Re: [APD] RE: why algae will not grow

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

So it's sort of like, there's plenty to eat but no one
invited them to the table. Meanwhile, for the higher
plants, it's boarding house rules. ;-)

Scott H.


--- Thomas Barr <tcbiii at earthlink_net> wrote:
> 
> > On Apr 1, 2005 4:55 PM, David Aiken
> <daiken at iprimus_com.au> wrote: 
> > > I'd suspect that the process interrupted is actually
> nothing more than
> > > nutrition and that the algae effectively starves as a
> result of being
> > > out-competed for food. What else could it be?
> 
> >  But it can't be that -- there is always food
> available. In fact, there
> is 
> > more food available now than there was when I had algae
> growing. 
> >  Liz
> 
> Liz is correct.
> The issue is one of inducement.
> Chemicals signal new growth, these might be variations in
> CO2 for BBA, NH4
> for green water and staghorn and maybe other species,
> build up of organic
> matter and high light, low PO4 etc.
> 
> Remove these variations for a few weeks, and there is no
> new growth of
> algae, there is nothing to signal the spores and adult
> algae to keep
> growing.
> 
> When conditions change, algae generally respond by
> producing spores and new
> growth.
> Which alga has a better chance of survival? A smaller
> young alga or a fully
> mature adult alga?
> Removing the adults and cleaning them off and then
> correcting the
> conditions and providing a stable place for the plant's
> needs will beat
> back any algae.
> Spores need NH4 to get going in many species of algae. 
> 
> Healthy plants = very low NH4.
> 
> This is true in non CO2 and CO2 enriched tanks.
> Plants that are stressed by low CO2 temporarily(CO2
> variation) will leak
> photosynthate, N and other compounds and also not grow.
> This also reduces the amount of NH4 removed from the tank
> and helps when
> combined with low CO2 when the plants are adapted to high
> CO2.
> 
> Low O2 levels rather than high O2 levels might also be a
> signal. There is
> some correlation there.
> Plants take longer to get their machiery up and working
> at full speed. They
> have much more biomass and transport distances, diffusion
> issues.
> 
> If it were merely high O2 levels, then adding pure O2
> would address the
> algae, but when I added pure O2, this did not occur. 
> 
> Regards, 
> Tom Barr
> 
> www.BarrReport.com 
> Plant Fest 2K5 in Florida July 8-15(FW and then the
> Marine version)! Swim
> with plecos loose in the wild, Everglades aquatic plant
> nursery tour, trip
> to Tampa Public aquarium presentation at Tampa's aquarium
> society.
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> 


_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants