Grow Sweet Potato in Guppy Aquarium:
Sweet potato makes a good aquarium filtration plant as the roots absorb nitrates and other harmful waste produced by the fish, decaying organic matter and other inhabitant of the aquarium. Sweet potato is a very hardy plant and are grown from rooted cuttings called slips. It has a tendency to grow a really healthy root system which is a main source of aquarium filtration and hiding spot for stress fish and fry. I have successfully kept a sweet potato plant inside my guppy tank and the beauty about this plant is that you can grow it with no CO2 and no fertilizer as the plant absorb CO2 directly from air and use excess nutrients from the tank as ferts. Over the time I have been asked quite lot of questions on my Youtube channel regarding sweet potato in a tropical tank. So, i decided to publish this article where i can answer these questions by sharing my own experience.
Ep. 3 Grow Sweet Potato In Aquarium, No CO2, No Ferts
Methods of Growing Sweet Potato in Aquarium:
There are various methods of growing a sweet potato in a fish tank. Some people have grown them with toothpicks inserted in the potato which holds them in place. The sweet potato is then placed in a jar of water or straight in the aquarium and about half of it covered in water. The part of sweet potato submersed in water will start growing roots and the other half will start to grow stems and leaves.
A skewer can also be inserted and placed across a corner of the aquarium, it will hold the sweet potato inside the aquarium. However, i took it bit further and used a lid of a can and cut the top of it. Sweet potato was then pushed through the lid and attached to the glass of aquarium using a suction cup. Plant absorbed energy from the sweet potato in the start and then relied mostly on the nitrates in the aquarium. This setup helped me developed a natural ecosystem inside my guppy fish tank.
Grow Sweet Potato In Aquarium
Are Sweet Potato Roots Poisonous:
I have been asked this question few times on my channel if roots of sweet potato plants are poisonous. Based on my experience, roots and stems are not poisonous to the fish in the aquarium, i have had my sweet potato plant in the tank for almost 6 months and my guppy fish really enjoyed the shelter provided by the roots and stems submerged in the water. If you are not worried about the space roots will take then it is a perfect addition to the tank. If length of roots gets out of hands then they can always be trimmed back to the desired length. Trimming the roots and stems won't affect the growth, in fact it will boost the health of the sweet potato plant.
Sweet Potato Root System
How Fast Sweet Potato Grows in Aquarium:
Sweet potato usually grows fast in the tank, roots and leaves can be seen in 1-2 weeks but sometimes it may take bit longer. Be patient and give it some time, once the root system is developed then sweet potato will grow crazy in the aquarium. I attempted to grow 3 in a disposable cup half fill with water and left it near the window. To my surprise they all started growing roots and leaves but not all of them grew at the same rate. So patience is the key when you grow sweet potato plant in an aquarium.
Fully Grown Sweet Potato In Guppy Tank
Does Sweet Potato Rot in Aquarium:
I was very interested to see how sweet potato will work inside the tank and am quite excited to share that sweet potato does very well inside an aquarium compare to other plants that are grown on the land. However, the bitter truth is that sweet potato will eventually rot and needs to be taken out of the tank otherwise it will pollute the water. Mine took almost 6 months to rot but the slips can be grown and will root into the water. In this way a single sweet potato plant can be turned into 10 and all of them will have several feet of roots and tons of leaves. I have recorded the video and uploaded it to my Youtube channel. Please have a look at different episodes of growing sweet potato plant in aquarium with No CO2 and No Ferts.
Ep. 1 Sweet Potato Aquarium, No CO2, No Ferts
If you have enjoyed watching above video then i am sure you will like episode 2 of sweet potato aquarium.
Ep. 2 - Sweet Potato Aquarium, No CO2, No Ferts (12 weeks update)
Thank you for your time in reading this tutorial and watching these videos. If you have any questions then please feel free to post in the comment section below.
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