# Getting tank water into hang on the back planters outside the tank?



## Ajm200 (15 Apr 2022)

Sorry if this question has already been answered elsewhere and my search skills have failed me.  

I have two small tanks that run very low tech.  Both have emerged plants to help with  chemical filtration and daphnia to clean the water.  (My fish ignore the daphnia or maybe just keep the population under control)

I have plants growing in planters in the tank but space is limited.  I’m thinking of having plants behind the tank that draw water from tank somehow.  Maybe with something like the water matting used in greenhouses to wick water into the pots.

Are there better solutions.  What do you use?


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## Nick potts (15 Apr 2022)

Could you use one of the hang on breeding boxes? They hang on the back of the tank and recirculate aquarium water through them. Wouldn't work for all plants but there are lots that would work well.









						Fluval Multi-Chamber Holding & Breeding Box
					

Large Fluval Breeder Box hangs onto aquarium exterior for easily observing fish and convenient maintenance. Can be set up with up to 3 different compartments. For use in fresh & saltwater.




					www.fishkeeper.co.uk


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## Ajm200 (15 Apr 2022)

The tanks are quite small and I’m a little concerned about adding too much weigh to the lass so thinking of something deep enough to rest on the windowsill to reduce weight that has hooks into the tank that can be used to hold a wicking material of some sort in place

Those look perfect for my big tank If I go with the same idea as I can put some sort of shelf or support on the wall so their weight isn’t all on the glass.

these experimental ideas are all working up to a larger tank that will incorporate some or all of the ideas that work


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## hwscot (15 Apr 2022)

Have you considered the Marina Hang on breeder boxes? I've been using the large on a 25L tank. Large is 2L. (tank is a combo of grow-out tank for livebearers and my first foray into shrimp). I believe some people are using them as filters, and ISTR have seen someone using them to grow emersed plants.
It's a plain box, clear plastic, input at one end (airlift) and outflow at the other. That's it. Much easier to adapt to other uses than a typical HOB filter. Mine's been running for a few weeks with no issues. People complain about the airlift being a big gurgly, personally I don't mind and the gurgle lets you know it's running. There are loads of youtube vids with hacks for making them quiet,  either by adapting the uplift to accommodate an airstone, or by using a small pump in the tank.
I guess my only reservation for your application, if I understand it correctly, would be weight-bearing. It holds the 2L of water very comfortably, but I guess once you start adding growing medium or pots and the weight of emersed growth, there may be a limit. I guess a small support under the breeder box to take the weight would fix that.
I'm very happy with mine, flow through the box with its own basic airlift is perfectly adequate to keep water sweet. On a 25L tank, the additional 2L volume is welcome.


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## hwscot (15 Apr 2022)

Ajm200 said:


> The tanks are quite small and I’m a little concerned about adding too much weigh to the lass so thinking of something deep enough to rest on the windowsill to reduce weight that has hooks into the tank that can be used to hold a wicking material of some sort in place


Someone beat me to the breeder box suggestion!
The tank mine is on is a cheap plastic tank from PAH. Has a flimy plastic frame at top. It has no problems at all holding the 2L breeder box - full of water, that's 2kg. I guess you could use a wick, but wonder if you would get the throughflow that way.


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## Ajm200 (15 Apr 2022)

It would work but these are very cheap tanks so I’m wary of weight on the glass..  would work on the big tank I’m going to use the ideas on hopefully later this year.


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## Ajm200 (15 Apr 2022)

In my greenhouse I used to have trays on the benches with capilary matting and the end of the roll was in  a bin full of water when we went away to wick water to the roots.

i’m fairly clueless on this subject but was wondering about clay balls or some other absorbent planting medium that won’t compact on top of the matting or tape to draw water to the plants without keeping them waterlogged

edited as pup was helping


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## hwscot (15 Apr 2022)

Ajm200 said:


> In my greenhouse I used to have trays on the benches with capilary matting and the end of the roll was in  a bin full of water when we went away to wick water to the roots.
> 
> i’m fai lidless on this subject but was wondering about clay balls or some other absorbent planting medium that won’t compact on top of the matting or tape to draw water to the plants without keeping them waterlogged


I like expanded clay a lot. I don't have a greenhouse, but I have outdoors benches for propagating alpines / bulbs and where I keep some of my hepaticas. I'm currently growing most things by sitting pots in large potting trays with drainage holes, and those trays sit on top of same-sized trays that are filled with expanded clay. It's giving me both drainage in wet conditions and a supply of moisture for warm conditions - not wicked, just humidity.
They would add very little weight over and above the weight of water.


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## tam (15 Apr 2022)

I've played with this using the breeder box mentioned - you can use capillary but obviously it limits flow through, I found the matting got a bit fuzzy too, it is very simple though. You can run water via a syphon using airline, but found that a bit of a pain to restart if mucking about with it and when lowering water levels during a water change. If you want circulating water, I just rubber-banded one end of a piece of airline into the outflow of my tank filter and that was enough to feed a trickle water in via the airline which then overflowed back to the tank via the breeder box overflow.


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## mort (15 Apr 2022)

You could put the breeder box on a shelf, lump of wood, couple of bricks ect, so that the weight doesn't go on the rim of the tank. I used to filter my marine tanks with an above tank refugium that had a gravity return. In my case it was basically a second tank with a return just above the rim of my display, that had water pumped up to it. You can make them out of anything that will hold water really, like thick tupperware tubs, with a bit of push fit plumbing from the diy store (glass tanks are more sturdy but it depends on how long you are doing it for).


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## Ajm200 (19 Apr 2022)

I went with the 1l breeder box supported upturned glass jars.  I have a tiny usb air pump running it that has the water just trickling through to stop the awful glugging sound. 

If I find I need more flow I’ll use a mini usb waterpump instead. 

Used old IKEA Leca.  It sinks if soaked in boiling water.    The Westland equivalent is still floating despite being boiled then  soaked in cold water repeatedly.  Shame IKEA seem to have discontinued it in the UK.

The leca is covered in gravel.  Plants are in/on that so they have access to water without the stems being wet.  

It may all die but it is just an experiment and the plants in the tank are enough to keep the water clean.


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## Ajm200 (19 Apr 2022)

Was amazed to find no terrarium plants in the tanks at any of the fish shops. Glad things have changed so newbies don’t get caught out. 

The ribbon plant came from the garden centre and was potted in soil


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