On using Syngonium sp. to polish aquarium water.

Stan510

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In late summer I added a few rooted cuttings of the common house plant,Syngonium to the back cutout of my 240 gallon Aquarium with plants. The larger its gotten,the longer I have been able to go without large water changes or even washing the floss filter. Its grown in all directions and now pops out of one of the three middle cutouts. The fish love it..hang under the roots all day for some. Since adding liquid iron...the whole tank has seen a flush of new deep green growth over all the plants. The combo has a way of keeping the water clear no matter how often I feed..or what I feed. Beefheart can pollute..but so far no problems.
I think its sort of Aquaponics and although the light from a large window powers the Syngonium,others would have to put a very bright light over the Syngonium to get good ,fast growth and thick roots system. It could even be planted in its own basin...water pumped to it and gravity flow back to the aquarium.
This is not a "plant aquarium" it's an aquarium with plants ..that also get sunlight with the artificial lights about 9 hours a day.
 

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Looks nice, the plant looks good. I accidentally picked up 2 small 'Betta" plants and now have them hanging out the back of my 30 gallon tank. They were mixed in with several other plants at the time. I hope they look as good as yours someday.
 
Thanks RV. Over the years I've tried a few plants in aquaponic like tanks. None as large as this one,more like 50-100 gallons. Plants like Pothos grow BIG leaves..but,that plant always wants to climb and its roots will glue to the wall. One plant that is also good is Spathiphyllum. It needs to be held up with the base of the plant even with the waterline with wires or whatever method people can conjure up. It blooms too. Syngonium is just the most robust and pest free.
It's roots in back have reached the sand in the 24" deep tank.
I also strongly recommend people dose the tank with iron. It just works like liquid Co2 seems to me.
 
Thanks for the info. I just have the two plants hanging over the edge of the tank with the roots sitting in the water. They get plenty of sun but I have not decided how I want to attach them. The tank is a "work in progress" and is doing a silent cycle so I may end up moving them.
 

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