[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: hard water

> Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 14:07:24 -0800
> From: Wright Huntley <huntley1 at home_com>
> Subject: Re: hard headed... oops, water

> I have about 200 ppm as CaCO3 equiv. and 270-300 ppm tds.
> 
> Tom's statement may be quite accurate, but leaves out a few
> vital details. I
> have never kept Gloss. alive in my tanks, while it seems
> nearly
> indestructible in really soft water. The key, though, was my
> low-light,
> low-nutrient, low-tech environments.

It's done as good as in any soft water tanks in my hard water. 
Does the same in Marin and down there as in the rock hard stuff.
You know what Steve does with it in GH/KH's of 5 ranges. It has
high light and high nutrients and it does well in low light
also. Mine looks 100% better than the stuff at Albany Aquarium.
It's hurting and very small. I like the small part but it is
stunted. Steve's looks much better at least today:) 
> 
> If, and only if, Glossistigma is getting high light and full
> nutrients does
> it seem to survive in harder water. 

Is 2 watts a gallon high light? Not in a 24 inch deep tank but
16 to 20 inches. 

I'll be trying some again,
> soon, now
> that I'm injecting CO2 again, feeding and zinging up my lights
> a lot. I have
> very little doubt that it will grow in my "hard" water if I do
> that.

Just don't block the light. Jeff has grown it in a 10 gallon(1/2
20 gallon) with a 15 watt over it and it looked very nice. It
does look better in the high light tanks though. It's also more
work. 
> 
> I can't grow Cabomba worth a darn, either, but I know that's
> because it
> would prefer to have the light from a nearby supernova to do
> really well.
> Mere direct sunlight isn't adequate. :^)

Same as above. 2 watts a gallon. A simple 2x20 watt 20 gallon
tank will do super for both plants with CO2 and some decent
gravel set up. Balancing the lights to the nutrient load is the
key. It's hard when your use to 2 watts to jump to 4 watt a
gallon and the reverse also. Not an easy step for folks. I
slipped a few times on that one. Made assumptions then went back
and re evaluted things since I had to deal with my tap water
this time and could not just add or delete things. Basically I
would've been forced to do the whole RO routine and reconstitute
everything *or* deal with what the tap has in it. I gave it a
long observation then each time I moved from one place to the
other or worked on a tank in one area that's different than
mine.
It's easier to just NOT add things to test than to add things to
test. Few folks are willing to muck up their tanks to see if in
fact it's A or B that causes a problem or not. I am. I'
ll go along and test thing to see also. I have no problems in
soft, medium, hard or rock taps. I can grow the same plants in
the same manner in all the taps. I do not add some of "Tom's
soft water tonic":)If the plants are doing well in all the taps
is it the hardness? A few commonalities exist but hardness is
not one of them. High PO4 's, low NO3's, high K+, and high iron.
High numbers of algae eating critters. High CO2, decent current,
good access to light(pruning and water changes etc). No tricks
or M. Weiss BS. 
> 
> Wright

Regards, 
Tom "hardwater" Barr


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. 
http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/?.refer=text