[APD] RE: Non CO2 and dirt

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> From: "Geoffrey Newman" <newmang at hotmail_com>
> Personally I have nothing against Mr Barr,

Neither do I.

> but the high-tech method just 
> takes all the enjoyment out of the hobby if you ask me.

I think that is true for many folks here, but there are folks that do enjoy
that also.
My issue with non CO2: you can really improve things, get more consistent
results, with minimal effort.
All it takes is a few small dosings perhaps once every week or two of 1-3
things. 
No test kits are needed.

There is nothing HIGH TECH about adding a little SeaChem EQ and KNO3,
KH2PO4.
If I said to add a touch of baking soda weekly rather than dose 1.2 grams
of sodium bicarbonate.... would that make it less high tech?
Does not matter the name of the fert..........what matters is adding a
little bit to help the plants grow better.
Adding 1-3 things once a week DOES NOT suggest remotely that this is "high
tech".
I mean come on, feeding the fish is tougher daily vs feeding the plants 1-3
things once a week or two.
How hard is that?
You do a little and gain a lot.

I'm not suggesting folks even test at all on a non CO2 tank, there's no CO2
being added either.
So how is that high tech?

The suggestions I tell folks here also seldom suggest testing.
Yep, you can do it if you want or need to, I don't unless I have a specific
question and test I want to run.

The point I'm making is that the fish food alone can grow SOME plants and
grow them surprisingly well, but you can grow them better and address more
variables and problems with specific plants, with some folks not being able
to grow certain plants etc.

That helps everyone have a nicer tank without doing hardly anything
extra..........
Learning from a high growth rate tank allows you to slow things down and
meet the needs of the plants for a non CO2 method much better.

Then that provides an even better place for the plants, more plants species
options, a more robust system, more algae control and a better home for the
fish.
  
> I'd also refute the claim that people report problems with dirt tanks
long 
> term. If anything they appear more stable.

Well then it's no longer from the dirt, after a few months, the nutrients
are gone. It's just for the start up phase., you can do the same thing
without dirt and dose once a week, been there, done that a few times now.
You can add fish waste, lots of variation in that, but you can still add
more fish food if the plant look pale and lacking N.  

Adding inorganic ferts..........that is consistent and given that excesses
do not cause algae............this concept also applies directly to non
CO2/Excel enriched tanks........excess NO3/PO4/Fe etc does not cause algae
there either. 
This is seen in natural systems as well as non CO2 tanks and CO2 enriched
tanks.

Ahhh........
Now they are not so different in their mechanisms are they? 

I still do not know the limits of NO3/PO4/Fe for algae, but they _have to
be quite high_.
So dosing a little to a slow growth tank like a non CO2 planted tank once a
week, can go a long way and improve things a great deal for that method for
both the "low tech hands off approach or the fiddler who enjoys more growth
but not the CO2 method.

Regards, 
Tom Barr 

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