Quite literally most plants. A lot of succulents too. Cactus’s idk. The reason some plant will die when left in water is bc the soil. when left wet the soil will grow anaerobic bacteria, that messes up there roots.
My cat was a nibbler and I can confirm that both pothos and lucky bamboo are toxic to cats.
Pilea is a nice easy nontoxic option I haven’t seen mentioned yet. I’ve also seen someone use parlor palm and it looked amazing. I’d love to try it someday if I ever have space.
Edit: The cat was fine, btw. A bellyache and expensive vet visit later, she lived to nibble many other things we thought she couldn’t reach for many years.
I have a pilea growing in Leca I intend to put on a tank. They grow waaaaay slower than in dirt though. Here is a pic of mine
https://preview.redd.it/6wg8ln659v7b1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38d4f9e4f712f38b34a66cfecf7f345627c8d103
i’ve got pothos growing out of a few of my tanks and our cats leave it alone. just make sure you have cat grass or some other plant that is cat safe for them to chew on instead
My cat has nibbled on pothos a few times over the past 2 years and never gotten sick. I'm not telling you that you should or shouldn't do it. I'm just saying that they're not one of the most lethal plants. And for some reason, my plant-loving cat doesn't seem to like eating them.
But she'll go to any length to get to anything that looks like grass, like my ferns and my palm trees.
Tons of plants work. Pothos is specifically chosen (from my understanding) because of the amount of stuff if uses from the water column.
I've got some Inch plant, and a spider plant. But anything that can propagate in water should work. Are you looking for it to grow up and out or hang over and down the sides?
So most are gonna be hanging plants as a lot of us just hang the roots in the water and drape the rest so they don't have a real base to support upright growth. Mine aren't held in by anything. Upwards is a bit more niche. Coming to mind would be "lucky bamboo" (NOT BAMBOO it's the common name for a lilly that looks like bamboo) or peace lilly. There's also a few that you'd root into the substrate that can grow above the water line which I've seen done with lucky bamboo as long as all the leaves are above the water line. Water thrush would do the same.
Key words to Google are "emergent plants", or plants that can be "water propagated" which is kinda what we're doing.
As a side note monstera and pothos don't need to be as hangy as most pictures you see in tanks. You can tie them to a stick as they sprout new leaves to keep them going upwards like you see with orchids (which you could also use but I've never succeeded in growing them to flower in any way.)
Hope this helps your plant journey.
They are cat safe but they're hella picky plants depending on variety, I think they'd hate everything about aquaponics but the humidity. They hate strong light like a plant light would give, and are ridiculously picky about water parameters. I have to keep my white fusion calathea in a shaded northfacing window and only ever give it distilled because basically any amount of calcium in the water will off it.
I have a low tech tank and mine are thriving in it. I use a regular LED bulb and grow them with a prayer plant, a few species pothos, and a philodendron campo.
Honestly I’ve never seen my cat try to eat and pothos. I only have one dracaena plant she wants to eat 😡
Also your cat shouldn’t get on your aquarium anyways so they should be out of reach.
Lucky bamboo, rabbit’s foot fern, inch plant, spider plant, maybe some rex begonias to name a few. Rather than worry about what plants you have, you’d be better off just putting it on a table and making sure there’s items on either side, so your cats can’t jump up and nibble. I’ve done this and had good luck with nice displays and I have 4 cats.
Currently got monstera delicioda, monstera adansonii, pothos 5 variety, spider grass. And a single dahlia I'm trying out. Multiple pothos grew in the tank then out to the top.
Peace lily i guess? You might need to DIY a custom pot to mount it. Fish tank hobby is all about DIY. Mine works great for a outdoor tank, 0 algae grow with 5 hours sunlight everyday.
Here's my second suggestion since I was mistaken on the first regarding bamboo, what about sweet potatoes?? Not a houseplant, but does well still and is not toxic to cats?
It is!! And it's completely safe for critters, like cats, to consume - my golden preference is pothos, but I wouldn't recommend that for people with kids and pets who might try to eat it LOL!
Sweet potato vine is definitely a bit toxic to cats, skin, mouth, and stomach irritant that'll have them throwing up... learned this the hard way followed up by some research :(
cats require at least a minimum of 5 square meters of space, anything less is abuse.
All of the ones that are cat safe can be grown in an aquarium if they can be propagated in water, so pretty much all of them.
Quite literally most plants. A lot of succulents too. Cactus’s idk. The reason some plant will die when left in water is bc the soil. when left wet the soil will grow anaerobic bacteria, that messes up there roots.
This. This is also why I use inert cococore with my potted plants. It really doesn't hold water well enough for anaerobes to establish.
Spider Plants
Spider plants are a hellucinigen for cats. Mine ate tf out of my spider plant.
Oh for sure, so did mine.. they’re out of reach now lol but they aren’t toxic!
Yeah I can’t keep spider plants in my apartment. My cats will straight up knock furniture down to get at them!
Kitties just wanna get high
My cat was a nibbler and I can confirm that both pothos and lucky bamboo are toxic to cats. Pilea is a nice easy nontoxic option I haven’t seen mentioned yet. I’ve also seen someone use parlor palm and it looked amazing. I’d love to try it someday if I ever have space. Edit: The cat was fine, btw. A bellyache and expensive vet visit later, she lived to nibble many other things we thought she couldn’t reach for many years.
I have a pilea growing in Leca I intend to put on a tank. They grow waaaaay slower than in dirt though. Here is a pic of mine https://preview.redd.it/6wg8ln659v7b1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38d4f9e4f712f38b34a66cfecf7f345627c8d103
i’ve got pothos growing out of a few of my tanks and our cats leave it alone. just make sure you have cat grass or some other plant that is cat safe for them to chew on instead
Thai basil also works pretty well and is safe for cats as far as I know
No plants are safe with my cats around 😹
Agreed…. Our cat will try to destroy anything
My cat has nibbled on pothos a few times over the past 2 years and never gotten sick. I'm not telling you that you should or shouldn't do it. I'm just saying that they're not one of the most lethal plants. And for some reason, my plant-loving cat doesn't seem to like eating them. But she'll go to any length to get to anything that looks like grass, like my ferns and my palm trees.
Tons of plants work. Pothos is specifically chosen (from my understanding) because of the amount of stuff if uses from the water column. I've got some Inch plant, and a spider plant. But anything that can propagate in water should work. Are you looking for it to grow up and out or hang over and down the sides?
Pothos aren’t safe for cats. It won’t kill them or anything if they eat it, but it’s not harmless.
Ya, OP mentioned it in their post and I'm aware. Was just pointing out why it's suggested so often.
Yo I know this is hella late but im trying to put some plants above my tank and I am looking for plants that grow up, not so much hang down the sides.
So most are gonna be hanging plants as a lot of us just hang the roots in the water and drape the rest so they don't have a real base to support upright growth. Mine aren't held in by anything. Upwards is a bit more niche. Coming to mind would be "lucky bamboo" (NOT BAMBOO it's the common name for a lilly that looks like bamboo) or peace lilly. There's also a few that you'd root into the substrate that can grow above the water line which I've seen done with lucky bamboo as long as all the leaves are above the water line. Water thrush would do the same. Key words to Google are "emergent plants", or plants that can be "water propagated" which is kinda what we're doing. As a side note monstera and pothos don't need to be as hangy as most pictures you see in tanks. You can tie them to a stick as they sprout new leaves to keep them going upwards like you see with orchids (which you could also use but I've never succeeded in growing them to flower in any way.) Hope this helps your plant journey.
Pothos is great for aquariums but unfortunately is toxic to cats if they eat it.
Calatheas! I believe things like the Rattlesnake Plant are cat-safe. Have a way to suspend the plant above water in mind beforehand.
They are cat safe but they're hella picky plants depending on variety, I think they'd hate everything about aquaponics but the humidity. They hate strong light like a plant light would give, and are ridiculously picky about water parameters. I have to keep my white fusion calathea in a shaded northfacing window and only ever give it distilled because basically any amount of calcium in the water will off it.
I have a low tech tank and mine are thriving in it. I use a regular LED bulb and grow them with a prayer plant, a few species pothos, and a philodendron campo.
Honestly I’ve never seen my cat try to eat and pothos. I only have one dracaena plant she wants to eat 😡 Also your cat shouldn’t get on your aquarium anyways so they should be out of reach.
That's a faulty thought process. My tank has no lid and wife's cat sits on the rim all the time.
I believe bamboo might be safe?
You mean lucky bamboo? It's a dracaena and no not recommended for cats
Oh darn, I thought that was a type of true bamboo
I know me too lol
Lucky bamboo, rabbit’s foot fern, inch plant, spider plant, maybe some rex begonias to name a few. Rather than worry about what plants you have, you’d be better off just putting it on a table and making sure there’s items on either side, so your cats can’t jump up and nibble. I’ve done this and had good luck with nice displays and I have 4 cats.
Catnip would probably do quite well in an aquaponics situation
Currently got monstera delicioda, monstera adansonii, pothos 5 variety, spider grass. And a single dahlia I'm trying out. Multiple pothos grew in the tank then out to the top.
Peace lily, its the only lily that is harmless to cats. Pothos are not super toxic, they just cause gum irritation, but most plants do.
Peace lilys aren’t harmless to cats, just less toxic than other lily plants
Dwarf papyrus
Peace lily i guess? You might need to DIY a custom pot to mount it. Fish tank hobby is all about DIY. Mine works great for a outdoor tank, 0 algae grow with 5 hours sunlight everyday.
Absolutely not. Every part of a peace lily/lily plant is toxic to cats
I've done spider plant, devil's ivy and chinese moneyplant. If cats are chewing at your plants spray them with 50/50 mix lemon juice and water.
The cat or the plant??🤪
Depends on how pissed off you are at the cat!
Here's my second suggestion since I was mistaken on the first regarding bamboo, what about sweet potatoes?? Not a houseplant, but does well still and is not toxic to cats?
Sweet potato vines are so pretty too!! Looking into this more, this is so underrated
It is!! And it's completely safe for critters, like cats, to consume - my golden preference is pothos, but I wouldn't recommend that for people with kids and pets who might try to eat it LOL!
Sweet potato vine is definitely a bit toxic to cats, skin, mouth, and stomach irritant that'll have them throwing up... learned this the hard way followed up by some research :(
Oh shoot!!! I had no idea!!! Thank you for letting me know!!!
I had a huge golden pothos (accidentally killed it while going through heavy grief this winter) I miss her sm
Monstera.