simple vege-filter

ohbly

ohbly

AC Members
Feb 9, 2006
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New Zealand
as posted in the coldwater forum
heres some more pics and a bit more info

tank.jpg

this is the tank. its dimensions are 3200x3200x3200mm, 30L
the plant is there for looks first, its other benefits are a bonus

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PC240190.jpg

this is the pump and pipe setup the pump is a sicce mi-mouse

all the tubing can be pulled apart from the elbows. The elbows are 12mm pvc irragation joiners with the ends cut off for easy removal. The tubing is clear 12mm with 3mm holes drilled for the outflow.
PC240189.jpg

the tubes surround the plant and spray the water down into the filter

PC240191.jpg

PC240200.jpg

the filter is a rectanglar pond-plant basket filled with smashed terracota pot (clay hydroponic beads would be better but Im cheap) topped with gravel with cut up scubbing pads on top to trap muck.

If I were to make something like this for a larger tank Id make it external with a sump and a better mechanical prefilter.

msouth468 let me know what you plan to do will ya?
 
I did one similar to this also. I didn't spend the time to build anything though. I put a plant (philodendron sp?) right into the HOB filter. It works well, and the plant is growing like gangbusters without any soil.

Last last year I had many business trips in a row, and was out of town for about 45 days with only a few days home. The water level dropped to the point where the intake was above the surface and the filter was simply churning water for a week. The plant took a turn for the worse, and lost about 1/2 of it's leaves. It looked nutrient starved, and as soon as I topped the tank back up again it starting regrowing.

I sustain the plant only with feeding the fish/snails, and burning a CF twist light above the tank.
 
Ahh, so that is what it looks like. From what I am seeing is it it safe to assert that they do well emersed with just gravel as a growing media?
 
it is a variety of spathiphyllum, there are a number of cultivars that variey in size from about 5cm high to over a meter. I chose a medium sized one that should grow to about 40x40cm.
They will grow longterm with there roots submerged as long as the water is moving. however my one is growing in a wet/dry thats 2/3rds out of the water as you can see in the image.
The pot sits on perspecs shelf that I siliconed to the tank.
hey rtr thats a nice setup youve got there just how many tanks do you have?
 
At the moment, a couple of dozen operating - but subject to change w/o notice.

There are also two other dual setups there - the 40-long past the trashcan reservoir has a 33XL 24/7 Val veggie fiter under it, and a not-pictured 50 has a 20-long veggie filter under it. Upstairs there is a 33XL with a 15 veggie filter also.
 
I picked up a Spathiphyllum from Home Depot this afternoon. For now I'll keep it in the pot until I get my paludarium set up (i.e. get some rocks that I can stack in my tank). I'm guessing that to make it aqaurium safe you can just rinse it, plant it in gravel and make sure there is enough water circulation.
 
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