Growing Devils Ivy as a nitrate remover

[DogTailRed2]

I'm interested in growing Devils Ivy through the top of my 450 litre aquarium to assist with Nitrate removal.
The aquarium is in shade.
If the plant will struggle in shade are there any inexpensive and cool aquarium lamps I could use over the top.

 

[Hanuman]

Pothos can grow in shade and bright conditions. This said, what about simply adding floaters instead? Floaters will have access to the light over the tank and grow faster thus absorbing more nitrates.

 

[Oldguy]

Nitrate removal.

If you have a planted tank why remove nitrate. I add it to my tank.

 

[LFNfan]

I grow devil's ivy and a couple of other things out of the top of my tank.
The tank is in a zero ambient light location and it all seems to be thriving despite no additional light coming over the top. Maybe my light is higher over the tank than yours will be, so there is that variable...

The attached pic was from a month ago. The newer epipremnum leaves are 10+ cm across and growth is quite vigorous. I do trim the roots in the tank from time to time. It's all getting a bit out of hand to be honest!

It amazes me that plants can grow so much from some mineral nutrients, co2 and light.

 

[MichaelJ]

It amazes me that plants can grow so much from some mineral nutrients, co2 and light.

Yes, it really is incredible. About half of the dry mass of plants is carbon most of the rest is water. All the stuff except for Nitrogen we normally worry about Ca, Mg, Fe, K, P amounts to very little.

Great tank btw.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[LFNfan]

About half of the dry mass of plants is carbon

Wow - out-of-the-air carbon? (or out of a bottle, of course)

 

[MichaelJ]

Wow - out-of-the-air carbon? (or out of a bottle, of course)

Yep, terrestrial plants pulls it out of thin air so to speak during photosynthesis. Of course, our aquatic plants have to beg, borrow and steal (unless we allow them to "cheat" by infusing CO2 ), but mostly pulls it out of the water which will always contain some CO2, but also rely on other sources such as bicarbonates.

Cheers,
Michael