Aquaponics

Anybody ever use plants to filter out excess nutrients? particularly pathos plant?

 

We started using some plants about a month ago growing with the roots in the filter
e only have 3 small pathos (all i could find at the time) and another plant which just cant think of the name right now but i will check for you as its in my son's tank
They are growing beautifully but i cant really judge the impact at this stage as the plants are very small and the tank is 3500l so its going to take some time before we can really comment

 

One of the best for purification is Eichhornia crassipes but illegal in SA.
Most of the good plants for this matter are illegal in the country as classified as invasive.

 

I did quite a bit of homework on this and the Ray keepers/breeders all say pathos is the best one... (obviously this is excluding the invasives) just what i have read.. as i said, we only just started experimenting so i cant talk first hand.
There are a few others that you can use but their sap is poisonous so you need to be careful how you use them
If the roots are in the tank, they not safe but if the roots are in the filter where fish cant come into contact with them then its ok

Will see how it goes

 

Correct Pothos, Devil's Ivy, Taro Vine, Ivy Arum ... cat and dog killers, not the best for humans either.

Later Ferdie

 

i have dabbled a little in Aquaponics. but mine was for the intention on growing veggies. if you are wanting to im sure something like a spinach or chard would grow nicely provided it has some light. i wouldnt be able to tell you much pothos though.

i would avoid using a plant that produces a fruit like tomato as you would be needing to add additional nutrients to the water for it to produce the fruit properly

 

planing on building a planter aquaponics above my aquarium - managed to get ahold of some pathos over the weekend. Was actually quite tricky to find as the majority of nurseries around Cape Town didn't have it....

 

Not really looking to make a huge aquaponics setup, just want to experiment with it, I keep fancy goldfish and they produce quite a lot of waste, since it will be beneficial to my water quality and will help my plants grow, why not

 

the Eichhornia crassipes is a lovely plant - such a pity its band - that reminds me of the time I called around looking for frog bit - I got the same answer, I is illegal in South Africa - for what reason I don't know

 

I've heard good things about Devil's Ivy, not so much on the others personally. When I had mangroves going, the one species seemed to manage the waste pretty well. But these, like any other aquaponic setup, require a bit more space and lighting, which can be hard to nicely integrate into most setups.

Another option you could look into is an algae scrubber? Again, needs space and lighting, but if you have a sump, you could squeeze it in there. Google it - there are many DIY designs. The basic idea is that you encourage massive algal growth on the scrubber, with nitrogenous wastes taken up by the algae, and removed from the system completely when you clear your scrubber of algae, every so often.

Regards,

 

FYI the Vaalriver is infested with Eichhornia crassipes. It is a very invasive plant, extremely difficult to get rid of and if we could get rid of it permanently, we would do so in a heartbeat.

 

That is what we have been trying to do as well..
Funny enough we have also battled to find pathos in our area although i was given the name of a nursery which apparently has but just didnt get a chance to go there yet
I checked the other pant which is growing beautifully in Cesar's filter and it is philodendron selloum which is also poisonous but as its not growing into the tank it should be fine as no one can nibble on it

 

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Where did you find the pothos?

The floating plant I use Is water sprite. Very good growth and look

 

I found pothos at a Stodels In Constantia

 

anyone knows where i can get pothos in jhb area

 

Try Garden World.

 

thanks Andries
Called them nothing in stock

 

Cool thanks, I'll look around

 

cool - if you want to grow it with the roots hanging into the tank and the pathos hanging down the sides of tank (looks really nice) cut a clipping and leave it in water until the roots start to grow