[APD] RE: Rift lake refugium

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 10:41:54 -0700
> From: jvision at telus_net
> Subject: [APD] Re: Planted Tank as Rift Lake Refugium 
> To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
>
> I'm planning on buffering the Rift Lake tank with CaCO3 - gonna have a
lot of 
> oyster/clam shells in there - so, will I need to add CO2 to the refugium?
I 
> was thinking that if the C was too limited, it'd probably be better to go
with 
> the SeaChem product instead.
> We've got a long weekend coming up in Canada, so I'm probably going to
set most 
> of it up then... tho, I want to rework my 35 gal planted tank, too...  
>
> So much to do, so little time!
>
> Thanks!
>

Err why use submersed plants when good old emergent plants work better,
need less light and are easier to prune?
Simply use hydroponics, place the plants in the sump in Hydroponics media,
(rock wool/clay balls are better though), use ABS or PVC 3" tubes and add a
test cap to the bottom and drill a few small holes in the bottom. Splice
off some of the inflow or use a small powerhead to trickle the sump water
over the media for several of these 3" tubes (pots) and the water flows
over the roots and the filtered water flows out the bottom of the tubes and
back into the sump.

You can make the Tubes 6" 12" 18" etc, whatever range of levels you might
have in your sump.

A simple 18" to 24" 15-20 w under the counter FL light will grow most
plants over a 2-3 ft area.
Peace lilies work super. Cut like grass(cut 1/2 to 1/3 of the pots at a
time). 

Dry weight of emergent plants has far greater density than submersed(more
removal of waste and export with less room required), these plants also
have low light requirements(less light required), no impact on CO2 (might
add a little even), much easier to prune and maintain over time and less
sensitive to nutrient variations than submersed plants.

It will cost less in terms of electrical cost, bulb replacement, initial
cost set up, plant cost, nutrient dosing, no Excel or CO2 needed.

As far as planted tangy tanks, I've done a few. They looked quite nice. I
can send you a picture of a 240 gal with a bed of vals (which are present
in the lake) growing in the foreground in pure aragonite(CaCO3), no
fertilizers added, no pruning done(Tropheus do this), excellent fish
health. Most of the lake isn't full of plants, but there are areas where
they do grow well.

Adding CO2 will lower the pH of a Rift tank.
It does not however change the salt content, the K+, SO4, Ca, Mg, and these
are plant nutrients...........
It is the salt content that matters when addressing fish health.
Adding CO2 is not the same as lowering or adding salt. 

We routinely do large frequent water changes on CO2 enriched tanks, often
50% or more and the pH differences are often one full pH unit.

No death, no ill effects, no problems.
If you added enough baking soda tor rapidly change the pH one full unit,
you'd have some fish death very likely.

So is it the pH/ super saturated gas? Or is it the salt content?
I've kept them in CO2 enriched tanks, Xeno's, Cypri's especially and other
feather fins.

The KH was high, the GH was high, and so was the CO2.
This is the case in the springs in Florida, if you want to see lots of
limestone white sands, and rocks and a clear hardwater river full of
plants, this is the place.

We add CO2 not to control pH, nor does traditional pH fish environmental
level apply when we use CO2 gas, we add CO2 gas to fertilize the plants.
The fish are much more concerned about the ratio of O2 to CO2. The 2 gases
compete in plant's Carbon fixing site as well as the fish's gills.

But the high O2 levels added by the plant's waste allows for high levels to
occur with out ill effects on the fish.
Plants are fairly resistant to high(moderately) O2 levels(more than the
fish are) and seldom get to the point where it could cause issues in
tropical shallow tanks. 

Even without the high O2 from plants, you can still add CO2 as long as the
tank is not overly stocked(anything that drains/removes O2).

You do not need to add CO2 at night for plants, so stop adding it then, the
pH will slowly climb back up as the excess CO2 degasses.

This also is an example of how the pH variation due to CO2 has no health
related problems for fish.
pH changes occur in nature where plants exist over much larger variation
than one pH unit(a typical range for CO2 target dosing vs ambient pH).
Often 2, even up to 4 pH units. These lakes do not experience that much
change, but they are fairly tough fish and these same principles apply both
in theory and practice.

Either way, you can grow plants with or without CO2/Excel/emergenet or
submersed.
You have options.  

Regards, 
Tom Barr

3rd annual Plant Fest July 8-14th 2005!
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