Would mint hurt fish?

P

paperdragon

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Mar 7, 2008
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This might seem kinda weird, but does anyone know if there's anything in mint plants (the regular non-aquatic stuff thats used in cooking) that would hurt fish?
The stuff grows like weeds in my yard, but it's a pretty plant, so I thought I'd experiment and see if I can acclimate it to grow fully submersed. I expect even if it does work (not really expecting it to, but it'd be cool if it did) it'll only last a couple months, but since we can't get rid of it in the yard anyways, that's not really a problem.
 
Shouldnt hurt them. But I highly doubt that it will acclimate to submerged plant. Most plants that are ideal for aquarium use are bog plants and even a lot of those wont work fully submerged.
 
I'd be more worried about it dying, rotting in the tank and causing a nitrate spike and just making a general mess.
 
Yeah, like I said, I'm not expecting much from it. From what I've read though, the variety I have is crossed with a pretty hardy bog plant variety of mint, so I guess there's a vague chance of it making it. I'm just testing it out in a jar, so it won't hurt anything.

I probably have too much time on my hands, don't I? lol
 
When I suspect something may be wrong that causes, for example, a fish to die (which hasn't happened in several months, happily), I'll cut up some garlic to drop in to fight bad bacteria, but I'll also drop in a few stems fresh mint if there is any growing outside. I'll wash it off if it's dirty, and I'll bruise the leaves to release oils and any medicinal ingredients. Sometimes a branch will last quite a long time, as though it is trying to figure out how to survive in the new environment, because mint is quite a tough little plant that likes damp conditions and roots easily in soil if given the chance.

You might consider growing it half in/half out, allowing it to root in the aquarium water but actually grow above the surface. If you could suspend a pot of gravel just inside the tank, so it stays wet with tank water (which would provide nutrients) but the plant leaves/stems can stay above the water, that might be worth trying. If it works, you can try different kinds of mint: peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, apple mint, orange mint... If you have vegetarian fish, they might enjoy having fresh breath, too ;)
 
I actually have some purple heart plants growing in my fry tank, and they're just draped over the side of the tank with the roots hanging loose in the tank. The fry love it, and the plants seem to do pretty good that way. I bet that would work with the mint too.
 
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