http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... te!-POTHOS

seems like one of the more recommended plants for nitrate removal, just wondering if we get it here in NZ. Most of the googling I did came up with fakes for hire

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?504763-Cheap-plants-less-nitrate!-POTHOS

seems like one of the more recommended plants for nitrate removal, just wondering if we get it here in NZ. Most of the googling I did came up with fakes for hire

Google Devil's Ivy. Reasonably common houseplant, I'd imagine a garden center should be able to get one for you.

Interesting they'd use that though, because a lot of links say it's toxic to pets. Probably "If you or your pet eats 10 plants it will get nauseous." type poisonous.

Yeah I don't think I'd have it in a tank with fish like uaru that would eat it, but would be great in a sump. I think its often used as it grows quickly, can be trimmed regularly, doesn't need super light and does well with the roots submerged.

If your tank is against a north facing wall, you could pump the water through the wall into a NFT system, and plant lettuce to remove the nitrates for you.

it may cool water too much being outside

would you have to be careful when pruning plant that it wasn't exposed to the water

it may cool water too much being outside

I think to prevent heat loss at night, they stop the circulation to the NFT channels.

Too much work, and the heat loss with a ~2000L system would be too great. Basically looking for a simple way to extent the time between water changes given that we are on tank water, though with a set up that size the amount needed to make it worth while may make it unfeasible?

How much heat would you lose if you hosted the NFT in a glass house against the side of the house?

And if you have enough plants, you could stop doing water changes completely.

You remove the nitrates by eating the lettuce :sml1:

if you had decent lighting you could do the same with Basil it like the wet and heat and light plus grow like a maniac and tastes good.

Too much work, and the heat loss with a ~2000L system would be too great. Basically looking for a simple way to extent the time between water changes given that we are on tank water, though with a set up that size the amount needed to make it worth while may make it unfeasible?

you are on tank water!! that real trouble for you i thinking..

most of my customers cry to me when they come to use my services.

I alway think of master Brian .T when it come to big tank,lighting, heat,DIY filteration..

different with you, you are on tank water.. :smln:

seriously try a home made solar hot water system (lotsa pipes with a black background) on a sun facing wall.... even if it doesn't work every day will save you money. tbh more trouble with overheating water with that idea.

I think the issue is more saving water, not saving electricity

nitrate is only one of the compounds added to the water by the fish.

Lettuce roots also extract ammonia

But what about everything else?

Also removes water !

If you're talking about sodium build up then yes you still have to do some PwC to remove it but at a much lower frequency

Which further concentrates the remaining minerals

in your size tank and the stocking you plan on having.

i think that your water change regime would be greatly reduced anyways.

i would say maybe once a week 25%? or once a forstnight even. unless you have added more to the stock wish list.

when gravel siphoning, i used to put the end of the hose into the sock, so i dont lose water, but recycle it. the sock takes the gunk for me.

In an aquaponics system they reckon on replacing 1% of the water daily lost to evaporation etc.

Alan I certainly wouldn't be doing away with water changes completely, and with my tank water having <10ppm tds the water changes should dilute the other minerals well. The location of the tank room makes solar heating (and unfortunately solar lighting too) unfeasible, and I don't care about the power bill that much anyway. I do care about running out of water over summer though!

Alan I certainly wouldn't be doing away with water changes completely, and with my tank water having <10ppm tds the water changes should dilute the other minerals well. The location of the tank room makes solar heating (and unfortunately solar lighting too) unfeasible, and I don't care about the power bill that much anyway. I do care about running out of water over summer though!

yes, i forget, tank water.

mmmm

that could be an issue.

in saying that, the tank water being full - should giv eyou plenty on a once a week or once a fnight wc regime?

not sure, never worked with tank water before i guess lol

With a recirculating system you'd use less water than you do now.

I have never dealt with what minerals build up in a fish tank and what are utilized by plants. I have dealt with wetland sewage treatment and the disposal of sewage solids to forrestry. In both of these cases it is the nitrate that is the factor that controls the level of applcation as everything else is by far less of a problem.

There may be no real problems with the buildup of other compounds even though nitrate is not particularly toxic to fish but can be a problem to some humans and hence the desire to control the levals in drinking water.

I can't remember the plant but it was in those days a class A noxious weed and a reed that was used in wetland treatment and it all happened in the root zone.

There's been a lot of research done in aquaponic systems and the only thing that builds up is sodium ( too high in the fish food ). Other things such as K, Ca and Fe need supplementing. Nitrates can get too high still if there too many fish but that shouldn't be the case here, right?

I am thinking of this too for my big tank as I want to aim for a more sustainable water change system where I only have to do a water change every couple of months. I have looked into it a bit. I was considering using Indian fern but the economic benefits from growing that stuff are low...

I was seriously considering putting a lighted sump with hydroponic vegies in the stand. It sounds like it can be done pretty easily, easier than I thought anyway.

Keep us updated with what you decide, and if it works.