Pothos in the tank?

FishFinatic77 said:

I've been growing a pothos plant in one of my filters for a few months, but it has gotten too big to be in there anymore. Can I just put the roots inside the aquarium? I have fish that like to nibble at plants, so is it okay if they eat at the pothos roots?

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Retired Viking said:

Do you mean something like this, I have to trim the roots because they get too long

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Byron said:

Pothos sap is toxic to humans and animals. Roots growing in the filter chamber away from fish would likely be safe, perhaps, but once the roots or stems are in the tank there is a risk the sap could enter the water if the stem/root is opened. The following [from https://smartgardenguide.com/are-pothos-poisonous/] is just one of several near-identical warnings online. I would not subject my fish to this torture.

Are Pothos poisonous? Yes, Pothos plants are poisonous if ingested and can be irritant to the skin if touched. They are not known to be fatal, but they will cause irritation to your lips and tongue, and they can make you vomit. Make sure to keep the plant away from cats, dogs, and children.​

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The thing that makes Pothos plants poisonous is the insoluble calcium oxalate crystals contained within their leaves and stems. These crystals resemble small glass shards that will physically pierce and cause localized irritation to the skin when touched, or the mouth and digestive tract when chewed or swallowed.​

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In very rare cases, ingestion of part of a Pothos plant can also cause swelling of the upper airway, making it difficult to breathe.​

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All parts of this plant are toxic if ingested, so be very careful and make sure to keep it away from pets and children.​

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Byron said:

Pothos sap is toxic to humans and animals. Roots growing in the filter chamber away from fish would likely be safe, perhaps, but once the roots or stems are in the tank there is a risk the sap could enter the water if the stem/root is opened. The following [from https://smartgardenguide.com/are-pothos-poisonous/] is just one of several near-identical warnings online. I would not subject my fish to this torture.

Are Pothos poisonous? Yes, Pothos plants are poisonous if ingested and can be irritant to the skin if touched. They are not known to be fatal, but they will cause irritation to your lips and tongue, and they can make you vomit. Make sure to keep the plant away from cats, dogs, and children.​

​

The thing that makes Pothos plants poisonous is the insoluble calcium oxalate crystals contained within their leaves and stems. These crystals resemble small glass shards that will physically pierce and cause localized irritation to the skin when touched, or the mouth and digestive tract when chewed or swallowed.​

​

In very rare cases, ingestion of part of a Pothos plant can also cause swelling of the upper airway, making it difficult to breathe.​

​

All parts of this plant are toxic if ingested, so be very careful and make sure to keep it away from pets and children.​

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FishFinatic77 said:

Wow, okay, thank you. I definitely won't be putting it in my tank then.
Is there a way I can have the roots in the water but the fish can't get at them? Like some sort of pot fixture?

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Byron said:

Pothos sap is toxic to humans and animals. Roots growing in the filter chamber away from fish would likely be safe, perhaps, but once the roots or stems are in the tank there is a risk the sap could enter the water if the stem/root is opened. The following [from https://smartgardenguide.com/are-pothos-poisonous/] is just one of several near-identical warnings online. I would not subject my fish to this torture.

Are Pothos poisonous? Yes, Pothos plants are poisonous if ingested and can be irritant to the skin if touched. They are not known to be fatal, but they will cause irritation to your lips and tongue, and they can make you vomit. Make sure to keep the plant away from cats, dogs, and children.​

​

The thing that makes Pothos plants poisonous is the insoluble calcium oxalate crystals contained within their leaves and stems. These crystals resemble small glass shards that will physically pierce and cause localized irritation to the skin when touched, or the mouth and digestive tract when chewed or swallowed.​

​

In very rare cases, ingestion of part of a Pothos plant can also cause swelling of the upper airway, making it difficult to breathe.​

​

All parts of this plant are toxic if ingested, so be very careful and make sure to keep it away from pets and children.​

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EllRog said:

I was just pondering on whether I could create a submersible troff. Like a V shaped troff with holes in the bottom that I could hang off the back of the tank, behind the lid, on the inside of the aquarium. Water would fill it up, the roots could grow through, but no stems would be accessible. The stems and leaves and whatnot would be flipped ontop of the lid

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FishFinatic77 said:

@Byron said the roots are poisonous too though. It would have to be a system where to holes are too small for the roots to grow through.

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FishFinatic77 said:

@Byron, is there a different plant that I can grow directly in the tank that won't hurt my fish? What about a spider plant?

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Byron said:

I only knew about the Pathos plant toxicity because it came up some time back and I researched it. Philodendrons are I believe also toxic. No idea about Spider Plants.

I understand the idea behind growing terrestrial (house) plants with their roots in an aquarium (tank or filter), as this should remove nitrates from the aquarium water. I do not have a nitrate problem, so I have never bothered with this, and given the risk I doubt I ever would. If nitrates are occurring solely within the aquarium, by which I mean they are not already present in the tap water, it is easy to keep them very low. As for whether house plants will deal with nitrates in the tap water, I've no idea how effective this might be.

Point is, that without some proven benefit, it is better not to risk the fish.

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