# Land Plants in FW Tank



## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello AA. Been a while.

Working on a new 55 gallon tank with the roots of the Chinese Evergreen emersed in the tank water, with the leaves above. Relying totally on the land plant and some Hornwort to maintain pure water conditions. No cycling necessary. So, no water changes for this tank. Not ever. The land plant needs the dissolved waste produced by the 25 or so Guppy fry that went into the tank too. Will just be topping off the tank water to maintain the 6 inches of water needed to cover the Evergreen's roots. The tank is completely open to pick up the CO2 in the air and have a couple of T8 florescent bulbs for light.

Here we go.

B


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

well welcome back im big b.glad to meet you.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

The no water change tank has been running for roughly 3 weeks. Another tank would have needed 3 water changes in that time. None for this tank and no plans to do any. Tested the tank water last night. "0" ammonia and nitrite. Nitrates were at roughly 10 ppm. The Aglaonema is taking in all the forms of nitrogen and keeping the tank water pure. Still need to replace the water that's lost to evaporation, about a gallon per week.

Plant is doing well. 2 blossoms forming. Apparently, the treated tap water with a trace of nitrogen is a good environment.

B


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

What about all the minerals and salts that are in water. With evaporation and adding replacement water, won't you develop an excess of minerals and such???


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

hey i would try mangrove.i hear they grow in salt fresh and in brackish.hope this helps


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

I know from a frost free freezer, the ice cubes will shrink, "evaporate" and leave a white crusty mess in the tray or the container they are in. I tasted it to see what it was. It was salty and gritty......salt and minerals????? 

Maybe the guppies will survive for some time. They are tough, but what kind of quality of life will they have???


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

vreugy said:


> What about all the minerals and salts that are in water. With evaporation and adding replacement water, won't you develop an excess of minerals and such???


Hello vr...

No way of testing for minerals. Although, minerals are a part of a healthy water chemistry and will be taken in by the roots of the "Ag" plant. A build up of this kind will take many months, if not years. Certainly by that time, the plant will have become accustomed to the water chemistry. The plant grows fairly quickly in water with a steady source of nutrients. Have noticed several new leaves in just a few weeks.

Thanks for your post.

B


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

vreugy said:


> I know from a frost free freezer, the ice cubes will shrink, "evaporate" and leave a white crusty mess in the tray or the container they are in. I tasted it to see what it was. It was salty and gritty......salt and minerals?????
> 
> Maybe the guppies will survive for some time. They are tough, but what kind of quality of life will they have???


Hello again vr...

The tank is completely open, so there's considerable water lost to the surrounding air. I replace at least a gallon per week with pure, treated tap water. The water is close to nitrogen free and I expect the Guppies to breed normally. The "Ag" plant is large with a large root ball. Am speculating that my tap water will will be pure enough to run this tank for a long time without water changes and still be safe for the fish.

Time will tell.

B


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

i am lost about what yall are saying......


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

big b said:


> i am lost about what yall are saying......


Hello big...

Currently running a 55 G with emersed land plants in it. The idea is to keep enough of this type of plant in the tank to maintain pure water conditions, without the need to remove and replace the tank water. I just replace the water that's lost to evaporation.

The tank's been running about a month. So far, so good. The fish are fine. 

B


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Don't we already know how this turns out since you did this back in 2012?
A No Water Change, Planted Tank? - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community
You never finished this thread out.What happened?


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

coralbandit said:


> Don't we already know how this turns out since you did this back in 2012?
> A No Water Change, Planted Tank? - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community
> You never finished this thread out.What happened?


Hello bandit...

Essentially yes. That first tank was half the size of this one and the plants got too large and the roots crowded out the fish. Had to break everything down. Repotted all the "Ag" plants and distributed the fish to other tanks.

Thought it would be good to revisit this on a larger scale and review the process in case anyone was interested in a well planted tank with a lot of fish that requires only daily top offs and no water changes. Thought some new people might be interested in thinking outside the box.

B


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

So I think where vreugy was going is "do you have a tds meter"?As I am inclined to believe the AG will absorb/use alot of what is to be offered,I do also as easily believe there will some stuff left behind and those levels will only climb and climb.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

That is exactly what I was trying to say. The buildup of minerals can't be good for the fish, even feeder guppies. The way guppies multiply, it would be hard to tell to tell if it was killing any. Hope it works out for his fish


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

yep,bless their little souls.when the salt gets to high they will rest their head on gods lap.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

big b said:


> yep,bless their little souls.when the salt gets to high they will rest their head on gods lap.


Hello big...

Ran a similar tank, though smaller (20 G or so) for two years with no trouble. Minerals weren't an issue, the plants used whatever accumulated in the tank water. I'm guessing salts wouldn't be an issue for Livebearers, I use a little in all my planted tanks. Don't get into the chemistry much outside of testing the tank water periodically. Last test showed no ammonia or nitrite. There was a trace of nitrate, about 5 ppm. Pretty typical of water with the "Ag" roots emersed in there.

Added a second Aglaonema plant to the tank last week. The fish seem active and normal. Introduced a couple of dozen fry when I set up the tank. They're getting bigger and seem healthy.

Will keep everyone posted.

B


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Any animal or plant that has hundreds or thousands of offspring after one mating knows that the odds of survival are not good. A one in a million survival rate is factored into the equation. Most will die. The strongest genes go on. Sentimentality really has no place in reality.


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