How to grow sweet potato in a fish tank

How to grow a cheap sweet potato in a fish tank?

Sweet potato can help filter out ammonia byproducts released from fish waste, dead leaves, uneaten food, & other debris. These dangerous chemicals could even kill your fish. Some part of my sweet potato is kept outside water. Roots of the potato will absorb ammonia byproducts that will be nutrition for the plant. Roots of the sweet potato is a place for the fish to hide, & baby fish can use them for hiding from adult fish that might eat the little ones.

Sweet potato grows healthy roots fast & they are very efficient in filtration. It is very simple to grow potatoes in water. Tank lights are enough & this plant will live for a longer period of time in water.

I bought a few sweet potatoes. I did not directly add this plant to the fish tank but instead planted one potato in a cup. After a week, I saw that the potato has grown roots & leaves, & then after a month I decided to keep the plant in my aquarium. I made a small container for holding the potato in water & fixed it against the aquarium glass with the help of a suction cup.

Sweet potato needs low care & it is very effective against nitrates. There is no need to add external fertilizers if you have fish in the water. Sweet potatoes will receive nutrition from fish waste. Potato will absorb CO2 from the air so there is no need to add additional CO2.

In this video tutorial I will show you how to grow a cheap sweet potato in an aquarium & take care of the plant:

Grow a cheap sweet potato in an aquarium Part 1 

Grow a cheap sweet potato in an aquarium Part 2 

Steps: How to grow a cheap sweet potato in a fish tank:

In this tutorial I will help you in growing a cheap sweet potato in the fish tank & take care of the plant. It is very easy to setup the tank for the potato. All you need is a small container that will hold the potato. Fixing this container against the glass will be easy to keep the potato in place. Sweet potato does not need additional carbon dioxide or fertilizers, & it can help you in filtering aquarium water. It is very simple to plant & take care of the potato in the aquarium. 

 

Step 1: Purchase sweet potatoes:

Buy sweet potatoes from the market

I purchased a few sweet potatoes. I did not directly add potato to the aquarium because I was a bit busy so I instead added potato to a plastic cup, & left it in the cup for about a month. Then I noticed that potatoes have developed healthy roots & beautiful leaves. Then after a month, I took out the plant from the disposable cup & moved it to the aquarium.

 

Step 2: Grow sweet potato in a disposable cup:

Progress of sweet potato after 1 & a half week

I half-filled a cup with water & added sweet potato to it. I put the cup next to the window so that sunlight can hit the plant. After a week & a half, I saw healthy roots & beautiful leaves sprouting from the potato. I added water from the tank in the cup, & added some fish diet to the cup too so that the plant can get nutrients. This step is not required but it can help the plant. You can skip this step because potatoes already contain enough nutrition that will help it to grow well.

 

Step 3: Healthy growth of sweet potato in a disposable cup:

Progress of sweet potato after 2 & a half week

After two & a half weeks, I observed fast growth of the plant in the disposable cup. I saw more roots sprouting from the plant, & more leaves on the potato. The plant seems to be growing well but I still waited for longer before adding it to the fish tank. I wished to see the plant grow more before keeping it in a new aquarium environment.

 

Step 4: Time to shift sweet potato to an aquarium:

Progress of sweet potato after a month

After one month, it is time to move the plant to its new environment. I saw gorgeous leaves & roots sprouting from the potato. It is time to design a container that will help the potato in growth when it is submerged more than a half in water. About 60 percent of the potato is kept inside the water while the upper part will be growing outside the water surface.

 

Step 5: Make a container for sweet potato using a bottle lid:

A bottle lid & a suction cup

I made a container for the potato using a bottle lid. I made a hole in the center of the lid & pushed the potato inside. About 60 percent of the potato will be submerged in the water & the upper part will grow emersed. Lower potatoes will develop roots inside the water. The upper part will form leaves.

 

Step 6: Make a hole in both the lid & the Styrofoam:

Make a hole in both the lid & the Styrofoam

I made the hole in the center of the potato using a scissor & knife. A sharp knife can help make a nice cut. The hole I created has sharp edges that might hurt the potato so I make a hole in a round Styrofoam & put it inside the lid. Use a suction cup to support the container against the tank wall.

 

Step 7: Setup the container:

Make a hole in the side of the lid for a suction cup

Time to move the potato to its final destination. I used a hot nail to make a little hole in the side of the lid for a suction cup. 

Step 8: Finally move the sweet potato to the aquarium:

Sweet potato plant is added to the aquarium

I pushed the Styrofoam inside the container & pushed the potato through the hole. Use this suction cup to fix the container containing potato against the tank glass.

 

Are roots of potato poisonous for the fish?

Are roots of sweet potato toxic to fish?

Many aquarists ask this question: Are the roots of sweet potato poisonous for the fish? I have been keeping sweet potatoes for about 6 months in the aquarium & I had no problem. My potato has a healthy roots system that provides a hiding place for the fish. My guppy seems to be enjoying the shelter the roots offer. It seems a wonderful plant when it comes to cleaning. There is no problem keeping a potato in an aquarium. Trimming the roots & stems of the potato won’t affect the growth but in fact it will help the plant grow well. If you find the plant roots & stems overgrowing, then use a sharp scissor for easy trimming.