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MTReznor18 OP t1_jcykdif wrote

Reply to comment by fossilnews in Just Finished a Dining Room Ceiling Fixture with Planters by MTReznor18

Thank you, that's very kind! I agree, and we share that concern. To make maintaining this as easy as possible, I bought two extra vases so I can swap them out when the water starts looking murky, toss the previous ones in the dishwasher, and have them on standby.

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sedition- t1_jcynbjc wrote

Being that close to light sources, you're going to eventually get algae in those regardless of how clean you try to keep them. You could try to hide it by frosting the glass to match the lamp covers though.

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MTReznor18 OP t1_jcyp5i0 wrote

Good idea, if maintaining this becomes too tedious I'll likely go that route.

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TheOtherPete t1_jcyt9ki wrote

I wonder if adding something like this to the water would help

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HRHEOJC

Its supposed to be plant-safe

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MTReznor18 OP t1_jcytnc8 wrote

Woah and it's super affordable, thanks for the link!

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jiBjiBjiBy t1_jcziste wrote

You could look at products for keeping algae out of aquariums too.

Something like "Easy-life AlgExit" should work well tbh.

Most are plant safe, but you should check the label to make sure.

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ShuffKorbik t1_jd18rsb wrote

Just toss a handful of nerite or ramshorn snails in each and you're all set. Bonus points for your dinner guests being able to view fresh snail poop while they are enjoying their wine and cheese.

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YoungPatrickBateman t1_jcznsd4 wrote

Instead of clear glass you should use a dark tinted glass, like the kind beer bottles are made from.

The dark glass minimises the amount of light hitting the water - reducing the algae growth.

I have a lot of Devils Ivy cutting growing in brown glass bottles, never had an issue with algae; clear glass though has been an issue.

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DrZoidberg- t1_jcziea7 wrote

Could also go the fake plant and mineral oil route.

I don't know the details, but it looks enough like water for those "submerged computer" builds.

And I think it would continue to look like water with minimal upkeep.

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WalleyeSushi t1_jd0uyy6 wrote

Snails! I have freshwater snails in my huge vase like this with spider plants and they just live off the roots and reproduce every now and again. No work, I just water weekly. The glass is super clean but I do rinse out the whole thing every 2 months and then at that time add some fish food pellets and water that is off gased, but otherwise perfectly clear glass.

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Firerrhea t1_jcz2cv2 wrote

I think the sides of the wood are blocking the direct light. Something like Flourish Excel might be good since it's sort of an algaecide (think "off-label" use), but also meant to help aquatic plants grow. It might help make your plants grow while also deterring algae growth. They sell it in the usual pet stores, and you would need such a smaaaaaall amount. Like drops worth at that volume.

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sedition- t1_jcz7207 wrote

That's a good point tbh, and yeah flourish is widely used as an algaecide in the fish tank community.

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CoderDispose t1_jczkgz3 wrote

Have you ever grown Pothos (or anything) in water before? Root rot occurs due to a lack of oxygen, so you need to change it out regularly. You might be hopping up there a lot. You could achieve a similar effect with air plants (just put a bunch all over and it could look awesome) and they can be handled with misting a few times a week.

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the_rest_were_taken t1_jczevtd wrote

I've had pothos in water like this and the water getting murky really isn't too much of an issue. The biggest problem I've seen is with dust settling on top of the water. Maybe consider making lids with cut outs for the different stems (sort of like a toothbrush holder)? You'd keep a lot of the dust out, help limit some of the evaporation so you have to fill it less, and be able to pose the stems much easier as they grow.

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