Pothos & other plants

[FishHobby99]

I have heard pothos roots growing in the tank are terrific for detoxifying ammonia. I have them all over the house & am currently rooting clippings. Anyone else used potho?

Today I bought a 10 G tank specifically to grow plants. I bought a batch that were unrooted stems that deteriorated and had to be pulled from the tank. 20 plants are coming in from eBay any day. This

seller has excellent reviews but I need to see these plants root & thrive outside the tank before joining my fish.

 

[Byron]

I have heard pothos roots growing in the tank are terrific for detoxifying ammonia. I have them all over the house & am currently rooting clippings.

Not exactly...pothos is a terrestrial plant, and thus uses nitrates as their source of nitrogen, not ammonia. People place the roots in a fish tank, or in the filter, to deal with excess nitrates if that is a problem. However, the sap of pothos is toxic, so if it should somehow get into the water of a tank with fish, it can poison them. Which is why placing the roots in the filter is less risky, fish are unable to bite them. Though of course if the roots get broken they will leech out the sap.

Aquatic plants fully submersed use ammonia/ammonium as their preferred source of nitrogen. They do not take up nitrates except when the ammonia/ammonium becomes insufficient. This rarely if ever occurs in a fish tank unless the biological system is way out of balance.

 

[FishHobby99]

Wow! Thanks for the info. I just pulled the sole rooting vine out of my goldfish tank. The leaves weren’t in the water. Knew that wasn’t good & it kill the leaves. The vine was attached to the back of the tank, not extending over the LEDS as depicted.

YAKOKE

! (thanks in my Native American language)

 

[NannaLou]

I have a variety of pothos (heart leaf philodendron) in my tank. After leaving the cut stalk to heal for two weeks in a glass of water to prevent the “sap” from leaking into the water.

After being advised by @Byron that the roots were poisonous I did further online reading. Much as I hate to contradict @Byron the reading indicates that the acid that causes the issues is mainly in the leaves, and even then in very small quantities that are unlikely to cause severe effect. There are numerous instances on the internet of these plants growing very successfully in aquariums, and I suspect that there would be more evidence of the ’dangers’ if indeed people were losing fish.https/www.fishlaboratory.com/fish/pothos-in-aquarium/

Are Pothos Plants Toxic to Fish?​

Some fishkeepers wonder if pothos will harm their fish. This may be due to the fact that pothos can be toxic to cats and dogs. Fortunately, pothos plants are safe for your aquarium fish. There are no reports of them being toxic or harmful towards fish. In fact, they even provide egg spawning fish with places to lay their eggs, and harbor them until they hatch.

This is one of many articles, Google : “toxins in pothos plant in aquarium”

 

[Byron]

I have a variety of pothos (heart leaf philodendron) in my tank. After leaving the cut stalk to heal for two weeks in a glass of water to prevent the “sap” from leaking into the water.

After being advised by @Byron that the roots were poisonous I did further online reading. Much as I hate to contradict @Byron the reading indicates that the acid that causes the issues is mainly in the leaves, and even then in very small quantities that are unlikely to cause severe effect. There are numerous instances on the internet of these plants growing very successfully in aquariums, and I suspect that there would be more evidence of the ’dangers’ if indeed people were losing fish.https/www.fishlaboratory.com/fish/pothos-in-aquarium/

Are Pothos Plants Toxic to Fish?​

Some fishkeepers wonder if pothos will harm their fish. This may be due to the fact that pothos can be toxic to cats and dogs. Fortunately, pothos plants are safe for your aquarium fish. There are no reports of them being toxic or harmful towards fish. In fact, they even provide egg spawning fish with places to lay their eggs, and harbor them until they hatch.

This is one of many articles, Google : “toxins in pothos plant in aquarium”

I won't dispute the thinking. But, I also would not assume this is necessarily correct. One fact that is absolutely definite is that the plants have a toxic substance, be it in the leaves, roots, or stems. And frankly, I do not see why the roots would not have this if it is in the leaves, sap runs throughout a plant. But if a trained botanist corrects me, no problem, as I am not such a person.

Second point is, Google can be a help but also a hindrance. Who wrote the information? That alone determines whether or not it is reliable. I could post all sorts of nonsense but that doesn't make it accurate. And much of what is on Google respecting fish is certainly unreliable, inaccurate, and/or misleading, whichever. I use Google to find things, but then I check the source of what it finds before making the assumption it may likely (or not) be accurate.

There may not be "reports" of fish being affected, but that doesn't mean it will not happen. On principle I would not add anything toxic to a tank with fish, which is why I will not use Excel (which is glutaraldehyde), just as an example. Anything in the water has the opportunity of entering the fish's bloodstream.

 

[FishHobby99]

Wow! And thanks for the links. My only research thus far has been YouTube videos. All positive except one in which the tank owner said the pothos roots severely reduced algae growth. Not clear to me why she wanted all the algae on the tank walls.

I did see a cool pic of a philodendron rooted inside a tank. They are my other fave, because both are so very hardy. Have the pair all over the house.

I clearly need to do more research & am deeply appreciative of both Brian’s & your posts.

YAKOKE!

 

[FishHobby99]

I won't dispute the thinking. But, I also would not assume this is necessarily correct. One fact that is absolutely definite is that the plants have a toxic substance, be it in the leaves, roots, or stems. And frankly, I do not see why the roots would not have this if it is in the leaves, sap runs throughout a plant. But if a trained botanist corrects me, no problem, as I am not such a person.

Second point is, Google can be a help but also a hindrance. Who wrote the information? That alone determines whether or not it is reliable. I could post all sorts of nonsense but that doesn't make it accurate. And much of what is on Google respecting fish is certainly unreliable, inaccurate, and/or misleading, whichever. I use Google to find things, but then I check the source of what it finds before making the assumption it may likely (or not) be accurate.

There may not be "reports" of fish being affected, but that doesn't mean it will not happen. On principle I would not add anything toxic to a tank with fish, which is why I will not use Excel (which is glutaraldehyde), just as an example. Anything in the water has the opportunity of entering the fish's bloodstream.

really like fishlaboratory.com
just saw a YouTube link they had re growing tank plants from seeds. I lack the patience, but it was fun to watch.