Re: [APD] Newbie Question

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

Ah, a breath of common sense amid the clacking of relays, twinkle of gears, and rainbows of test strips. 
 
Test kits can help one get roughly "zeroed in" on a range or gain confidence that they're heading in the right direction, but it's them there plants that say the most. ;-)
 
sh
 
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Only convention registrants can sign up for the the Field Trip to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. About 20 slots remain and then the the Field Trip will be fully subscribed and we cannot add any more. 
 
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----- Original Message ----
From: Liz Wilhite <satirica at gmail_com>
To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2006 5:40:03 PM
Subject: Re: [APD] Newbie Question


On 7/14/06, Jim Vincent <jumbotron at adelphia_net> wrote:
>
> Can you all recommend a) a good (cheap) test kit and b) a
> place to get it? Thanks!
>
> Hi Jim,

I recommend that you do what has been suggested and use KH and pH.  Well, if
you want to bother with it at all I recommend that approach.  And I'd get a
pH meter rather than a kit since amateur test kits are a joke.  The color
difference between 6.6 and 7.4 is negligible on most of them.

I'm sure you want to test and get a number -- most of us do that when we
start out.  Honestly though I doubt many of us do any testing of CO2 levels
unless we are trying to push the envelope or are a little, errr, obsessive.
I just look to see if the plants are growing and healthy and if the fish are
happy.  Unhappy plants mean I need to add CO2;  unhappy fish mean decrease
the CO2.

Test kits and numbers are, in my opinion, highly overrated.  I have grown
gardens for 40 odd years, and done container gardening for at least 20 years
without testing soil.  A planted aquarium is just an underwater container
garden.  The only real difference I can tell is that you have to add an
additional fertilizer to the aquarium -- CO2.

Of course, I am one of the laziest people on the planet so I suppose you
could say I keep a slack tank.  Looks good though.
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