“High Tech” “Low Tech” plant filtering…

[Magnum Man]

So I added 4 more house plants to the aquariums today… 4 smaller Pothos plants today… added to some Philodendrons, and Swiss Cheese Monsteras, I added several weeks ago…a transformation has begun…

Sorry, pictures went in upside down… so 3rd picture I call High Tech, has a Monstera, and Pothos actually as the filter media in a hang on filter…( there are 2 double cartridge hang on tank filters, each with 2 plants in them on this acrylic 55 gallon aquarium… the slotted pots are full of ceramic filter media to hold the roots, also in that picture is 3 - 18 inch Lucky Bamboo, that have weighted bases & are hanging free… roots exposed, plugging an unused / old fashioned heater hole in the top of this older acrylic tank…

1st and 2nd pictures I call Low Tech…are the same type of pots with Philodendrons in them, clipped to the side of the tank, above 10 inch air bars to move the water through the pots… one picture from above, the other picture from below

 

[Magnum Man]

Trying a new to me house plant... going into my rainbow tank... this is harder water,,, hope the plant does OK... it's certainly interesting looking , the other aquariums are built in, so the plants are not visible to the house, only visible from the service area behind the tanks... the Rainbow tank is also built in, but in a different part of the house, & is open on one end for service... this plant will be visible from that open end, but will still be rooted & get it's light from the aquarium... the plant is a Calathea Obifolia... anyone else have one???

pictures as it arrived today...

 

[Nuttawet]

Where do u live? You got really good equipments there bro! Congrats.

 

[Magnum Man]

Live in the USA... in the state of Minnesota... thank you

 

[Nuttawet]

Ahhh i've been to los angeles it's a good country. I also went to petco. But jatujakk in Thailand is better. In jatujakk got all sorts of things like food and pets etc. it's a very huge place. Many travellers from every countries came by.

 

[Magnum Man]

New plant is in the tank…

 

[GaryE]

Calarhea, actually now Goepperti, didn't do well here, but that was one try. I like your set up, and I hope it does better there.

My vines in tanks are finally taking off, after almost a year. Emergent plants are fun .

 

[Magnum Man]

It's really amazing how actively growing plants pull fish waste out of the water... I had gotten really busy, & was using up my filtered water, changing over 1 tank... so my other tanks didn't get water changed for two weeks... I tested all the water before doing water changes yesterday & everything was perfect... tested multiple tests... I expected my barb tank ( a 55 gallon with the most bio load ) to "need" a water change... 5 Tin Foil Barbs between 6 & 7 inches long, 3 - 4 inch long Denison Barbs, 2 - 4 inch Flying Foxes, 5 - 3 inch Black Cory's & a 4" Helostoma temminkii kisser fish... & the water tested perfect... I do have a couple hang on tank filters in that tank, but the water was way better than I expected... & I can only blame the house plants rooted in the aquarium for the pristine water over 2 weeks old in the tank

 

[Nuttawet]

I like all your fish they all look like shark but i don't like kisser fish.

 

[Magnum Man]

I should probably move the Calathea to a different aquarium, as that tank still has house softened hard water, that's very alkaline... it's starting to brown a little around the edges... I think the Pothos is pretty hard to kill..., it may be a better candidate for the more alkaline water that's currently in the rainbow tank...

as soon as I have time, I'm going to run a line from my filtered water pump, through a diverter valve to that tank on the other side of the house... I'll have to add minerals to the water going there, since everything I'm currently using the RO for is soft... but I think the Fish & any plants would appreciate the water being hard, with a reduced alkalinity

 

[Magnum Man]

@GaryE
a little info on Calathea's

"While it might seem counterintuitive for a tropical plant, calatheas prefer filtered light or shade. They're used to growing beneath a canopy of trees on the jungle floor and therefore have adapted to brief dapples of sunlight instead of constant harsh rays. So keep your calathea out of direct sun, as too much light can burn the leaves and cause their vibrant patterns to fade.

Calatheas prefer a loamy or humusy soil that's rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral soil pH is best.

Also, calathea plants prefer humidity levels of 50% and higher. Indoors, you can raise the humidity level around your plant by placing a humidifier nearby. You also can place the plant's container on a tray filled with water and pebbles, ensuring that the bottom of the container isn't touching the water. Plus, terrariums can be a great option to create humid conditions; you'd just need to find one large enough to host a calathea's sprawling leaves."

continuing to read... browning tips or around the edges, that I'm seeing is usually a sign of needing more water... but with growing in the aquarium, & as noted above the plant might be better in one of my soft water tanks, & I had been trying to give it a little extra light... looks like it doesn't need that...

 

[Magnum Man]

I should actually keep a growing log of the plants & normal plant conditions... I've bought some tags for the plants, to add the variety... as I start adding more it might be harder to remember what I've added... already it's pretty hard to tell a Philodendron from a Pothos

 

[GaryE]

@GaryE
a little info on Calathea's

"While it might seem counterintuitive for a tropical plant, calatheas prefer filtered light or shade. They're used to growing beneath a canopy of trees on the jungle floor and therefore have adapted to brief dapples of sunlight instead of constant harsh rays. So keep your calathea out of direct sun, as too much light can burn the leaves and cause their vibrant patterns to fade.

Calatheas prefer a loamy or humusy soil that's rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic to neutral soil pH is best.

Also, calathea plants prefer humidity levels of 50% and higher. Indoors, you can raise the humidity level around your plant by placing a humidifier nearby. You also can place the plant's container on a tray filled with water and pebbles, ensuring that the bottom of the container isn't touching the water. Plus, terrariums can be a great option to create humid conditions; you'd just need to find one large enough to host a calathea's sprawling leaves."

continuing to read... browning tips or around the edges, that I'm seeing is usually a sign of needing more water... but with growing in the aquarium, & as noted above the plant might be better in one of my soft water tanks, & I had been trying to give it a little extra light... looks like it doesn't need that...

This advice is going to be expensive - the people at the garden centre are going to see me again...

 

[Magnum Man]

@GaryE ... & anyone else interested... I did move Calathea to a soft water tank, & coincidentally it was one that I had to turn the intensity down on the lights ( power draw through the USB ports or some such ) but the Calathea has stopped browning around the leaf edges & has started to look healthier

roots are starting to grow out of the pots on both the Philodendrons & Pothos , but not encroaching into the tanks far enough that they are very visible...

I have a couple variegated Pothos coming today, so those go to the tank I initially put the Calathea into... as they are visible to the room... will see how they do in the more alkaline water...

coincidently, next week, the tubing, T's, & valves come, to hook up to the RO filter & pump, to pump RO water over to that tank... it'll still be a hard water tank for the Rainbows, with adding minerals, but I'm hoping to keep it harder, but less alkaline ( it's off the charts alkaline, both because of the house softener, & the fact that we have really high alkalinity here )

 

[Magnum Man]

@GaryE I've got new leaves coming & roots with fresh growth on Calathea, since I moved it out of the tank with Alkaline water... so I'm going to try a 2nd variety... thinking these will look nice...

Amazon.com

BTW... the variegated Pothos

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

is looking like it's at least ok, in the rainbow tank ( no signs of browning edges like the Calathea had in the same amount of time... but only been a week so far, so we'll see how that handles the alkaline water

see... I've not got a problem @CaptainBarnicles