Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #182

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #182
From: Earle Hamilton <ehami at sunny_ncmc.cc.mi.us>
Date: Sat, 15 Jul 1995 22:55:04 -0400 (EDT)
cc: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
In-Reply-To: <199507141939.PAA01840 at looney_actwin.com>

Regarding power head for plant tanks - I use them and get good results.  
Set one tank up with one half rev flow, other normal.  At no time was I 
able to detect a difference.  Plants did great on both sides.  Stopped 
using rev flow due to being lazy about cleaning the prefilter.  I think 
some of the problem with UG filter reputation is that most people drive 
them with air stones.  This of course drives off valuable co2.  In using 
power heads do not use the air injection option.  (same as using an air 
stone).  
In addition to UG filters/power heads I make use of stacked hydrosponge 
biggest
size filters.  They take forever to clog (I hate cleaning filters) and 
do a supper job.  My suggestion is go ahead with power heads.  How else 
can you get the circulation recommended in the Optimum Aquarium book?  If 
you have substrate heating then UG is out but you could use the large 
foam filters.

I have never been able to grow good plants with airstones operating.  I 
have talked to several people who claim they get good results using air 
stones.  In working out the bugs and getting plants to grow you have to 
do everything you can and then go ahead and modifiy to see if you still 
get good results.  But it is folly to violate every suggestion on growing 
plants and then wonder why it didn't work!