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Re:Freshwater plenums: Tom/Aquatech2



> Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 16:25:03 -0700
> From: Robert Ricketts <rtricketts at erols_com>
> 
> Many Thanks- Quick background: I do many plants of few varieties,
> primarily in "vegatable filters" on reversed light cycles from fish that
> don't cotton to planted tanks.  These Vegie tanks are not by any stretch
> plant tanks as aquatic gardeners think of such.  Most plants are potted
> and others (Val) can take over any gravel surface left over.  The new
> tank is going where my spouse will see it, so must look better, but it
> is still to be a fish tank, not plant tank.

You may find that a veggie filter using emersed or bog plants is more
effective that on using submersed ones.  With leaves in the air, the
plants get plenty of CO2.  You can use cheap plastic window boxes with
a coarse material as substrate and a variety of houseplants, which your
wife may find more 'sightly'.  If you don't like the looks of the plastic
window boxes, make finished wood boxes to fit over them and hide the plastic.

Many low light houseplants such as philodendron, pothos, syngonium, 
Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen), Spathiphyllum (peace lily, aka 'Brazilian
sword plant'), spider plant and others will do well under these conditions.
Most are easy to propagate from cuttings.