Re: [APD] Aquatic-Plants Digest, Vol 25, Issue 57

["Terry Barber" <terbarb at alltel_net>]

"There is a definitive answer on the minimum
light required, or the most PAR per dollar/watt, and
just about any other topic involving a result that can be measured
empirically. Just  because we don't know the answer yet doesn't mean there
isn't one."

Not sure empirical is the right word - since it means experiential
information.  Which is where the watts/gal came from.  There is a need for
basic, easy to understand and implement rules of thumb.

If you wanted to set up a whole bunch of experiments under controlled
conditions to develop a model, I don't think that would translate well to us
folks out here in the real world.  There are just too many variables - home
to home, tank to tank, keeper to keeper to even apply any exact model.

Even if we agree how to "measure" light, there are the variables of the
plants, substrate, nutrients, fish, my toddlers pbj thrown in the
tank.....blah blah to make it even workable.    Want to have fun - drag out
the old Beer-lambert law and try to figure out how your water may be
affecting the light you are trying to quantify

http://www.chem.vt.edu/chem-ed/spec/beerslaw.html

Whatever you threw in the tank that day is changing the way the plants are
even "seeing" that light.

It is an interesting intellectual excercise perhaps, but when I am out
puttering in the fish room I just want to use some simple tools to grow some
nice plants.  My eye is going to tell me if its working to my
satisfaction......don't have time for a thesis on the topic.  Too busy
fishing pbj's out of the tank.

Terry

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