you can only judge that through experimenting. Plants don't consume a set amount of ammonia just like people don't consume a set amount of food. Generally though the faster a plant is growing the more nutrients it uptakes.

 

An ammonia strip test would be detailed enough to tell me if the level was safe or not wouldn't it?

 

Just about anyone on the forum (including me) would recomend you use API Liquid Test Kits. They are alot cheaper than the test strips and are far more accurate.

Yes, you can pay attention to your tox levels to see when you need to make a water change. Try to keep your levels down. Don't stock the tank much more than you would a planted one, though.

 

Is it okay to let the top of the Val float on the water instead of trimming it off?

Not a problem as long as the plants below don't get shaded too much.

 

+1

 

Is there any way to estimate how much ammonia they likely use?

I recently asked this same question over at Aquatic Gardeners. As Mikaila said, faster-growing plants will require more nutrients of which nitrogen (ammonia/ammonium, nitrite, nitrate) is a macro and it will be assimilated in proportion to their growth rate. Aquatic plants contain roughly 3% nitrogen (dry weight) though this varies with species. Beyond what they assimilate as nutrients (which will of course be in proportion to other nutrient availability plus light), plants may use ammonia up to 5-6% of their dry weight. Tom Barr, who is a trained botanist, mentioned ammonia being taken up at a level of .5 to 1.0 ppm per day if CO2 is being added along with significant water changes. Plants can detoxify ammonia by internally converting it with animo acids, but this apparently requires more CO2 so this would likely limit the uptake.

The end result is that in a balanced system, ammonia from the fish and substrate bacteria plus any that would be introduced from tap water during water changes is not likely to be in excess of what the system including the plants can handle. Ammonia detoxifiers (such as in a water conditioner) at water changes if ammonia is present in the source water would offset the initial increase and the system (bacteria and plants) would handle it from there.

Byron.

 

I'll be adding neon tetras to my betta tank (Yes I know there are criticisms against it, but I have somewhere else they can go). I was hoping the plants would be enough to offset the ammonia so that I could add a few cories too.. According to the aqadvisor calculator I would be at 108% with no filter if I added neons and cories. As soon as I can get cooperation I'll be using someone elses old air pump to make a sponge filter.

The Jungle Val is just a single plant with maybe half a dozen leaves so far but its at least two feet tall. My light won't exactly be above my tank but more in front of it. Is that okay too?

 

I think someone with more experience with natural tanks needs to answer the post above. My recommendation, particularly with no filter, is to increase any tank biomass, really, really, slowly. What size tank? Aqadvisor is helpful, but you still need to crank in some interpretation.

Most male bettas will respond very strongly to color, not necessarily the size of the fish, so I'm betting the neons won't work well long-term.

If you trim your Val, it will likely encourage the plant to spread a little more rapidly. Putting the light toward the front of the tank will encourage the plants to bias their growth in that direction. If front-back depth in your tank is small, you may not even notice.

 

Agree with DKRST, all points. On the neons, the reverse problem also occurs, they may nip betta fins. Neons, indeed all characins, can be quite feisty nippers if they are stressed by their environment (which includes non-compatible fish), it increases aggression. For example, the larger the group the less likely this is to occur. No mention is made of tank size here, or intended neon group size.

 

I have a plain 10 gallon rectangle from walmart. I planned on 5 neons but that number is very open to change. If there is a problem my boyfriends brother has what he says is a 30 gallon but I believe is bigger with very few little fish in it. I would like to have cories, but if I can't at this point that's no problem as I don't forsee not having a fish tank in the future and I'll get them eventually.


Also, my betta has absolutely zero interest in my mystery snails. The shrimp however came under attack after they taunted him for a while...my fault for getting shrimp before my plants arrived.

 

Corys will be fine, a trio minimum as they need company or they can be very stressed.

I am still not recommending neons. The temperature issue just registered with me, neons do not do well at warm temps that the betta needs, and vice versa. Check our profile of the neon tetra.

 

You may wish to be avoid certain of the Cory species. In particular, I don't think the pepper corys like it too warm. Check the fish profiles when possible.

 

My tank is at a constant 76-78. When it drops to 76 the heater turns on. I would say my tank is about 50% covered since I just received the plants. I take your advice under consideration Byron and I intend to watch them very closely for the first few days. If it doesn't work out I won't make them continue to live together. Do I just pick a place on the jungle val to cut it or is there somewhere specific?

 

For pruning, I use sharp scissors. Make sure to dry the scissors after use to prevent rusting. Don't trim the Val to the roots. I trim mine even with the water's surface myself. That way, I get a visual estimate of each week's growth = the amount laying along the tanks surface. You may get some browning on the cut edge, but it's not a problem.

 

The top half of mine is pretty ragged, but there are new leaves starting to grow so I guess I'll just trim it down to the clean edges.

 

If you want to use plants to assimilate ammonia, it may help to have emersed plants.

Floating plants work wonders, and I'm sure your val is taking more than it's fair share of ammonia...
Plants exposed to atmosphere (that float, like duckweed, amazon frogbit) and that are emersed (bamboo is wonderful, along with some crypts) will always grow faster than submerged plants.

D. Walstad (expert in the field) calls this the 'arial advantage'. If you're not keen on buying plants (even though I strongly suggest the bamboo), then you can always let the bacopa and hygrophila grow out of the top of the tank.

I use soil-based substrates and have no filter in half of my tanks...
Of course, to stock a tank without a filter, I have MANY more plants... Usually 6 bunches, a few rooted plants, and something emersed.

 

The bacopa shot out of the water in 3-4 days. The val is growing new leaves, but i just trimmed the original ones. Is it normal for anacharis to shed leaves when it grows new parts?

 

Not unless it's being shaded...

I just wanted to say, when I start up a new tank, I make sure that from above, about 90% of the tank is covered with plants... Then I add something floating, and I stock the tank lightly. (about a quarter to a third of it's final stocking level) and I've never had a cycle.

 

Well I was wrong the leaves are from some of the bacopa and not the anacharis...