I have started putting an outdoor tank together for collecting from down at the pond where I can drop them in until I have time to clean them etc. No lights, no heater, however I have a dilemma.
I will plant in containers and I have Osmocote nutrient/ferts for my soil (gravel on top of soil). I obviously am not running CO2 out there so should I get an air pump going so I can at least pull whats in the air?
Here is my biggest concern, I do not have any water nutrients I will eventually buy some PPS-Pro but that is $40 so unless the Osmocote leaks from the containers at a high rate my levels will be low for floaters. I do plan on dropping the hang on tank filter on it during the afternoons when I can, so should I just use pond water (which has nutrients needed for floaters) and let the filter mechanically clean it up? I would never bring pond water in my house but I am afraid tap water will kill this Duckweed and Bladderwort.
Pond water is fine to fill the tank. But tap water with dechlor is probably OK, too. Plants can handle a wide range of conditions, and even changing conditions from pond to tap water should not be a problem.
Nutrient levels will vary depending on what is in the pond, but I would not count on it to support the floaters for long.
Osmocote will gradually seep into the water, and this is a good source of slow release fertilizer. It will seep in faster with more water movement in the tank.
I would add the air bubbler or a filter for water circulation. This will indeed help replace the CO2 the plants are using. It will also keep the fertilizer circulating, stabilize the temperature between the top of the tank and the lower area.
It will not matter what kind of media is in the filter. A coarse sponge might be plenty. This will trap a certain amount of the debris that can come in with the plants.
If you suspect any pesticides or similar materials, then I would definitely add activated carbon. Might be a good idea, just in case...
If the pond water will not keep the floaters alive for long there is no need to use it in my opinion, what can be done to support the water nutrients right now in tap water? Sprinkle some Osmocote in the filter? lol
I filled it 2/3 with tap water two days ago and planted in pots that night (50% Miracle Grow soil with 1 teaspoon of Osmocote Plus in each pot, then a thin layer of soil so roots do not touch fertilizer.) I placed gravel directly on top of plants roots with soil under them. By the next day the water lily had opened again to my amazement!
By this evening the lily had closed back up and I raised the water level to the top of the tank, and added a pot in the back right at the waters surface level for emergers I will take a new photo tomorrow!
I ended up using tap water, and an old HOB filter. I took a new cartridge and slit it, removed the carbon. Then cut a piece of filter floss and faced the thicker blue side against the cartridge so that I can tear the white side off and use it to seed my indoor bio media. I was thinking of smashing up some ceramic pot or bricks and placing the chunks in front as bio media? I took about 10 tiny pebbles of Osmocote Plus and put them between the filters as IE water fertilizer.
I took a broken flower pot I had and smashed it up, then rinsed the bits. I filled the space in my HOB with these bits they are kind of rough/porous so it should work as bio-media?
I added a raised pot in the back right for my emergers and raised the water level so the lily has some stretching to do. I have the tank in the shade on an uncovered porch so it does get some direct sun in the evening, I am quickly learning the algae struggle! The tank blew up with green water within 36 hours of filling it with tap water and I have no test kit for nutrients. I assume the green algae is due to high nitrates so I removed the few Osmocote Plus pebbles from the filter even though they have not changed in size at all so I believe that is not the source. My thought is it is coming from the soil I used under the gravel; I used regular non-organic bagged Miracle Grow that claimed to feed plants (even MG Organic claims to feed plants) the nutrients in the soil would be much faster releasing than Osmocote since the soil was not meant to be submerged, daily water changes may be needed for several weeks? I added some Duckweed to eat out nitrates, and I do not think much of the other plants are using nitrates until they are established and overcome shock. Speaking of plant shock I seem to be having an issue with Fanwort/Ceratophyllum they loose their green hue and fall apart, so I replanted it using smaller and younger specimens; I would find a healthy specimen pull it up and cut off all the shoots leaving just a few young short shoots with a large root system hoping less foliage to wilt will mean a quicker establishment?
New picture with the added Bur-reed and Rush to bring the Water Shield together
With the raised water level the Lily is trying to stretch and does not fully open anymore but that is okay, I thought the holes in the pads were from a beetle or something but they are getting larger with no visible pests...
I have all sorts of stuff dwelling in the surface pot which also makes a great dam to contain Duckweed, although it does like to build up where the current circulates around the edges
Everything in this pot seems to be doing okay, I have Pond Weed along with something I am not sure what it is I thought it was Curly Leaf Weed because there is no main stalk but I am not sure. The water is still an algae battle I am doing 50% daily water changes and using Algaecide, no fish so I am not using any water conditioner.
Still questioning if the Fanwort/Ceratophyllum is going to take or make a come back...my biggest challenge aside from algae is keeping this stuff alive! Any advice?
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