Best plants to use as Nitrate sinks

[londonloco]

Thanks Chris! Nana Spath but no jewel orchid. This tank holds a few yellow shrimp, I'll be picking more shrimp up as soon as Dave gets back from the amazon. I bought the planter package from Devon, he's been after me to try some plants on his rafts to hide the plastic planters. But I find these rafts really shade the submersed plants, and IMO, the plastic planters shade enough. I don't notice the ugly planters anymore, so it's no biggie for me. Whenever I'm in Home Depot, I pick up a plant or two and rearrange planters to see what grows, what doesn't and what I like. It's something different and fun. Loni

[DelawareJim]

I have a 75g and 29g setup as a rip. Below are pics of the 29g a month back while it was cycling. Thought I'd give Chris a visual...

Beautiful, Loni! I'm not plant identification expert, but I think I see a Spathiphylum and a jewel orchid in there, right? Whatever they are, they're nice!

Chris;

From what I see in the last picture, Right to Left are;

Spathiphyllum, Dracena marginata and Lugwigia sp. (repens?) apparently sharing the same pot, Echinodorus sp., and a Fittonia sp. (probably verschaffeltii or a hybrid).

The pic above it continues to the left with an ivy (Hedera sp.) and another Dracena marginata with what appears to be an Alternanthera sp.

All are good hydroculture subjects as all are considered to be high moisture plants. The $2 and $3 plants in HD or Lowes, are generally the best candidates for doing this with because they are rooted cuttings that have just been potted and the root systems are still just getting established.

Cheers.
Jim

[londonloco]

I have em labeled....not sure if the plants I got from Devon are spelled correctly, his handwriting is a little hard to read, from right to left:

Spath "Petite" Nana - from Devon
Fittonia Juanita or Fittonia Argyoneura - from Home Depot
Echinclones Crurdifolius - from Devon
Purple Waffle - from Home Depot
H Corduta "chameleon" - from Devon
Dracaena Magenta and Purple Perfection (Psuderanthemum Atropurpureum) in the same planter - from Home Depot

Jim is correct about the plants being high moisture plants, I look for "medium to high" moisture labels. Like I said, it was something new and fun to add to my tanks.

[DelawareJim]

I don't know which one is labeled as Purple Waffle, but I think it's been mislabeled. I don't see anything that looks like a Hemigraphis.

Purple Waffle, or Hemigraphis alternata, leaves have olive green uppers and purple undersides and are very heavily bullated (waffled).
http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/04/bloom/4393.jpg

The green leaved plant with the white and pink veining is the Fittonia.
http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/m1/ ... tii013.jpg

Cheers.
Jim

[SCMurphy]

Riccia is a pretty good nitrate sponge. Water sprite is up there too.

[londonloco]

I don't know which one is labeled as Purple Waffle, but I think it's been mislabeled. I don't see anything that looks like a Hemigraphis.

Purple Waffle, or Hemigraphis alternata, leaves have olive green uppers and purple undersides and are very heavily bullated (waffled).
http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/04/bloom/4393.jpg

The green leaved plant with the white and pink veining is the Fittonia.
http://toptropicals.com/pics/garden/m1/ ... tii013.jpg

Cheers.
Jim

Oops, the pic posted here is from a few months back, when the tank was cycling. I occasionally go to HD, buy plants, and rearrange. I just did that last weekend, so Jim's right, I listed the plants currently in my tank.
Below is a pic of the purple waffle I just planted Sunday.

I hear it will work in a rip, but have only 2 days of experience with it. It looks better than most do after planting.