I started doing this in 2015 and I promise you that it works. One time I took a water sample to the pet store and she couldn't believe I had 0 nitrates or nitrites. I didn't tell her that I had a Golden Pothos in my aquarium filter. As far as the actual Pothos, it grew almost 20 feet long and stretched from my living room into my dining room.
I love the way your tank looks with the pothos wrapping around the tank. In my 75 gallon planted tank, I put a clipping of my grandma's pothos in it about a year ago, and now, the roots have really taken off, and found thier way into the substrate as well. The leaves are huge and green, and the stems are nearly an inch thick! I was wondering what changed, and looking back, I think you are absolutely right about the root in the substrate thing
I planted my pothos directly into the substrate about 4 months ago. They grow new leaves just as quickly & sprout additional lead roots. So far they're doing fantastically & my shrimp & snails love it.
@Captain Kidd they don't wilt & die if you do it right.. I clip a piece long enough to stick down into the substrate & let it sprout new roots. Then, I strip "most" of the original leaf's so they don't wilt when I submerge them.. new leafs will grow & those ones will be 100% fine underwater. once I see new leafs starting underwater, I pull off the rest of the original leaf's
I go bare bottom with a self cleaning hob. This mean food never get trapped in the substrates and I never need to graval vac. It has been almost a year without water change. I experiment on a nano tank. It looks like a forest now. Check my latest video and tell me what you think.
I never trimmed my roots! My goldfish in my tank did that all by themselves!!! LOL but super thnx for this advice! Great channel/blog! I had the idea YEARS & YEARS ago to put the plant into my fish tank and it grew so damn awesome in there & looked so pretty 😍 I kept it in there for over a decade b4 I moved out of state! Not sure if I'm going to set up a new fish tank here or not. 🙃
My pothos is in my 75G turtle tank in my room, the plant nearly covers an entire wall that i put hooks on for it to grow and climb. Now im building a pond for the little homie in the backyard, im not sure if ill ad pathos or Lillie’s to help it out in the beginning
I have four aquariums and my best is the one that I let the pothos root into the substrate. That tank is always balanced, low maintenance, the fish healthy and fit. Even the aquatic plants grow nicely in that tank since they feed from the water column and the pothos is feeding under the gravel. It is the perfect arrangement, nature's under the gravel filter.
I have fully submerged pothos stems in each of my tanks. They are doing great. There must be enough oxygen in the water because the leaves are still beautiful.
This is interesting, I'm just getting started here honestly but have been doing a lot of research to the point I feel like I might be able to weigh in. I am working on a heavily planted tank and for my goals I think this might be detrimental to the health of the stars of the show, my aquatic plants. I know pothos will out compete them especially in my low-tech tank in terms of rooting and nutrients absorbtion due to their access to CO2. I am hanging them in baskets with filter media to root into with a 3d printed hexagonal mesh to grow up/weave into. I think the filter media in the basket could do 2 great things, gives the roots an anchor as they would have in the wild making the plants more sturdy, as well as the filter media (bio balls with sponge) to grow nitrifying bacteria making their rooting bed a hotspot for nitrates and nitrites. Fingers crossed on this design!
Here’s what I discovered about this issue of growing aquarium plants in a Riparium, It doesn’t always work this way but can be a factor. 🍃How to Successfully Grow Aquarium plants in a RIPARIUM 🍃 th-cam.com/video/BRGT5Hg6YdI/w-d-xo.html
Great info about this recurrent plant for our fish-tanks and how to improve its growing and effectiveness. Thanks a lot, man!! Cheers from Seville (Spain). 🙂👍🇪🇦
I currently have lots of plants growing riparian style like you do. I got tired of the roots getting mixed into my underwater plants and just looking messy. So I balled them up into baskets but I know they'd be happier if the roots could reach the substrate, and soon those roots will be all wild again. So, do you think I could make a wall of bamboo (dried tubes of bamboo, not live bamboo), and feed the roots down through them all the way to the substrate so the roots would be contained in the tubes? PVC might be more long-lasting, but I like bamboo tubes. Separate thought, spider plants are heavy nitrogen feeders and very happy with riparian life. I don't think I've seen you include those in a video yet. Also, begonia stem cuttings root GREAT stuck down into the top of a fish tank.
I have not used dried bamboo in a tank yet, not sure if it’s safe or not, but it would look cool. Previous to this project 👉th-cam.com/video/S1SsirzDgL0/w-d-xo.html I struggled with spider plant but it has done great with roots growing down to the substrate and an actual grow light.
Hiii I just found your channel and was hoping you could do a video about introducing pothos into the aquarium. Do you put substrate down first and then gravel or just regular substrate? I really want to get back into the plant hobby and was wanting an aquarium to and just absolutely loved this idea!!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the channel! Thanks for the video idea, you don’t have to have any particular substrate, Pothos can grow in just water. It does best for me when I let the roots grow down into the substrate which happens over time.
I have to agree I would say that even the lucky bamboo I put in a breeding basket has done better once it reached the substrate. Which is just semi-large rocks. But you can't really forget about water quality. I recently got some variegated bamboo and I put it in the 55. Mostly because it's much too young to put the stem down at the substrate without submerging the plant. It had to go with the breeding baskets. The new plant responded well to the mature tank. but then I got a new 75. Cycled it put plants in now it's got fish but it's still not a mature tank it is maybe 3 months old. One of the plants that went into the 75 is a bit of that variegated bamboo. that was doing well but in the new tank it is stalled and is struggling just to live.
Thank you! You're the only person to consider doing this that I've come across... My pothos has been growing a few weeks with long single roots, so came here to see if I should prune then to make them branch, now I'm going to wait and put them in the gravel!
Loved the video. I just got some clippings and put them into the 4 tanks I have. I am letting them float until the roots start to grow. Can pathos grow underwater all the time? My tanks are Cora Life Bio Tank and the lid is solid cover and no openings to let plants grow out of the tank. I do have other plants in my tanks. Any help would be appreciated. This is my first time trying this to help control Nitrate levels.
I would recommend keeping the leaves out of the water and let the roots grow down into the water. If your tank is a type of plastic, you may be able to drill some holes in it or cut out a notch in the side large enough for the stems to fit.
I think a big thing that people, or at least I did was light positioning. My lights sit on the small brackets that hold the lights above the tank rim. Aka, m plants aren't getting light. Just the tank itself was really.
Thanks for the info, I bought some potted pathos, philodendron and calathea from Home Depot. I rinsed the roots really good and put them in my 10 gallon quarantine tank. It's been about 3 weeks so far, aside from a little melt, all is well. Anything I should be concerned about with transferring potted plant to my aquarium?
I started out with 2in of topsoil after many washing I made a square area in the center of my tank aligned it with Bosnia soil I covered this over with two inches of pool sand everything got many many rinsing before going into the tank then I added a few River Rock on top for decor I would love to put a pothos in there but there's no opening in my lid accepted the very front so I can feed them help how do you keep a lid on and a place to put the plan into
I use diy planter baskets most of the time. 🪴🐠How to: DIY Riparium planters for Small and LARGE fish Tanks !🐠🪴 th-cam.com/video/4Zv6VIbRrms/w-d-xo.html Sometimes I use a coated electrical wire if it’s stiff enough to bend, wrap around, and hold the plants hooked onto the tank rim.
Great video! I’m also a plant lover for my tanks. I put syngonium in my take last summer and it went crazy. I made a video where I had to take it out an divide it because I thought it was too big. New subscriber!
Yes, I’m currently growing it in this setup ⬇️ HOW TO: Neon Tetra Blackwater Riparium -29 gallon- NEW FILTER SYSTEM! th-cam.com/video/hGaszKmOXPk/w-d-xo.html It’s also included in my list of cat safe plants
The lids on both of my fish tanks keep the tank completely closed up I have a little compartment that opens to the filter how will I put plants in there and keep my African dwarf frog from jumping out
Yes. This tank is also a 29. Check out this new setup. th-cam.com/video/GnGJU7yUaI4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rD_j1hpr5v0LDoMi And I have a 75g with Pothos roots growing into the substrate! th-cam.com/users/shorts9qrgEaVqG9g?si=Z6-SsKqLp8Bq9c0L
Thanks, I have not had any issues with Pothos roots damaging silicone, I really don’t think the roots would be strong enough to get through it or under it
that is correct, not soil! the plants get the nutrients from the fish waste in the water. I have been growing a variety of tropical houseplants in my aquariums like this for several years and it's a lot of fun!
Hi! I think your presentation of this topic was fantastic. How to think about using pothos and anticipating roots growing into the substrate further enhancing filtration was really inspiring! I started about a month ago and split a potted "Jim" is his name (your first bonus plant) to the perfect size to stuff in the back of the tank lid. Roots are going crazy halfway to the substrate. Noticeable difference in water quality. Snails and shrimp love climbing throughout it. (Now I can't wait to see it get to the floor of the tank.) The leaf growth comparison of the plant was great supporting information and your bonus plant as well. Keep up the great work!
Have you ever tried epiphytic plants like orchids, ferns, etc.? Also, do you have suggestions on pest management? My pothos keeps getting spider mites despite the obviously high humidity. I’m afraid to use any pesticides obviously around my goldfish so I keep having to throw them away, clean the area as best I can, and start over
Haven’t tried epiphytes yet but I’m going to at some point! You might try spraying the spider mites with hydrogen peroxide (1 part peroxide:4 parts water) solution in a spray bottle. I use this for my houseplants and sometimes for algae control in the tanks. ( but only 2 tbs. per 1 gallon for algae control!)
There are many ways to hang the plants . Check out this link, this is one way to do it. How to make supports for HOUSEPLANTS in a fish tank #shorts th-cam.com/users/shortsqXTQuBLcyUY?feature=share
Have you tested your water? I would try liquid ferts to give them a boost or consider skipping a few water changes, but only if you’re testing the water to make sure your nitrates don’t build up to toxic levels. Hope this helps!
@@plantlifeproject my nitrates pretty much never ever come close to the 40ppm mark. The pH is at 6.4 usually. One issue that I have though is that my fish tend to like tearing up the roots from time to time, but I haven't see that kind of behaviour in a little while.
@plantlfeproject -I have seen pothos recommended widely for better water quality and i have also read quite a bit that pothos are less demanding when it comes to special care, nutrients etc , typical hard environment kind of plants, however i always had this thought in mind that in ordinary conditions when we plant pothos in a garden, pot etc we give ordinary water, may be some fertilizer ,etc but in fish tank it is very different like a chroline free water, various water conditioners , may be medicines etc , so stil pothos can overcome all these and flourish well?
@@plantlifeproject The dwarf umbrella sedge isn't, but if you know anyone that sends the seeds internationally, it would be great to pass this out to UK society members.
@@SC-hk6ui here’s a site that sells in the UK www.devonpondplants.co.uk/product/cyperus-alternifolius/ Doesn’t look like the dwarf though. I’m seeing other websites in the UK selling it too when I Google it.
@@plantlifeproject Thank you. I must have another look. Lovely video, one of the best I have seen on the subject and it instantly got me ordering plants and set-ups.
Hello my friend. Very interesting and informative video. I wonder if you could answer a question for me. I have a pretty nice section of Pothos growing across the top of my aquarium. The roots are two thirds down into the tank and hopefully they’ll keep going a couple more inches to the substrate. The issue I’ve recently noticed is thread like / hair green algae growing on the Pothos roots. Not unmanageable at the moment, but, left unchecked, I’m probably going to have a tangled mess. I’ve never had this type of algae in any of my tanks. Any thoughts on why this is happening and how to deal with it ? Thanks for any assistance !! Regards Ron
Thanks! Hair algae is inevitable but is not necessarily a bad thing. The problem is if it is taking over the tank. I would recommend removing as much as you can manually, make sure your water parameters are ok, (no excessive nitrates ), don’t over feed the fish and as long as it’s not aggressively spreading it should not be a problem. Hope this helps you!
Super useful. Will definitely use that in one of my future builds. I was thinking the same but couldn't really find many people rooting photos in the aquarium substrate.
this is exactly what I've been needing! I've been looking at adding houseplants to my tank for along time but I don't know what I'm doing with immersed plants
Hard to say exactly, the way I gauge how many plants I need is to test the water regularly while the plants are growing and when you see the nitrates, nitrites, etc. decreasing with out water changes, or fewer water changes, you will know how many plants are needed for that tank.
Hi love this channel! Is the sedge and lily too dirty to plant directly to the substrate of the tank? Does it grow well like the pohthos needing very little light?
Thanks! The sedge and lily can be planted directly in the substrate as long as at least the top 1/2 of the plant (leaves) are above the water. The sedge can take high light or medium. I am growing all three of these plants under the same single bulb T5 grow light.
So you plant these all the way at bottom of tank into substrate and the entire plant is submerged? I thought the leaves and most the plant was supposed to be out of water and roots are only thing in water?
How do you attach the Pothos or other plants so they aren't constantly falling over or into the tank? This is my struggle. There are no videos explaining this part.
Fishing line , string,etc. can be used with one end secured to the ceiling or shelf or something above the tank and you can train the vines onto it. You can also attach hooks to the wall and train the vines to grow on the wall. Hope this helps!
Do you have any suggestions for growing pothos in my axolotl tank, where I don't have substrate? Would it help to plant the roots in a submerged pot of gravel, if I can somehow cover the gravel with something (much larger rocks maybe) to stop my axolotls eating it? I've only had the pothos in my tank for a week, and it came with a decent amount of roots, which I just have dangling in the water, with the rest of the plant draped on a grid type lid that I made. I have it zip tied onto the lid in such a way that a few of the nodes are dangling into the water, as they have some baby roots growing from them. Maybe I'll just have to be content with whatever growth I can get from it without it being rooted in the substrate? I didn't get it only to help clean the water, I got it mostly to shade the tank and I love the way it looks in my loungeroom. The nature of the waste that axolotls produce means I'm always going to have to be fairly vigilant with syphoning the bottom of their tank anyway, so I guess it's not a big deal if the pothos doesn't make much of a difference to my nitrate levels. I would like the plant to flourish if possible though, for tank coverage and aesthetics.
Pothos can still be healthy with out growing in the substrate and Sounds like they may have plenty of nutrients to feed on! I don’t have experience with axolotls so I don’t know how prone they are to feeding on Pothos roots. But it seems that if the roots do need protection, some large stones that prevent the axolotl from getting to the majority of the roots would be sufficient. Pothos is resilient and can replace roots from occasional feeding. Hopefully this is helpful for you!
i also have a heartleaf philo that has 1 massive root growing in my tank, it seems to be loving the water, yet to see a new leaf growth but that 1 root seems to nearly double in length every day
The Pothos will help remove the nitrates, phosphates, excess nutrients, etc which will keep the water healthy for your fish. So it filters out the excess macro and micro nutrients which can help keep the water clear, but it’s not going to mechanically filter out debris in the water. Once you try it out, I bet you’ll love it!
i tried growing pothos in my outdoor pond but failed miserably. is it only an indoor plant? i took it indoors and it started to grow better. but seems to do better when i have a heater in the tank. is that the case or am i only imagining??
Pothos comes from the tropics so it does best in warm water, with medium light or part shade outdoors. My tanks do have heaters, except for a few, I grow my potted non aquatic Pothos plants out doors in the summer with good results. But indoors I do keep a heater in the tank for lush growth. Hope this helps!
@@plantlifeproject I'm going to buy a lamp that will hang over the tank so that those plants will get more light because right now they only get light from a recessed ceiling light. I'll keep you posted.
@@plantlifeproject I think most likely light on the top. I did a lux reading on my house and it is very low, I might have to get a fixture on the top so they can get enough light.
You can, it can grow for some time completely submerged, I have found that it does better long term if part of it is above the water or if it’s allowed to grow out of the water with the new leaves above the water.
That’s a great question! I have wondered about that myself but have not had this problem yet. I do use fertilizer tabs, maybe once a year or longer, and that works well for me.
My pothos have been sitting on top of my 180 gallon for years. The roots don’t have a chance to reach the substrate 24” below because my fish eat the roots. Frustrating!
Here’s an idea for protecting the roots 👉How to: Protect Pothos Roots from Aggressive Fish /cichlids, goldfish 🐟 th-cam.com/video/qG_pSlXQN-0/w-d-xo.html
Hi Jim! “Water column” is a term used in the aquarium hobby. Mostly used when referring to free floating nutrients as opposed to nutrients held in the substrate. Thanks for your comment!
Your fish tank gets extremely durty Way faster.. Have a Aquarium in my reservoir, it circulates the water into 25 Cannabis Cultivars.. No Pac lo , No chemicals, no salts... All goodness from the gods.
I started doing this in 2015 and I promise you that it works. One time I took a water sample to the pet store and she couldn't believe I had 0 nitrates or nitrites. I didn't tell her that I had a Golden Pothos in my aquarium filter.
As far as the actual Pothos, it grew almost 20 feet long and stretched from my living room into my dining room.
Wonderful! I do water testing every month and it keeps coming back as safe. And if it doesn’t , just add more plants!!!!
First time watching I am so happy SOMEONE put a video out on house plants in aquariums thank you.
More to come!
I love the way your tank looks with the pothos wrapping around the tank. In my 75 gallon planted tank, I put a clipping of my grandma's pothos in it about a year ago, and now, the roots have really taken off, and found thier way into the substrate as well. The leaves are huge and green, and the stems are nearly an inch thick! I was wondering what changed, and looking back, I think you are absolutely right about the root in the substrate thing
I planted my pothos directly into the substrate about 4 months ago. They grow new leaves just as quickly & sprout additional lead roots. So far they're doing fantastically & my shrimp & snails love it.
@Captain Kidd They're still going strong, though they grow rather slowly after the first 6 months or so
@Captain Kidd they don't wilt & die if you do it right.. I clip a piece long enough to stick down into the substrate & let it sprout new roots. Then, I strip "most" of the original leaf's so they don't wilt when I submerge them.. new leafs will grow & those ones will be 100% fine underwater. once I see new leafs starting underwater, I pull off the rest of the original leaf's
@Captain Kidd th-cam.com/video/CjyXrBRlT4A/w-d-xo.html
In case you're curious how the pothos is doing
@@mikefrost5481 Thank you for sharing your leaf removing hint
I go bare bottom with a self cleaning hob.
This mean food never get trapped in the substrates and I never need to graval vac.
It has been almost a year without water change.
I experiment on a nano tank. It looks like a forest now.
Check my latest video and tell me what you think.
I never trimmed my roots! My goldfish in my tank did that all by themselves!!! LOL
but super thnx for this advice! Great channel/blog! I had the idea YEARS & YEARS ago to put the plant into my fish tank and it grew so damn awesome in there & looked so pretty 😍 I kept it in there for over a decade b4 I moved out of state!
Not sure if I'm going to set up a new fish tank here or not. 🙃
My pothos is in my 75G turtle tank in my room, the plant nearly covers an entire wall that i put hooks on for it to grow and climb. Now im building a pond for the little homie in the backyard, im not sure if ill ad pathos or Lillie’s to help it out in the beginning
You can also grow spider plants and philodendrons in the tank.
I have the above, and pothos growing in my tank.
Zero nitrates!
Love this channel
Yes I agree, all great plants! Glad you’re enjoying the channel!
I have four aquariums and my best is the one that I let the pothos root into the substrate. That tank is always balanced, low maintenance, the fish healthy and fit. Even the aquatic plants grow nicely in that tank since they feed from the water column and the pothos is feeding under the gravel. It is the perfect arrangement, nature's under the gravel filter.
I love how calm he explains things. I'm a variety pothos / fresh water gardening enthusiast. Glad I found this channel
Your channel and info is so so good!
Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying it!
I have fully submerged pothos stems in each of my tanks. They are doing great. There must be enough oxygen in the water because the leaves are still beautiful.
I like this video. Very informative but the audio is kinda low.
This is interesting, I'm just getting started here honestly but have been doing a lot of research to the point I feel like I might be able to weigh in.
I am working on a heavily planted tank and for my goals I think this might be detrimental to the health of the stars of the show, my aquatic plants. I know pothos will out compete them especially in my low-tech tank in terms of rooting and nutrients absorbtion due to their access to CO2.
I am hanging them in baskets with filter media to root into with a 3d printed hexagonal mesh to grow up/weave into.
I think the filter media in the basket could do 2 great things, gives the roots an anchor as they would have in the wild making the plants more sturdy, as well as the filter media (bio balls with sponge) to grow nitrifying bacteria making their rooting bed a hotspot for nitrates and nitrites. Fingers crossed on this design!
It sounds like you have a great plan! I would love to see pictures of your progress on the FB group!
Here’s what I discovered about this issue of growing aquarium plants in a Riparium, It doesn’t always work this way but can be a factor.
🍃How to Successfully Grow Aquarium plants in a RIPARIUM 🍃
th-cam.com/video/BRGT5Hg6YdI/w-d-xo.html
Great info about this recurrent plant for our fish-tanks and how to improve its growing and effectiveness.
Thanks a lot, man!!
Cheers from Seville (Spain).
🙂👍🇪🇦
Thanks! Great to hear from you!
Started it two weeks ago and already have good roots growing and two new leaves 🍃 😊 Thanks
Hello from France , amazing vidéo , bravo !
Thank you, I’m glad you found it helpful!
I appreciate this simple and straight forward explanation. :)
I currently have lots of plants growing riparian style like you do. I got tired of the roots getting mixed into my underwater plants and just looking messy. So I balled them up into baskets but I know they'd be happier if the roots could reach the substrate, and soon those roots will be all wild again. So, do you think I could make a wall of bamboo (dried tubes of bamboo, not live bamboo), and feed the roots down through them all the way to the substrate so the roots would be contained in the tubes? PVC might be more long-lasting, but I like bamboo tubes.
Separate thought, spider plants are heavy nitrogen feeders and very happy with riparian life. I don't think I've seen you include those in a video yet. Also, begonia stem cuttings root GREAT stuck down into the top of a fish tank.
I have not used dried bamboo in a tank yet, not sure if it’s safe or not, but it would look cool. Previous to this project 👉th-cam.com/video/S1SsirzDgL0/w-d-xo.html I struggled with spider plant but it has done great with roots growing down to the substrate and an actual grow light.
your content is helpful and enjoyable
Hiii I just found your channel and was hoping you could do a video about introducing pothos into the aquarium. Do you put substrate down first and then gravel or just regular substrate? I really want to get back into the plant hobby and was wanting an aquarium to and just absolutely loved this idea!!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the channel! Thanks for the video idea, you don’t have to have any particular substrate, Pothos can grow in just water. It does best for me when I let the roots grow down into the substrate which happens over time.
All abour the plants! I agree. Thanks for your tips abour Pocos and Lilly, im going to try it in my aquarium as well :)
YOUR VIDEOS R AWESOME
KEEP IT UP
Thanks!
I have to agree I would say that even the lucky bamboo I put in a breeding basket has done better once it reached the substrate. Which is just semi-large rocks. But you can't really forget about water quality.
I recently got some variegated bamboo and I put it in the 55. Mostly because it's much too young to put the stem down at the substrate without submerging the plant. It had to go with the breeding baskets. The new plant responded well to the mature tank. but then I got a new 75. Cycled it put plants in now it's got fish but it's still not a mature tank it is maybe 3 months old. One of the plants that went into the 75 is a bit of that variegated bamboo. that was doing well but in the new tank it is stalled and is struggling just to live.
Thank you! You're the only person to consider doing this that I've come across... My pothos has been growing a few weeks with long single roots, so came here to see if I should prune then to make them branch, now I'm going to wait and put them in the gravel!
You’re welcome! Glad you found some answers!
Loved the video. I just got some clippings and put them into the 4 tanks I have. I am letting them float until the roots start to grow. Can pathos grow underwater all the time? My tanks are Cora Life Bio Tank and the lid is solid cover and no openings to let plants grow out of the tank. I do have other plants in my tanks. Any help would be appreciated. This is my first time trying this to help control Nitrate levels.
I would recommend keeping the leaves out of the water and let the roots grow down into the water. If your tank is a type of plastic, you may be able to drill some holes in it or cut out a notch in the side large enough for the stems to fit.
This video may help give you some ideas
How to: 🪴🐟DIY Riparium Tank Lid for Any Size Tank!🪴🐟
th-cam.com/video/u2qGVGzbyI0/w-d-xo.html
I think a big thing that people, or at least I did was light positioning. My lights sit on the small brackets that hold the lights above the tank rim. Aka, m plants aren't getting light. Just the tank itself was really.
Great looking tank! Thanks for the help.
Thanks for the info, I bought some potted pathos, philodendron and calathea from Home Depot. I rinsed the roots really good and put them in my 10 gallon quarantine tank. It's been about 3 weeks so far, aside from a little melt, all is well. Anything I should be concerned about with transferring potted plant to my aquarium?
Sounds good to me
I started out with 2in of topsoil after many washing I made a square area in the center of my tank aligned it with Bosnia soil I covered this over with two inches of pool sand everything got many many rinsing before going into the tank then I added a few River Rock on top for decor I would love to put a pothos in there but there's no opening in my lid accepted the very front so I can feed them help how do you keep a lid on and a place to put the plan into
Is it a plastic or polycarbonate material? You may be able to drill holes big enough to slip a plant cutting in
Thank you for this info
Oh! Wish I had watched this before I trimmed up my roots!
Well…now you know, right?
How did you put the peace lily in
I use diy planter baskets most of the time.
🪴🐠How to: DIY Riparium planters for Small and LARGE fish Tanks !🐠🪴
th-cam.com/video/4Zv6VIbRrms/w-d-xo.html
Sometimes I use a coated electrical wire if it’s stiff enough to bend, wrap around, and hold the plants hooked onto the tank rim.
Great video! I’m also a plant lover for my tanks. I put syngonium in my take last summer and it went crazy. I made a video where I had to take it out an divide it because I thought it was too big. New subscriber!
Have you ever tried a money tree plant? I haven’t tried, but if it’s safe, it’ll look great growing out the aquarium. Thanks for the info
Yes, I’m currently growing it in this setup ⬇️
HOW TO: Neon Tetra Blackwater Riparium -29 gallon- NEW FILTER SYSTEM!
th-cam.com/video/hGaszKmOXPk/w-d-xo.html
It’s also included in my list of cat safe plants
The lids on both of my fish tanks keep the tank completely closed up I have a little compartment that opens to the filter how will I put plants in there and keep my African dwarf frog from jumping out
Here’s how I make my lids
How to: 🪴🐟DIY Riparium Tank Lid for Any Size Tank!🪴🐟
th-cam.com/video/u2qGVGzbyI0/w-d-xo.html
I just took my pothos out of soil and the roots are still dirty? Will it hurt my batta. Any suggestion? Im soaking them in water now.
This video should help you get it started
🪴🐟Riparium PLANT PREPARATION 🐟🪴Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners
th-cam.com/video/ATwBZhsZ4pU/w-d-xo.html
I have a 29g, will the roots eventually grow deep enough to reach the substrate?
Yes. This tank is also a 29. Check out this new setup.
th-cam.com/video/GnGJU7yUaI4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rD_j1hpr5v0LDoMi
And I have a 75g with Pothos roots growing into the substrate! th-cam.com/users/shorts9qrgEaVqG9g?si=Z6-SsKqLp8Bq9c0L
Very good information
Hi, congratulations for your contribution. Can pothos roots damage aquarium silicone?
Thanks, I have not had any issues with Pothos roots damaging silicone, I really don’t think the roots would be strong enough to get through it or under it
awesome video mate!
Glad you enjoyed it
New subscriber great channel!
Thanks! Welcome to the channel!
Great video bro!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Newbie here….so the roots of the pathos, are they just in the water, no soil? How do you do that?
that is correct, not soil! the plants get the nutrients from the fish waste in the water. I have been growing a variety of tropical houseplants in my aquariums like this for several years and it's a lot of fun!
Hi! I think your presentation of this topic was fantastic. How to think about using pothos and anticipating roots growing into the substrate further enhancing filtration was really inspiring! I started about a month ago and split a potted "Jim" is his name (your first bonus plant) to the perfect size to stuff in the back of the tank lid. Roots are going crazy halfway to the substrate. Noticeable difference in water quality. Snails and shrimp love climbing throughout it. (Now I can't wait to see it get to the floor of the tank.) The leaf growth comparison of the plant was great supporting information and your bonus plant as well. Keep up the great work!
Do you have any tanks with the mini water lilles? Would love to see your opinion about that and fish of course in a fish tank..
I don’t have any water lilies right now, but would love to grow some again! I didn’t have sufficient lighting the first time, I think
Have you ever tried epiphytic plants like orchids, ferns, etc.? Also, do you have suggestions on pest management? My pothos keeps getting spider mites despite the obviously high humidity. I’m afraid to use any pesticides obviously around my goldfish so I keep having to throw them away, clean the area as best I can, and start over
Haven’t tried epiphytes yet but I’m going to at some point! You might try spraying the spider mites with hydrogen peroxide (1 part peroxide:4 parts water) solution in a spray bottle. I use this for my houseplants and sometimes for algae control in the tanks. ( but only 2 tbs. per 1 gallon for algae control!)
how do you hang the plant though?
There are many ways to hang the plants . Check out this link, this is one way to do it.
How to make supports for HOUSEPLANTS in a fish tank #shorts
th-cam.com/users/shortsqXTQuBLcyUY?feature=share
So can the peace lilly be ½ submerged, even the leaves, and stem?
I have been growing peace lily successfully about 1/2 way in the water but with leaves out of the water
@@plantlifeproject Ok Thanks, What about the leaf stem, or is it only the acually leaf?
@@socialdining1496 stem is fine in the water, check out this video where I use peace lily
th-cam.com/video/-fLfUfr0wuw/w-d-xo.html
Very helpful. Thank you!
Do you have more tips for pothos after 3 years of this video was posted?
I haven't been able to get my pothos roots to grow long enough to get to the substrate. Any tips to help with that?
Have you tested your water? I would try liquid ferts to give them a boost or consider skipping a few water changes, but only if you’re testing the water to make sure your nitrates don’t build up to toxic levels. Hope this helps!
@@plantlifeproject my nitrates pretty much never ever come close to the 40ppm mark. The pH is at 6.4 usually. One issue that I have though is that my fish tend to like tearing up the roots from time to time, but I haven't see that kind of behaviour in a little while.
@plantlfeproject -I have seen pothos recommended widely for better water quality and i have also read quite a bit that pothos are less demanding when it comes to special care, nutrients etc , typical hard environment kind of plants, however i always had this thought in mind that in ordinary conditions when we plant pothos in a garden, pot etc we give ordinary water, may be some fertilizer ,etc but in fish tank it is very different like a chroline free water, various water conditioners , may be medicines etc , so stil pothos can overcome all these and flourish well?
Yes they can. They are quite adaptable!
I wish they had this plant in the UK
Are you sure it’s not available as a houseplant?
@@plantlifeproject The dwarf umbrella sedge isn't, but if you know anyone that sends the seeds internationally, it would be great to pass this out to UK society members.
@@SC-hk6ui here’s a site that sells in the UK
www.devonpondplants.co.uk/product/cyperus-alternifolius/
Doesn’t look like the dwarf though. I’m seeing other websites in the UK selling it too when I Google it.
@@plantlifeproject Thank you. I must have another look. Lovely video, one of the best I have seen on the subject and it instantly got me ordering plants and set-ups.
So the whole pothos including the leaves will be in the water?
In this video, I talk about growing the Pothos roots in the water but the rest of the plant is above the water
Great video, very infromative. Do you know if water conditioner will hurt the plants on water changes ?
Water conditioners will not hurt the plants. I have never had any problems.
Hi, how many hours of artificial light do you recommend that these plants get per day?
I give mine anywhere from 6-12hrs daily depending on the tank.
Thanks a million for the response.@@plantlifeproject
What do you think is the best plant to suck up nitrates?@@plantlifeproject
Hello my friend. Very interesting and informative video.
I wonder if you could answer a question for me.
I have a pretty nice section of Pothos growing across the top of my aquarium. The roots are two thirds down into the tank and hopefully they’ll keep going a couple more inches to the substrate.
The issue I’ve recently noticed is
thread like / hair green algae growing on the Pothos roots.
Not unmanageable at the moment, but, left unchecked, I’m probably going to have a tangled mess.
I’ve never had this type of algae in any of my tanks. Any thoughts on why this is happening and how to deal with it ?
Thanks for any assistance !!
Regards
Ron
Thanks! Hair algae is inevitable but is not necessarily a bad thing. The problem is if it is taking over the tank. I would recommend removing as much as you can manually, make sure your water parameters are ok, (no excessive nitrates ), don’t over feed the fish and as long as it’s not aggressively spreading it should not be a problem. Hope this helps you!
What light do you use for your devils ivy?
I use a 5k kelvin, bright white (or daylight) standard household LED bulb
Super useful. Will definitely use that in one of my future builds. I was thinking the same but couldn't really find many people rooting photos in the aquarium substrate.
Looking forward to a future discussion on natural filtration in the environment!
can you submerged the pothos underwater? will it be dangerous for the fish inside the tank?
Yes you can grow underwater, I show how I do it in this video!
th-cam.com/users/shortsYh4f9NEBgbU?feature=share
this is exactly what I've been needing! I've been looking at adding houseplants to my tank for along time but I don't know what I'm doing with immersed plants
How many pothos would I need for it to filter in my 3 gallon tank
Hard to say exactly, the way I gauge how many plants I need is to test the water regularly while the plants are growing and when you see the nitrates, nitrites, etc. decreasing with out water changes, or fewer water changes, you will know how many plants are needed for that tank.
Hi love this channel! Is the sedge and lily too dirty to plant directly to the substrate of the tank? Does it grow well like the pohthos needing very little light?
Thanks! The sedge and lily can be planted directly in the substrate as long as at least the top 1/2 of the plant (leaves) are above the water. The sedge can take high light or medium. I am growing all three of these plants under the same single bulb T5 grow light.
Nice channel new subscriber here❤️🐟👍
Great info!
Also the roots being in the dark in the substrate not being hit by light, that would help them. Idk why I didn’t think of this earlier!
So you plant these all the way at bottom of tank into substrate and the entire plant is submerged? I thought the leaves and most the plant was supposed to be out of water and roots are only thing in water?
I grow them with leaves above the water and roots growing in the water and eventually the roots will grow down to the tank substrate.
How do you attach the Pothos or other plants so they aren't constantly falling over or into the tank? This is my struggle. There are no videos explaining this part.
Fishing line , string,etc. can be used with one end secured to the ceiling or shelf or something above the tank and you can train the vines onto it. You can also attach hooks to the wall and train the vines to grow on the wall. Hope this helps!
Do you have any suggestions for growing pothos in my axolotl tank, where I don't have substrate? Would it help to plant the roots in a submerged pot of gravel, if I can somehow cover the gravel with something (much larger rocks maybe) to stop my axolotls eating it? I've only had the pothos in my tank for a week, and it came with a decent amount of roots, which I just have dangling in the water, with the rest of the plant draped on a grid type lid that I made. I have it zip tied onto the lid in such a way that a few of the nodes are dangling into the water, as they have some baby roots growing from them. Maybe I'll just have to be content with whatever growth I can get from it without it being rooted in the substrate? I didn't get it only to help clean the water, I got it mostly to shade the tank and I love the way it looks in my loungeroom. The nature of the waste that axolotls produce means I'm always going to have to be fairly vigilant with syphoning the bottom of their tank anyway, so I guess it's not a big deal if the pothos doesn't make much of a difference to my nitrate levels. I would like the plant to flourish if possible though, for tank coverage and aesthetics.
Pothos can still be healthy with out growing in the substrate and Sounds like they may have plenty of nutrients to feed on! I don’t have experience with axolotls so I don’t know how prone they are to feeding on Pothos roots. But it seems that if the roots do need protection, some large stones that prevent the axolotl from getting to the majority of the roots would be sufficient. Pothos is resilient and can replace roots from occasional feeding. Hopefully this is helpful for you!
Hey mate hoping you reply, what's the other plant on the right hand side with the elongated leaves?
That's snake plant/mother-in-law's tongue. I don't remember it's proper/Latin name.
The Riparium plant on the right side is Peace Lily, and the one in the pot is Snake plant
Thanks👍✌️
No problem 👍
Can some of the pothos leaves be completely under water like the leaves at the bottom of the stems?
some of the leaves can live underwater for a time, even months.
@@plantlifeproject Thank you!
Great info! Thank you
just bought a massive pothos plant, cut up a ton of nodes and threw them in my 5 gal lmfao cant wait for them to root and grow out
i also have a heartleaf philo that has 1 massive root growing in my tank, it seems to be loving the water, yet to see a new leaf growth but that 1 root seems to nearly double in length every day
So if I put a cutting into my tank it’ll help clear the water over time? 🤔 I don’t wanna cut my pothos but seems like it could be a good idea!!
The Pothos will help remove the nitrates, phosphates, excess nutrients, etc which will keep the water healthy for your fish. So it filters out the excess macro and micro nutrients which can help keep the water clear, but it’s not going to mechanically filter out debris in the water. Once you try it out, I bet you’ll love it!
i tried growing pothos in my outdoor pond but failed miserably. is it only an indoor plant? i took it indoors and it started to grow better. but seems to do better when i have a heater in the tank. is that the case or am i only imagining??
Pothos comes from the tropics so it does best in warm water, with medium light or part shade outdoors. My tanks do have heaters, except for a few, I grow my potted non aquatic Pothos plants out doors in the summer with good results. But indoors I do keep a heater in the tank for lush growth. Hope this helps!
@@plantlifeproject do I have to have a heater. As I am putting this in my fancy goldfish tank and they do not have a heater
Nice video brother...let me try out
Really helpfull thanks !!
I would love for this to happen but I don't see it happening in a 210 gallon? I mean time will tell and if it does I would be awesome
Oh yeah, it can happen, I believe in you! Keep me posted!
@@plantlifeproject I'm going to buy a lamp that will hang over the tank so that those plants will get more light because right now they only get light from a recessed ceiling light. I'll keep you posted.
i will ask a question, how to avoid fungus or bacterial growth in pothos? do they cause fungus or bacterial growth?
I have not had a problem with harmful fungus or bacteria
@@plantlifeproject Thank you❤
I'm going to put pothos in my betta fish tank.
Does it work for marine tank?
No, Pothos only grows in fresh water
Great Job sir! What about lucky Bamboo???!
Thanks, Yes, that is another excellent choice!
I plan on making a video on growing lucky bamboo in a fish tank soon!
What about a bird of paradise? Would that work?
Not sure. That is a very large plant for most tanks
I've had a couple of leaves in my tank for close to a year and roots haven't gone further than 2 inches long .lol.
I wonder if they need more light or nutrients?
@@plantlifeproject I think most likely light on the top. I did a lux reading on my house and it is very low, I might have to get a fixture on the top so they can get enough light.
Can I submerge my pothos plant in the tank?
You can, it can grow for some time completely submerged, I have found that it does better long term if part of it is above the water or if it’s allowed to grow out of the water with the new leaves above the water.
I dont use any soil in my tank, does it matter for the plant then?
You can still grow Pothos in the water column, it will feed on the fish waste buildup in the water
I have dirted tank capped with gravel. I’m worried if I let the pothos grow into the substrate it will deplete my substrate.
Unfounded fear?
That’s a great question! I have wondered about that myself but have not had this problem yet. I do use fertilizer tabs, maybe once a year or longer, and that works well for me.
My pothos have been sitting on top of my 180 gallon for years. The roots don’t have a chance to reach the substrate 24” below because my fish eat the roots. Frustrating!
Here’s an idea for protecting the roots 👉How to: Protect Pothos Roots from Aggressive Fish /cichlids, goldfish 🐟
th-cam.com/video/qG_pSlXQN-0/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for this now i know how plant put my betta fish acquarium
Good info. I do not think the concept of a water column exists in a home aquarium. It is a deep sea term.
Hi Jim!
“Water column” is a term used in the aquarium hobby. Mostly used when referring to free floating nutrients as opposed to nutrients held in the substrate. Thanks for your comment!
👍🌹🌹
I thought pothos was toxic to cats
It is toxic to dogs, cats, even people if ingested but is not harmful to aquarium inhabitants
@@plantlifeproject
Ok . We have cats and am looking for good plants. So far I have peace lily.
Relax people he has like five guppies in the tank. The plant will help but most tanks have way more load than the plant can sustain.
Ok
Your fish tank gets extremely durty Way faster.. Have a Aquarium in my reservoir, it circulates the water into 25 Cannabis Cultivars..
No Pac lo , No chemicals, no salts...
All goodness from the gods.
👍
Plants do NOT NEED A SUBSTRATE TO GROW ?
EG DWC AIROPONICS NTF HYDROPONICS
all have no substrate
Great info! Thank you
Glad it was helpful!