Water hyacinth

[navydiscus]

So in my research for filtering, i came across this very rapid growing plant. A very invasive species, but sounds like it would be a great filter in a large refugium. Has anyone ever tried this? it would be interesting to open up that cabinet door and see a flowering garden under an aquarium. sounds kind of cool, but not sure if i would have enough nutrients to really make it efficient. might be worth a shot. Comments please.

[lipadj46]

I use water lettuce and frogbit as floaters. You can usually get them for free (just pay shipping) from other hobbiests. I throw a ton of it away every week so I could send you some but its too cold here at the moment. If you need some in a couple weeks PM me and remind me, it will have duckweed in it though but that is also another good floater but hard to get rid of.

[Second Hand Pat]

Water hyacinth floats quite high above the water and seems to need full sunlight (based on observations of it growing in my lake). I would personally prefer something with a smaller above water profile.

[navydiscus]

I've never seen it in person, but i knew it was quite large compared to most aquarium plants. That being said with that tall of a plant it bound to have a large root system that would just eat up nitrates. Thank you for the offer lipadj46 not quite there yet, and have used water lettuce in the past in a 54 corner, and it took over. Also i'm wandering how it would hold up if there was some current going through the fug... That was another reason why i was looking for a larger plant. Pat if this was inside my aquarium i would agree 100%, but since it wont be seen inside the cabinet i really don't care how it looks as long as it does its job and stays healthy. Beautiful wilds by the way. I wish i lived in FL and had the water quality you do.

[lipadj46]

Most floaters are going to take over, just the way they are (and why they are banned in many states as invasive). Just get some pothos from walmart and clean the roots break it up into clumps and just suspend just the roots in the water. they don't need much light or nutrients and soak up nitrates

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks navydiscus, do you have a clean source for water hyacinth? I would suggest researching its lighting requirements. Another options is a non-aquatic plant and allow it's roots in the water. See this with discus keepers in Europe.

[navydiscus]

No I don't have a clean source for water hyacinth yet Pat I am still in the researching phase. I know they require A LOT of light its a tropical plant, and is to be expected. i have looked into devils ivy as well, and seems like it maybe a little easier to get my hands on. Honestly i just liked the look of the plant and figured hey its a tropical plant so it shouldn't have any issues with high water temps just give it a bunch of light and a little fertilizer and lets see what happens. I think it would be pretty cool to have plants flowering and thriving underneath the aquarium. Either way i have plenty of time to figure this out. My tank wont be set up for quite sometime. However i might try and grow some different floating plants under different conditions before i set up the aquarium to see what will work best.

[Bill63SG]

My water hyacinth would grow in the shade part of my pond,but needed full sun part to bloom.They can get 4"-6" tall.Thier roots are'nt that impresive.The water lettuce is much more water level,and they can throw out a big root system,kind of like an upsidedown Xmas tree.Could never get them to live longer then 6 months indoors,but the roots looked cool.

[Fundulopanchax]

I have used water hyacinth as a filter - it sucks up all nutrients very quickly - looks great in flower too! It does require good light; my refugium was 12 inches wide - I use 4-tube T5 6500k HO fluorescents about 12 inches above the tops of the plants. I find using these will grow any tropical full-light plants well. If I were setting up a new refugium today I would use LED lighting since they require only 10% or so the current of T5's. In my orchid/fish room I have 60 4 ft T5s going so it will take a while to get to the refugium. I am slowly replacing the T5 fixtures.

I am not sure if they are legal in WA since they are invasive. I get mine from a nephew in SC where they grow very luxuriantly in many waterways. If any escaped here in CT they would not survive the winter - thankfully!

Ron

[navydiscus]

Thanks for the input fundu. They are not legal here, but i won't be setting up my tank until i move back to SC. I'd live to see a picture or schematic of your fug. I plan on making one from a shallow 55 gal. I may try a mixture of water lettuce and hyacinth. Oh yeah what part of CT are you in? I was stationed in Groton for three years. Had discus there and am just waiting to settle down somewhere before I set up my dream aquarium.

[DerekFF]

Water lettuce, frogbit are just smaller versions of nutrient sponges. Water hyacinth growth out here in the California delta like freakin mad. Grows great and fast though for fuge use

[navydiscus]

I knew it grew very fast, and also likes to be bunch together. I'm going to make/build a fuge that is very shallow to maximize surface area maybe 10 inches. To give the plants as much room as i can, but still have enough room for mechanical filtration bioballs heaters and a pump. Should be a fun experiment