Do plants need filtration?

Industrial said:

Right now I have an empty 10 gallon hexagon aquarium. I was thinking of putting a lot of plants in it as a "grow out" tank. I am curious if I would need a filter or an aerator. I do not want to hook up an aerator to the tank if there are only plants.

Plants only, no filter needed, but eventually you will need to at ferts as the plants require "food".

Also, I am thinking of putting a fish in the tank. Would more plants increase the maximum bio load of the tank?

If you add fish to the tank, it needs a cycled filter. Plants will increase the bioload capability of the tank, but it will not increase the foot print of the tank. Fish need room to swim.

If I did put a fish or two in, I might use a simple UG filter. Would this be okay?

A simple ug filter is fine so long as you cycle the "filter" and maintain the water quality with water changes.

Last question, what is the cheapest food for plants? I use flourapride, but I go through it like water. Is there any cheaper alternative? Would less plants in a heavily populated tank need less plant food?

The cheapest food for plants is fish poop but as far as added cheapest added ferts someone else will have to answer. I use Flourish and Excel in my low light tanks.

Sorry about all the questions, I would rather do one big thread with these than a ton of little ones.

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