# High pH plants?



## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

I have an african tank with a sump/refugium. My pH is at 8.0 - 8.2

I would like to plant the refugium to help with nitrates. I bought some bacopa monnieri and put it in the refugium, hoping that it was resilient enough to adjust to the pH, but the next day I had a heater mishap that all but cooked the plant. Its still alive, but everything that was above water died, and some parts under water are starting to die off. So now I'm not sure if whats killing it is the after shock from the heat or the high pH.

I still have room for more plants and may need to replace the bacopa anyways. Any suggestions for fast growing low tech plants that I can keep in my high pH?

I liked the bacopa because it grows out of the water, which is good since my refugium is only about 8" deep. It also grows quickly, is available locally, and is actually attractive. So it seemed to be the perfect match, except that its pH compatsbility is said to be no higher than 7.0.

Also, on a side note. The light I'm using is just something I picked up from HomeDepot. It's a T8 labeled as being for aquariums and plants. Should this be ok? I leave it on for about 17 hours a day.

Thanks


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated


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## pianofish (Jan 31, 2010)

do you have any substrate in said tank? and my guess is that 16 hours photoperiod is too long. try bringing it down to maybe 10 hours. 12 max. How do you plan on keeping the plant fertilized as well?


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

I read that the longer the photoperiod for bacopa the faster they will grow. Meaning the more efficient they will be at removing nitrates.

I just have some gravel that I threw in the refugium to allow the roots to grab hold.

It is my understanding that the nitrates from the tank act as the fertilizer, and extra fertilizer is only needed if there aren't enough nitrates to maintain the plants. Atleast for for easier growing plants like bacopa. Obviously different plants have different needs, I chose bacopa because it is less tempermental.

I don't know much about aquarium plants and am using this sump project to sort of feel my way around before I start planning my first planted tank.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

crypt wendii varieties are easy to grow(slowly) and do well as emergents too. ludwigia peruensis is another that will do well under low light and as an emergent.If you ph is too high a piece of driftwood or peatmoss in your filter will help bring it down a little bit.


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

chad320 said:


> crypt wendii varieties are easy to grow(slowly) and do well as emergents too. ludwigia peruensis is another that will do well under low light and as an emergent.If you ph is too high a piece of driftwood or peatmoss in your filter will help bring it down a little bit.


 
Thanks for the suggestions.

Although, I really need something that grows fast, since the purpose of planting my refugium is to reduce nitrates in my main tank.

Lowering my pH is also not an option since the water conditions are set for my africans. I actually intentionally raise it to the level that it is.

My bacopa is starting to do better. I think it will work out after all. But I may need to setup a seperate tank just for the plants and then run it off my main tank's sump. That way I could have more plants filtering my tank's water. I don't think the amount I have now will be enough.


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

Moss? I'm pretty sure java moss would be fine in this setup.


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## idontknow (May 9, 2008)

Have you tried any hygros? (Difformis or sunset) Both of those are pretty Hardy and grow pretty quickly. My Ph is 7.4 and they grow out of control in my tank. I'd give those a shot. I wouldn't recommend the crypts to start with, they will more than likely melt right away and will take a while to grow back.


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

F22 said:


> Moss? I'm pretty sure java moss would be fine in this setup.


 
Isn't moss slow growing though?


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

idontknow said:


> Have you tried any hygros? (Difformis or sunset) Both of those are pretty Hardy and grow pretty quickly. My Ph is 7.4 and they grow out of control in my tank. I'd give those a shot. I wouldn't recommend the crypts to start with, they will more than likely melt right away and will take a while to grow back.


 
Thanks, this is exactly what I'm looking for. I will check my LFS to see if they have any.


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

hygros pop up pretty frequently on swap and shop.


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

what is swap and shop?


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## Takedakai (Jan 4, 2010)

its a section of the forums here where you can purchase or sell items with other forum members. You can find some great deals if you keep an eye on the section. :icon_idea You can also put up a wish list and often a member will contact you that has what you are looking for.


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

great, thanks for the tip


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Use floating plants, not submersed, you get more light use efficacy and they are not limited by CO2.

Water sprite is excellent for Rift tanks IME, you can float it on the main tank's surface in most cases as well and harvest as it grows. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## webgirl74 (Dec 2, 2009)

You can grow anubias in/out of water as well and they are great low light and low maintenance plants. A number of varieties stay small as well so you could grow them in your tank without them poking up out of the water. I have a very high PH out of the tap as well (over 8) and the only plant that is not growing well in my set up is an aponogeton ulvaceus that I have in one corner (it could very well be another factor though that is making it do poorly). Everything else is doing great.


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## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Anubias and Crinum species are pretty resistant to high pH.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Vallisnerias are a good choice with hard water, though they need a substrate.

Guppy grass (or any other Najas species) is a great choice if you just want to stuff a tank with plants and let them fill in "true refugium"-style.


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

Wow, alot of great suggestions. I've decided to go a different route though. I'm going to be setting up an aquaponics system with terrestrial plants rather than using a refugium with aquatic plants. I think it will be alot more efficient than using aquatic plants, plus I can grow vegetables ang herbs while getting rid of harmful nitrates. So its a win/win.

I do still plan on setting up a small planted tank for my zebra danios, which I used as test fish for my 55g to make sure there were no lingering cleaning supplies in the tank, and my cherry shrimp. It will be hooked up to the central sump system I'm setting up for my 55g and fry tanks. All the suggestions will come in handy while setting it up.


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## DJRansome (Jan 27, 2008)

Dechlor products may include warnings not to eat any living thing from a tank where they are used. Make sure to read the fine print.


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

Thanks, I'm looking into solutions for this. I'm going to start off by just growing ornamental plants until I can find a solution.

Any suggestions would be great. Eventually when I buy my own house I will have a well, so it won't be a problem. But that probably won't be for another two or three years.


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## anastasisariel (Oct 4, 2009)

I would personally try riccia because it would be great to have that sump as a nice little riccia storage unit, but I haven't check on it's PH requirements. 

It would grow fast too, and if its humid enough (probably is) it could grow emersed...


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## tokyo (Mar 13, 2010)

anastasisariel said:


> I would personally try riccia because it would be great to have that sump as a nice little riccia storage unit, but I haven't check on it's PH requirements.
> 
> It would grow fast too, and if its humid enough (probably is) it could grow emersed...


What do you mean by riccia storage unit? Is riccia used for something other than decoration/aquascaping that would make it beneficial to harvest?


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