Sweet potato for nitrates removal

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Krassh

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 25, 2019
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How to remove nitrate/ old post is/was sweet potato posin.. after sign up and typing this all out.
Can’t post cause threads to old..
Disappointed so I’m hoping someone can find this information useful.


Sweet potato in fish tank - yes
They roots and leaves can be bad for cats/dog.
The sweet potato is tremendous at removing nitrates.
U submerge 1/3 potato under water. (Wash though) inside a week It will have a good supple of nature filters (roots) , they sprout and go crazy. Then they stop, it will then concentrate on gathering light by sending shoots.
It’s remarkable and simple. Me and my 5 year old did as experimental way of removing ‘bad’ stuff from the water..
here’s the rub. A potato is like a sponge . Around 2 months it will start to rot. Cut the shoots off and simply put in fish tank. They will also root. And grow like crazy as well. Awesome, easy and a great filter.
Better than photos.. way better than a spider , bamboo is pretty but wasn’t as good a filter.
Sweet potato. That’s the way.
At some point u will even have to trim the roots to keep em from taking over.
 
I like the sound of this!! Does the potato have to be old to do this or can I go and buy one? I never knew they could be so useful I saw a video on YouTube of a sweet potato in a tank but thought it may be for effect! Will be doing in my nano ?? Thanksfor sharing!!
 
Hello K...

Try using a house plant called "Chinese Evergreen". I've used it for years to reduce nitrogen in my larger fish tanks. Be careful, the Evergreens will get quite large. Attached is a photo of such a tank

B
https://imgur.com/0LCfccG
 
Good info. I tried a SP recently, it was older not good for eating and it was still pretty wintery temps so I stuck it in the water instead of outside but it rotted. I love growing SP in jars, though haven't done one in a long while. Will try it again! Maybe not in the water as deep as the last time.

Also the Chinese Evergreen have some toxic parts as well if anyone has people or animals which would need to be safeguarded.

Plants are excellent at doing their jobs. The old SP thread got me thinking to throw the "past it's prime" old SP into the tank!

Also try an organic SP if you are headed to buy one just for the purpose of a tank plant. Sometimes they are sprayed with a chemical to keep them from sprouting, so their shelf life is longer in the store. Obviously wash it well. Just in case of any other weird stuff might have been applied to them.
 
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Chinese Evergreen

Good info. I tried a SP recently, it was older not good for eating and it was still pretty wintery temps so I stuck it in the water instead of outside but it rotted. I love growing SP in jars, though haven't done one in a long while. Will try it again! Maybe not in the water as deep as the last time.

Also the Chinese Evergreen have some toxic parts as well if anyone has people or animals which would need to be safeguarded.

Plants are excellent at doing their jobs. The old SP thread got me thinking to throw the "past it's prime" old SP into the tank!

Also try an organic SP if you are headed to buy one just for the purpose of a tank plant. Sometimes they are sprayed with a chemical to keep them from sprouting, so their shelf life is longer in the store. Obviously wash it well. Just in case of any other weird stuff might have been applied to them.

Hello Autumn...

I believe you're talking about calcium oxalate as the toxic chemical in the Chinese evergreen plant. This is the crystalline form of the chemical that's in the leaves. The chemical can be toxic specifically to dogs, cats and horses. The leaves are very tough and must be chewed and ingested. So, the chances of an aquarium fish being able to do this is very remote. But, if you haven't researched and used the plants, I can understand the concern. Pothos is also a popular plant used in fish tanks and has the same toxin in the leaves. The fish should be quite safe in a tank with these plants in them.

B
 
Thanks for the details BB, and not really worried for the fish, maybe cats, puppies or kids maybe. As with any plants which one keeps, it is good to know what you are dealing with, a berry/seed pod could fall off and a kid or animal could chew/eat it. Same as with SW corals which can be toxic/deadly to humans (and their tank mates. Having information helps.

Spinach has these oxalate crystals both kinds, soluble and insoluble as well, and we eat that and feed it to our tank creatures, as well as many other greens. Only certain people who are sensitive to oxalates need limit or not eat these things. I guess it is the quantity and the types. "Food" for thought ;) (sorry couldn't help it)

The plants do a good job, are very good at removing /using things that are toxic to fish in the water.

SP have great foliage and are nice to grow. BB your Chinese Evergreens are enormous and so healthy! Great to reduce nitrates (and ammonia and Nitrite)!
 
BBradbury, I know you started a thread on your Chinese evergreens along time ago, but would you mind starting another one explaining how you do it? I tried to use some but unfortunately my plants just slowly rotted. I really like them and would love to incorporate them into my tanks, not to mention their nitrate removing capabilities!
 
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