Peace lilies as nitrate remover but...

[terror]

hi,

anybody still using peacelilies as nitrate remover?
i tried using peace lilies. but had no locuk with them, they keep on turning brown and dying :(

This are the only one i managed to keep alive. but they don't grow and are light green in color. i don't think they are healthy?

what could be thr problem? I don't think its lack of nitrate, i have an overstocked goldfish tank.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/batang_mcdo/peacelily004.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/batang_mcdo/peacelily003.jpg

I also tried big peace lily plant before but they just died.

Any other plant that would be good nitrate removers, but don't require high lighting?

[Kashta]

Those are low-light plants as a houseplant, terror. The leaves are pale like that which is a sign it's getting too much "sun." In a home setting, you'd have to move it further away from the window. Brown tips on the ends of the leaves of houseplants are also an indication of dryness (generally not getting enough water or the air is too dry). Since it's sitting in water and obviously getting plenty of humidity from below, this means it must be too hot for the plant under those lights.

[terror]

Those are low-light plants as a houseplant, terror. The leaves are pale like that which is a sign it's getting too much "sun." In a home setting, you'd have to move it further away from the window. Brown tips on the ends of the leaves of houseplants are also an indication of dryness (generally not getting enough water or the air is too dry). Since it's sitting in water and obviously getting plenty of humidity from below, this means it must be too hot for the plant under those lights.
thanks Kashta :)
I'll try to add more cover or move them to the other side of the filter.
I've also had a hard time with them in my other filters which had no direct sunlight, so they'll be okwith just room light?

[Kashta]

Personally, I don't believe a peace lily is going to survive if it's grown in water like this. (Something like a pothos will flourish there.) I've seen them in filtering boxes and betta vases before, but that doesn't mean they're going to last that way indefinitely. As a houseplant, we always let them dry out thoroughly between waterings and good drainage was important - otherwise the roots would become waterlogged and rot away. That said, I also can't say with any certainty that it won't do well like this because I've never grown it this way.

Another problem you might be having with these plants is overfertilization. This a plant we rarely fed... maybe once or twice a year - compared to other houseplants that got fed on a monthly basis. So if that's a factor in this case, a high nutrient level in the water could also account for the brown tips you're seeing.

Either way... if you got these plants fairly recently and they were growing in soil before, the plant is going to die off a little anyway while it adjusts. The root system needs to adapt. When this is done with a pothos (as an example), terrestrial roots are thick, stiff, and brown. Take a pothos out of soil and keep it in water, those old roots gradually die back while the plant produces new ones that are thin, more white in color, and are very flexible. During this transition, a large plant will appear to suffer because the changing root development isn't ready yet to sustain all the growth it had before. You might be able to check this by lifting them up out of the water and looking at the root system. See if you can find new shoots down there that look thinner and are lighter in color. If that's the case, then don't worry too much because the plant will bounce back again once it's better established.

As for lighting, yes it will be fine. Peace lilies do well in both low and low-medium indirect lighting. You can grow these with only indirect light from table lamps in the room. You'll see a lot of these grown in banks, offices, and shops under regular ambient room light.

[Ozymandias]

basically i'm adding to this. i've seen this done before for a tank that held some type of aquatic snake. the lilies though weren't submerged like that, thay where in a sump and where help in gravel while the water went below them (there roots reached down in it). in that ocation the plants did really well and even flourished but not sure if it would work out for every one.

[fishorama]

You might try having just the roots in the tank. it looks like the crown & leaf stems are submerged. I agree with Kashta though, too much light.

[toddnbecka]

Duckweed is actually very effective for removing nitrates. It grows faster than anything else, and can easily be removed to make room for more.

[marinkafuschia]

I would try pothos or a philodendron, even a monstera would work these are all plants that can stand high light. but regular misting of the leaves is a must if their are right near a heart source. I agree all the other peeps here, keep the crown of the plant above water, with pothos etc. you wont have this problem.
good luck! plants coming out of the top of the water always look very interesting and natural.

[petluvr]

Water lettuce is a great nutrient hog and will flourish under low light conditions and is easier removed than the duckweed that has been mentioned.

[Kashta]

I love the idea of a monstera, Marinka. But wow, that would take over the whole wall. :eek:

[JAY973]

Ideally I believe you only want the roots in the water not as high as it is in the picture. You can tie Styrofoam which floats or egg crate to keep the plant out of the water.

[terror]

thanks guys, will try pothos also , i have goldfish in the tank, so duckweed might be eaten. doesn't water lettuce require strong lighting?

[toddnbecka]

Duckweed would be eaten, pothos may get the roots nibbled. Better to keep it in a filter or sump, or at least somewhere in the tank they can't get at it too easily. Water lettuce does require good lighting and air circulation.

[terror]

thanks, I'll try the pothos in my filter :D
btw is pothos as good in absorbing nitrate as peace lily?

[Kashta]

Yes. I'd say pothos would be even better because producing all those vines is much more aggressive growth than with peace lilies.. thus, using up even more nitrogen.

[toddnbecka]

Either one will be more beneficial to the plant than the water quality, but it helps. You need a large amount of plant mass to be really effective.

[paperdragon]

Anyone know if swedish ivy would work? I don't care so much about nitrate removal, I just want a vining plant to drape across my 75g that isn't toxic. Philodendrons and pothos plants aren't really safe around small children (my nephews love my tanks).