Would it be possible to grow plants outside? Yes, I know there will be a great deal of algae to deal. I was thinking about using a large broken cooler with no top so the plants can get light from the top. I shouldn't need too much filtration, correct?
Thank you
John B.

This should be no problem, in a place like Davie. Even here, in the frigid north, there are lots of ponds that are full of Anacharis, Cabomba, Hornwort, and some Sagitarias. Primitive plants, like algae, use the same nutrients as higher level plants, and compete for these nutrients, so once you get an established, healthy crop of desireable plants growing, you should have less of an algae problem.

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John

I was able to grow hornwort in my tank and outside in the pond.

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if you grow waterhigson or duck weed but if you want submerged plants and you add some sort of addetive the water will green up in my opinion but try it and let me know how it goes. I dont know if you gat the money but maybe a good uv filter. ive don that to get new grow on plants that i collect in the wild and have detritus growing on the leafs. the lack of nutrient seem to make new green growth on the tips of the plants of which i cut and take to the meetings. but also i chage the water contentle with tap water that kills the snails and makes the water clear.

there a good article in Tropical Fish April 2008 issue about container garderning which is the same ponds, just smaller. withthe right plants in the water you don't need filters and the algea problem is not a problem.....

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
www.goldcoastaquarium.org

well thats that thanks for the info i love this good discution and question answerd

what type of filtration should i use on 30 gallon container outside with sunlight 75% of the day? I know i have mosquito larvae in there so i added some mosquito minnows. What should i use to turn over the water?

I had hornwort and anacharis in my outdoor pond in Wisconsin. It could handle pretty cold water, you just don't want to shock it by moving it from a cold pond in fall to a warm tank inside. Put the plants in a bucket inside and let them adjust to room temp for a few days before moving to a heated aquarium.

The hornwort was free-floating, but the anacharis was rooted in pots with the water lilies. I just clipped off what I wanted for the aquarium.