Plants for Sump?

That's a good point on the duckweed. It's a pain to get rid of once established. But it is a nitrate hog and a fast grower; if I remember correctly, some researchers found that a one-acre pond with duckweed produced more, and better, fodder for cattle than an acre of pasture grass.
 
Yeah all that's true. Probably can make a bio fuel out of it too along with a whole bunch or other stuff, if anyone does the research. It's a delicacy in Asia.
 
I would say hornwort would be the best choice. It sucks up tons of nitrates, very undemanding, extremely fast grower, even without supplemental co2.


hornwort!:iagree: my tank (granted i havent tested the water since i started my tanks) looks alot cleaner and smells better since i put some hornwort (purchased from Jinkz) in both of my tanks. it grows in my 10 gallon about 2 inches a day!
 
From www.herbvideos.com. There's no measurement given for the appropriate amount of duckweed, but I don't imagine it matters too much.

Recipe: DUCKWEED SOUP

Wash duckweed thoroughly. Recipe feeds four.

-One cup of broccoli
-Chop a 2 cups of leeks.
-One cup of celery.
-One cup of broccoli
-Two tablespoons of chopped Oriental ginger
-One large vegetable bullion cube.
-Two tablespoons of soy sauce
-One tablespoon of sesame seed oil
-One cup of low fat sour cream
Saute in a cup of water and two tablespoons of olive oil the duckweed and vegetables. Cook at a simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool. Then puree in a blender. Add the pureed vegetables to the pan, stir in two cups of water, the bullion cube, sesame oil and soy. Raise heat. Then stir in the cup of sour cream. Adjust seasoning to taste. I sometimes add a tablespoon of fine chili sauce or satay sauce. Serve hot.
Medicinal: The Chinese use Lemna to treat hypothermia. It also relieves flatulence and is used to treat acute kidney infections. For more medicinal uses of duckweed and other herbs, read Dr. Duke's "Handbook of Medicinal Plants" from Quarterman Press.
 
Amber:

The 2nd chamber of my wet/dry sump is a freshwater refugium and I am experimenting with plants for the refugium.

I currently have:
a few Cryptocoryne parva (which I do not have planted but are thriving and are floating at approximately mid depth)
several water sprites which float from near the water surface to the near the bottom of the sump; and
approximately 25% of the surface is covered by Salvinia natans.


Please note three items:

1) I am still experimenting with refugium plants which will require minimal harvesting while functioning very well for nitrate removal.
2) I have also recently "gotten into" dry ferts. These are 1st class for many reasons.
3) The lighting intensity in the refugium is greater than the lighting intensity in the tank. The theory is that algae will grow in the refugium instead of the tank.

TR
 
AquariaCentral.com