Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #26

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #26
From: Thomas Price <tprice at u_washington.edu>
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 10:53:14 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <199510221939.PAA17211 at looney_actwin.com>

> 
> From: krombhol at felix_TECLink.Net (Paul Krombholz)
> Date: Sun, 22 Oct 1995 13:42:18 -0500
> Subject: Re: meltdown of vallisneria
> 
> >Tony Thorpe wrote (Aquatic Plants Digest VI #24, Oct. 21, 1995)
> >     I have a question for the general populace:
> >
> >.....I recently "weeded" out my tank to make room for my A. crispus babies and
> >took a bunch of "jungle" val to a local store.  2-3 weeks later I go back and
> >the val has all melted.  It was a horrible mess.  I felt a little guilty
> >(even though I didn't take any $ for them) because my plants didn't live.
> > They have fairly decent light there, probably more than I have at home.
> >   What could have happened?
> >......
> 
> Val doesn't ordinarily melt, but I had a bunch do so when I took it to the
> pet store, and I am convinced that a big temperature change was the cause.
> I went on my bicycle in cool weather with the val in a plastic bag in a
> pannier (saddle bag), and the val cooled down to somewhere between 40 and
> 50 degrees F.  I put it in water that was probably 75 to 80 degrees, and a
> few days later, the owner reported that it had all turned to mush.
> 
> Paul Krombholz                  Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS  39174
> 
> 
> 

  When I first put Val. in my 20g tank, I had the whole lot melt.  I 
assumed it had to do with the change in water conditions.  There wasn't a 
great change in temperature or a long time out of the tank.

  The important thing, though, is that only the leaves melted.  The roots 
were alive and started to put out new growth as soon as the old melted.  
The new leaves are plenty healthy and starting to bend over at the top of 
the tank (finally!).  I don't know how commercial shippers handle this, 
or if fish stores hold onto the val. for a couple of weeks.  Actually, 
fish stores probably try to move it out before it melts.

Tom			Seattle, WA