should i un-plant my h.o.b filter ?

[scotty b]

i have a hob filter loaded with plants,. lilies, arrow head plant, pothose vine, lucky bamboo, spider plants and a few vines i forget the name of

will they rob my aquatic plants of there nutrients? i dont dose column fertilizers , so just the ammonia and nitrates from fish and whatever nutrients leech out of my potting soil

i love the way they look but dont want the planted hob to starv my aquatic plants

[papwalker]

I suppose the will take some nutrients from the water but if you like the setup then why worry. Just stick some tabs around the tank plants. I quite like the idea of using a HOB like a planted sump. You got me thinking now

[AirstoND]

Water isn't 100% nutrient filtered via an planted HOB. As long as there is an overflow and you're monitoring water/light parameters, adding food/micronutrients, & circulation your plants should be OK.

I'd love to see a picture!

[scotty b]

i dont add micros so i may need to start

[scotty b]

[scotty b]

[zzrguy]

nope no pics

[Darkblade48]

I tried to fix your pictures, but it does not work.

You will have to save the picture, and the reupload to an image hosting website and not link directly from that forum.

[scotty b]

bummer i dont have a account with any image hosting site

[frog111]

I would not unplant the hob, but the answer to your question is yes. You did not mention if you have a high light, co2 set up, I am guessing no, because without supplementing, you will have problems. It also depends on fish load.

If you read walstads book, she repeatedly talks about the aerial advantage, that floaters and bog plants can more efficiently utilize nutrients since they can access co2. So yes they are using no3 and other nutrients. But it all depends on how your plants are doing. If the aquatic stuff is not thriving, you may need to assess what is in short supply, my guess would be nitrates.

[mcaquatic]

would really like to see a picture of this setup. You got my interest.

[tiggity]

Originally Posted by scotty b

bummer i dont have a account with any image hosting site

imgur.com

[scotty b]

the tank is med lighting i think dual no-t5's one at 10,000k the other at 6700k above the planted hod is 2 20w 6700ki cfl bulbs
it is a dirt bottom tank and i add liquid co2 alternative
ammonia and nitrate are at i would say 5 ppm the liquid test kit showed them as slightly darker then 0 but nowhere near 25

[Hilde]

Originally Posted by scotty b

the tank is med lighting i think dual no-t5's one at 10,000k the other at 6700k above the planted hod is 2 20w 6700ki cfl bulbs
it is a dirt bottom tank and i add liquid co2 alternative

So what size is the tank? Why no pictures? Do not know about flickr and posting pics?