light, and better for your plants, for much cheaper at a hardware or building supplies store. Many people like 'daylight', but I prefer 'cool white' or 'sunlight'. Something to think about when your tubes get that dark ring around the ends


 yeah i bought the tank used, and it came with the deal. when I get some more cash I might look into a small metal halide lamp. i always thought there would be danger in water splashing up, hitting the bulb and in turn bursting it, as MH bulbs get pretty hot....

that vine plant sounds great. I have the remnants of a floating shelf hanging over my aquarium. Would look pretty cool with some vines wrapped around it....


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

bae said:


> With a 60w *incandescent* bulb, right? The blurb on the packaging to help people to figure out which CFL to buy to replace the incandescents in their lamps and ceiling fixtures.


That would make sense to me if that were the case, otherwise I'm lost.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

vrb th hrb said:


> yeah i bought the tank used, and it came with the deal. when I get some more cash I might look into a small metal halide lamp. i always thought there would be danger in water splashing up, hitting the bulb and in turn bursting it, as MH bulbs get pretty hot....
> 
> that vine plant sounds great. I have the remnants of a floating shelf hanging over my aquarium. Would look pretty cool with some vines wrapped around it....


Sounds like you've got some really healthy well-fed plecos!

MH bulbs and fixtures are very expensive, use a lot of power, and personally, I don't like the color of the light. Practical Fishkeeping magazine website says they are on their way out. If you want to get expensive intense light, you're further ahead with T5 and similar high-end fluorescents. I don't have any experience with them, however -- I use fluorescent tubes and CFLs (plus some daylight) only. You could just get a second two-tube 4' fluorescent fixture for $25-30. This would give you enough light to grow a larger range of plants. Because your tank is deep, you need more light to reach the bottom effectively.

With 2 4' fluorescent tubes and a bit of daylight you should be able to grow less demanding plants as well as floating ones. Java fern and java moss attached to some of the driftwood would work, and some of the long-leaved vallisnerias like jungle val that will get their leaves up near the surface where they can get more light should work. Again, the amount of nitrate they take out is proportional to their growth, so most of your nitrate removal will be by floating plants that get the most light and multiply quickly.

If you decide you want some pothos, PM me and we can arrange a pick up.

Btw, the current Canadian Tire flyer advertises fluorescent worklights for IIRC $30 or $40. It looks like an approximately square array of T5, maybe a foot square, from the pic in the flyer. It might be possible to disassemble one and make some good lighting for an aquarium, but it's hard to tell much from the pic.


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