Fresh water aquarium + carnivorous plant?

[krystian]

Hello,

I'm thinking of trying to mix carnivorous plants (from any zone, doesn't matter) and freshwater fish.

Since carnivorous plants require distilled water as do aquariums, this has sparked my interest.

I currently cultivate a venus flytrap, which likes to have it's pot submerged about an inch into distilled water. Though, it seems plausabile at first thought to mix these plant and aquariums- you gotta remember the venus flytrap need lots of sun and isn't quite an indoor plant (unless you use the east or west window)

Does anyone know of a carnivorous plant that could have be part of my aquarium? I'm going to put the pot into the aquarium (either suspended, on a peg, etc) so that it's a little submerged in water.

I'll then have either Hypostomus plecostomus or Corydoras Catfish clean up algae (and hopefully not eat the plant roots?) and simple goldfish in the tank.

I'm looking for a carnivorous plant that likes to be in contact with water (even marginally) and doesn't mind indoor room lighting and temperatures.

I guess if no answers come up, I'll have to consider moving the aquarium to the window sill. That will mean only tropical fish due to the water heat.


I am thankful for any thoughts on this!
-Krystian.

PS. If worst comes to worst, I'll just grow a Nepenthes Ventricosa in a bowl above the fish tank, and use a "Plant Sitter" (ceramic moisture sensor) to pull water from the fish tank to the plant bowl through capillary action.

I'm just hoping to find some plant that can be more "part of" the aquarium, and knock out some houseflies. By the way: Will Bladderworts fry my fish?

 

[jimscott]

If anything, I would try bladderworts, but not the other species. Welcome to the forums!

 

[Nflytrap]

I think bladderworts are pretty much the only possibility. Actually I think they can get pretty annoying so usually try to remove as much as possible(U. gibba). Also, some people have grown Aldrovandra in aquariums.

 

[seedjar]

Welcome Krystian! I've given some thought to trying something like this, but never went anywhere with it. Bladderworts are an idea, but aren't goldfish grazers? You might have some trouble if you aren't real careful about feeding. Perhaps you could select a different species, particularly one that eats small aquatic insects, like daphnia - that way you could feed your plants and fishes at the same time. Best luck, and please keep us posted when you get things set up.
~Joe

 

[endparenthesis]

I know distilled water is recommended for some fish like discus... but I wouldn't advise it for the typical aquarium. There's much less of a buffer for pH shifts, and in many cases the fish actually benefit from the minerals in the water. Most of them come from places far from pure. And if you had live un-carnivorous plants, most of them would melt away in no time in distilled water unless a lot of mulm had built up.

That said I have U. gibba in my tanks and it keeps popping up in unexpected places.

 

[scottychaos]

Quote[/b] ]Since carnivorous plants require distilled water as do aquariums, this has sparked my interest

yes, CPs require distilled, (or RO water or rain water)
but aquariums do *not* require distilled..
in fact, distilled is a very bad, and dangerous, idea for aquariums..
if you fill an aquarium with distilled, your fish will likely die quickly.
distilled is TOO pure for aquariums, fish need those minerals, and distilled cant hold a stable PH..it will crash.

use tap water for aquariums..
even for discus.
you only need very soft water if you are breeding discus, raising them from eggs.
and by the time you get to that point, you will know more about PH and hardness than most scientists!

distilled for CPs..very important you dont use tap water.
tap water for aquariums..very important you dont use distilled.

Scot

 

[krystian]

-Can't use tap water for aquariums because the chlorine will kill fish... at least our tap water contains it.

- I'm probably going to get use the ceramic sensor to pump in water from the aquarium into my carnivorous plant (Nepenthes Ventricosa!). I'll put a little sheet or something to prevent clogging the tube, or the ceramic sensor with particulate matter.
--- Has anyone had problems with this?

 

[krystian]

This idea is still in the research phase... I haven't set up the rig just yet.

Maybe I can keep the fish tank in some water with minerals and suck the water through a filter and then into the plant. I don't know if there are any filters that don't require an outside energy source to pull through water.

Of course, since I'm drip feeding the CP, I'm demanding slow stream of water. Therefore, the filter doesn't have to supply water worth anything.

Hey- it's an idea. Maybe I can form a recycled system where I don't have to feed or water my plants! (I wish)

 

[endparenthesis]

Quote[/b] (krystian @ June 23 2005,5:29)]-Can't use tap water for aquariums because the chlorine will kill fish... at least our tap water contains it.

Use a dechlorinator. That's how 95% of the aquarists out there do it, honestly.

 

[Nflytrap]

Simplest way to do this would be to buy a ten gallon tank...get yourself a nice 15 watt fixture(more light might be good too) put some kind of small fish like Heterandria formosa in there and then use Utricularia gibba. No need for soft or distilled water and the utric will spread like crazy.

 

[BigCarnivourKid]

While N. ventricosa is tolerant of nutrients in its soil, I would hesitate to make aquarium water the sole source of water for the ventricosa. The fertilizer and minerals from the fish and water will build up in the soil and eventually kill the N. ventricosa.

 

[scottychaos]

Quote[/b] (endparenthesis @ June 23 2005,1:01)]

Quote[/b] (krystian @ June 23 2005,5:29)]-Can't use tap water for aquariums because the chlorine will kill fish... at least our tap water contains it.

Use a dechlorinator. That's how 95% of the aquarists out there do it, honestly.

or, before you do a water change, let the water sit in a 5-gallon bucket for 24 hours, chlorine dissapates naturally..

you honestly dont know about the cholrine drops?
a few drops neutrilizes chlorine..
thats actually how 99.999% of people do it..
everyone with an aquarium uses tap water,
no one uses pure distilled...ever.
its poison for your fish.
im very serious.
it will kill them.

use tap water! its perfectly fine..

Scot

 

[krystian]

Yes, actually I just started with aquariums. I guess I failed to mention that I have a 1 gallon starter aquarium... the representative at the store said that since my aquarium is small, distilled water won't pose a problem.

I'm glad to learn so much about this new venture. I have seen chlorine tablets, I just didn't think much of using it due to the small size of the aquarium.

Though- I'm doubting what the rep says. I would think that in a small environment, small changes are required for environment shifts. Large aquariums, I would think, require more of something to change their state due to larger water volume (and buffer effect?).

I guess I'll have to look into chlorine tablets then. I'll read up on it. I'm hope I didn't seem ignorant, I've just been taking in whatever I can from what I thought was good sources I've come across from discussing this with representatives at the store (my primary source... though now I'm doubting credability after reading some responses). I'm coming into aquariums from feeling adventurous due to success I've had growing Carnivorous plants.

By the way: I'm talking about WALMART (and their fish department)

 

[CNCreefer]

Get some "stress coat" by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. It neutralizes chlorine and chloromines out of tap water. It also enhances the slime coating on fish. Whenever I do a water change I add it to the water. Doesn't hurt the fish, it actually helps them. Yes, distilled water will kill fish, actually it would kill humans too if that was the only thing a human drank. A person would die faster drinking distilled water than drinking nothing at all.
Also, you need to "cycle" the tank. Fish poop turns into ammonia, which is broken down by bacteria into nitrite, which is broken down by more bacteria into nitrate, which is actually plant fertilizer(not good for CP's). Until your tank is properly cycled, expect to lose fish. It takes about a month for the cycle to run it's course. A used filter cartridge taken out of a tank that has been running for a while added to the tank will dramatically shorten the cycling process.
Goldfish are the gross polluters of the fish world, very messy and dirty. Get some platys or something like that instead.
There are very few store reps that actually know what they are talking about.
Here... go to this site. And read and learn.
5 years ago I decided to set up a coral reef tank. I went online and researched the subject and read as much as I could for 6 months before I ever added 1 drop of saltwater to my tank. Now the tank is 5 years old and is a very healthy balanced self sustaining ecosystem.

 

[Nflytrap]

Quote[/b] (scottychaos @ June 23 2005,9:28)]or, before you do a water change, let the water sit in a 5-gallon bucket for 24 hours, chlorine dissapates naturally..

Sorry to nitpick...but with the introduction of chloramine this is no longer safe advice to follow. I believe chloramine takes at least a few weeks to dissipate out of water.

 

[scottychaos]

Quote[/b] (krystian @ June 23 2005,4:08)]the representative at the store said that since my aquarium is small, distilled water won't pose a problem.

ugh...NEVER listen to anything the high-school flunkies at Walmart say..
they are clueless..
actually, you would be best served by never buying anything from the Aquarium department at Walmart ever again..

http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/walmart.htm

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/walmartfish



the guy at Walmart who said you can use distilled is just dead wrong..
he probably just made it up on the spot.
or he got that info from his "training"..which is probably NO real training whatsoever..

a one-gallon is too small to support basically anything..
maybe one betta, but thats about it.

IMO, a 10-gallon is too small too.
If animal cruelty laws applied to fish (which they dont)
goldfish bowls, "aquababies" and any tank under 2 gallons would be illegal.
http://www.peta.org/feat/aquab/

you would be best to start with a 10-gallon tank at the absolute minimum.
actually, if you can afford it, it would be best to start to start with a 20 or 29 gallon tank..
basically.. buy the largest tank you can afford!
and have the space for..

yes, smaller tanks will take much smaller changes to "shift" in water quality..because there is such little water there.
larger tanks are far more stable and forgiving of mistakes.

beginners often think "smaller is better" to start out..
but actually, the opposite is true..larger is better.
you will find many people (myself included) who started out with tiny tanks (my first was a 10-gallon) then once they learn more about aquariums, they switch to larger tanks and never use the tiny tanks again..
we would be better off just never spending the money on the tiny tank in the first place!
IMO, the "perfect" first aquarium would be a 29 gallon..
not too big, not too small..

now that you already have the 1-gallon, you can still use it!
but I would only use it for one male betta.
thats really the only fish that can be happy and healthy without a heater or a filter.
get a new, clean, 5-gallon bucket (cheap at home depot and the like)
label it "for krystian's aquarium use only!"
so no one uses it to mop floors or anything, or puts chemicals in it..
fill it with tap water, use the "chlorine drops" add however many drops the instruction say, then let that water sit in the bucket..it will warm to room temperature, which will be the same temp as your aquarium water.
every other day, remove half of the water in the tank, (half a gallon) and replace it with fresh water from the bucket..
you could keep a betta alive and healthy for a long time that way..

for any other tropical fish, you need to get into larger tanks, heaters, and filters..

Quote[/b] ]Sorry to nitpick...but with the introduction of chloramine this is no longer safe advice to follow. I believe chloramine takes at least a few weeks to dissipate out of water.

good catch! thanks..I forgot about chloramine..
we only have chlorine around here, so I dont think about chloramine..
yes, cholrine will dissapate out of water naturally, but chloramine wont!
if you dont know which you have in your tap water, just use the drops to be on the safe side...

krystian,
dont be afraid to ask questions!

thats how we all learn..
everyone who has aquariums was once where you are now...just starting out and learning..
nothing wrong with that..

Scot

 

[FlytrapGurl]

Quote[/b] ]Use a dechlorinator. That's how 95% of the aquarists out there do it, honestly.

That's what I do.

Quote[/b] ]While N. ventricosa is tolerant of nutrients in its soil, I would hesitate to make aquarium water the sole source of water for the ventricosa.  The fertilizer and minerals from the fish and water will build up in the soil and eventually kill the N. ventricosa.

As with most CPs.

Quote[/b] ]A person would die faster drinking distilled water than drinking nothing at all.

Really? How come?

Quote[/b] ]now that you already have the 1-gallon, you can still use it!
but I would only use it for one male betta.

What's wrong with a female betta?

 

[scottychaos]

Quote[/b] (FlytrapGurl @ June 24 2005,7:34)]

Quote[/b] ]now that you already have the 1-gallon, you can still use it!
but I would only use it for one male betta.

What's wrong with a female betta?

nothing!
its just that most people have male bettas,
because of their plumage..
female bettas are almost never sold in stores..
they are "speciality fish" that only serious fish shops would have...and most people who buy female bettas do so because they want to breed bettas..
99% of bettas kept as "regular aquarium fish" are male bettas..

so thats why I suggested a male betta specifically..
nothing wrong with female bettas though!
if you can find one...

scot

 

[FlytrapGurl]

The local small pet shop always has both male and female bettas. I have a female in a 2-gallon with a filter.