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Re: CO2 Questions, Plant ID & Emersed Growth


Subject: Re: CO2 Questions 

> > One other more mundane question that came up has to do with se
> > CO2 from one welding tank to more than one aquarium. 
> 
> > My hypothesis for how I will need to set it up involves having
> > one regulator for the welding tank, but one needle valve per f
> > tank. So there would be a Y-joint 'after' the regulator, and e
> > needle valve (one per aquarium) would attach to the Y-joint. I
> > how it's done?
> 
> I tried it "the other way" and quickly learned by the results th
> need to trust the laws of physics.  You are exactly right.  One 
> Tee joint (cheap), multiple needle valves (expensive).  Only rea
> keep one tank from "feeding back" to the other one.  I suggest f
> inexpensive needle valve supplier (ie, an alternative to the Nup

I had a manifold put together for me by a plumber, using brass 
plumbing connections and 3 needle valves.  The CO2 from the 
cylinder comes in one end, then separate tubing goes from the 
needle valves to each tank.  Another friend of mine has the same 
set up. (put together by the same plumber<g>)  They work well.  
The needle valves were made by ARO Co., and were purchased at 
Grainger.  I think they cost about $13 each.  I didn't think that 
was too bad.


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Subject: New plants - please help identify

Can't help much with the Sag except to say that I have some plants 
that sound similar that were collected in Texas.

> I also bought some new Hygrophila plants today ... I'm seeking > 
its latin name. Another attractive one
> is reddish in colour, has thin short leaves (about 0.2 an
> inch in width and about 1 to 2 inches in length) the
> underside of the leaf is much darker (approaching red) and
> it has little flowers on the stem, which look like little
> green wine-glasses.

This sounds more like an Alternanthera sp. sometimes sold in this 
country as "Scarlet Hygro".

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Subject: Emersed grown plants
 
> I decided to make an experiment today, please tell me if it
> might work.
> 
> Since I have too many Hygrophila glabra plants in my tank I
> decided to try and let some of them grow emmersively.

I'll tell you about _my_ "experiment" this summer.  I decided to 
set up a "kiddie" pool in the back yard to grow some plants out 
doors.  I placed a great number of plants in the pool, all in 
their own pots with potting soil, laterite, and gravel.  It looked 
very nice... for the first 2 days :-(  Then racoons got into the 
pool and dumped over every pot.  I was so aggravated that I didn't 
even clean the mess up for several days.  

When I finally got around to it, I found one pot that had been 
tossed completely out of the pool, but still had its substrate and 
plant intact... a pot of H. polysperma 'Tropical Sunset'.  By this 
time, the substrate was no more than damp, and the plant was 
obviously growing.

I put the pot on the edge of the garden in front of our barn, and 
turned the hose on it every few days.  I thoroughly soaked it when 
I watered it, but the pot has holes in the bottom, so the excess 
water did drain out.  The plant did fine all summer, and I had fun 
making other aquarists try to guess what it was. (It doesn't look 
_anything_ like the submerged version)

Now that we are in danger of frosts at night, I have brought it 
inside and set it on a windowsill.  It seems happy there too, but 
I think I will eventually plant it in the "land" portion of my 
paludarium just for the fun of it.

I also know that there is a species of Hygro, H. lacustris, that 
grows wild emersed in the south east U.S.
> 
> I did the same thing with my dying Echinodorus
> ascherschonicus. It seems that this plant cannot survive un
> the tank, as every leaf it opens is white :( So I decided to
> stick it into a separate plant-box, and see how it does in
> gravel with low water level. I hope it survives this brootal
> experiment...

The people I know who have started Echinodorus emersed have placed 
the plant in a clear plastic bag in very good light to keep the 
humidity around the plant during its transition back to emersed 
growth.
 
> What can I add to the water or to the gravel now to promote
> growth of these plants?

I'd give them a weak solution of house plant fertilizer, or use 
aquarium water to water them.  Otherwise, they are likely to 
become nitrogen/phosphorus deficient.

 ------------------------------

Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Assoc.
Boston, MA