I'm going to be setting up a mad huge .... very large tank system in
january, and I would like some input on good plants. They're all going to
be placed in a bottom tank that serves as a sump for the trickle filter
system I'm making. Right now I've got sickly high nitrate levels and from
what I've read, plants help take that down. So, I want to know if there are
any plants that are better than others at neutralizing nitrates and
phosphates. Is it just a matter of leaf surface area, or are there other
things I should know about as well?
TIA

Moose wrote in message 23.159...
I'm going to be setting up a mad huge .... very large tank system in
january, and I would like some input on good plants. They're all going to
be placed in a bottom tank that serves as a sump for the trickle filter
system I'm making. Right now I've got sickly high nitrate levels and from
what I've read, plants help take that down. So, I want to know if there are
any plants that are better than others at neutralizing nitrates and
phosphates. Is it just a matter of leaf surface area, or are there other
things I should know about as well?
TIA


Fill the tank up with fast-growing stem plants (they are all fast
growing, but rotala india and hygro. polyspera come immediately to
mind) and lots of floting plants (duckweed, hornwork, etc.). These
plants tend to be the best at reducing nitrate and phosphate levels
quicly. Once you have N and P under control you can slowly reduce the
stem plants and replace them with other plants (ie. swords, etc) if
you want.

Others probably have better ideas as I haven't done the plant in sump
thing, but I believe others have. Terrestial pothos is also good at
sucking nitrate out I believe and you could have some of that growing
out of the top of the -main- tank as a decorative feature (doesn't
even need much sunlight) if you could find some way to let the roots
dangle in the tank.

"Moose" wrote in message
3.159...
I'm going to be setting up a mad huge .... very large tank system in
january, and I would like some input on good plants. They're all going to
be placed in a bottom tank that serves as a sump for the trickle filter
system I'm making. Right now I've got sickly high nitrate levels and from
what I've read, plants help take that down. So, I want to know if there
are
any plants that are better than others at neutralizing nitrates and
phosphates. Is it just a matter of leaf surface area, or are there other
things I should know about as well?
TIA

Generally the faster a plant grows, the more of an effect it will have
on water chemestry. Sword plants, wisteria and most other stem plants fill
this category. The ferns, and slow growers like anubias won't have as mutch
of an effect.

Add fertilizer, prune and use good lighting to encourage fast growth.

Alot of the floating plants are very fast and agressive growers, and
easy to remove/prune if they get too big.

It helps to think of plants as a kind of sponge, and if a leaf dies, it
will release it's chemicals back into the water.

--donovan