Re: Get the red out

[Thomas Barr <tcbiii at yahoo_com>]

> Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 18:02:10 -0700
> From: Ed Dumas <eldumas at telus_net>
> Subject: Encouraging Red Growth
> 
> I have heard this thread here before, so excuse me for
> bringing it up 
> again, as I cannot remember what the consensus was, and I did
> not have 
> much luck looking it up in the archives. I am looking for some
> 
> suggestions of things to do which might help encourage plants
> to grow red.
> 
> I know that red plants vary, because of conditions, in their
> colour. 
> Does anyone have suggestions to help my plants grow more red
> than green.
> 
> I have a high light tank, about 3 watts per gallon, CO2 fed,
> with the 
> following parameters:
> 
> kH 4
> gH 8
> pH 6.6
> Nitrates 5 - 10 ppm
> NH4 0
> Iron .1 ppm
> Calcium 20 ppm
> Phosphates .25 ppm
> 
> Growth is good, algae is minimal. Some plants just tend to
> lose their 
> redness, and move towards green. Any ideas out there?
> 
> Thanks so much.
> 
> Ed Dumas


Try letting the NO3 drop down a bit more.
Plants will redden up.

Remember there's a fine line between too little N and too much.
Also, moderate fish loads will promote good red growth.
It adds small amounts of N even when the NO3 are low without
starving the plants to death from lack of N.

It is balance something like Steve Dixon once said: "It's like a
drug, too much will kill you, too little will not have any
effect."

But I think it let it bottom out for no more than a day and try
to keep things on the lower side, say 5ppm or less but not a
zero for long, you can do it.

But generally most folks don't like to keep things so strict for
more than a few weeks. Like for an open house/photo etc.

Regards, 
Tom Barr








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