[Prev][Next][Index]
Re: Doing something wrong
>
>From: "CORBEIL, SCOTT" <corbels at macmail_mcgawpark.baxter.com>
>Date: 28 Oct 1996 08:00:38 U
>Subject: Obviously doing something wrong
>
>Prior to adding PMDD to the tank and converting from DIY CO2 to a CO2 =
>cylinder, I decided to tear down my tank and remove all the algae I could =
>both from the plants and the tank itself. After seeing the recipe for a =
>bleach solution to kill algae off plants both here and in FAMA I decided =
>to give it a try. I used 1 cup bleach (non-scented) in 19 cups of water =
>and threw in 100 corkscrew val plants which have been propigating over =
>the last 8 months. After three minutes the plants appeared devoid of =
>chlorophyll, virtually a mass of residual plant goo. What did I do =
>wrong here.
It sounds like the concentration of bleach was too high. I thought up the
bleach treatment back in the late 60's , and have done several varieties of
Vallisneria, and three minutes doesn't cause much immediate visible damage
to the leaves, but they usually die back partially during the next few days
after replanting. Even if the leaves die back completely, the thick
rhizome of Vallisneria should survive and soon send up some new leaves. I
usually make about a liter of diluted bleach by starting with 50
millileters of bleach and adding water until I get a liter (1000
millileters). The bleach I use has on the label that the active ingredient
is sodium hypochlorite, 5.25%. I use a timer and immediately remove the
plant and rinse thoroughly after the three minutes are up. I give
thin-stemmed, delicate plants two minutes and thicker-stemmed plants three
to four minutes.
It is important to put the treated plant into a tank or jar with good
growing conditions. Good light, a chelated iron addition, CO2 enrichment,
and having the non-hair algae well under under control all help the plant
make a speedy recovery. If the plant is really set back by the treatment,
it is good to plant the remnant in a dish of ordinary topsoil. Using the
two minute treatment, I have even been able to treat Java moss without
killing it. Two minutes works for most species of hair algae. Cladophora,
which has thicker, branching filaments, is the most resistant to the bleach
treatment, and requires 4 minutes. Fortunately, Cladophora is relatively
slow in growing and propagating, and thin stemmed plants that would be
killed by 4 minutes can grow free of it. If you select the recent growth,
you can usually get a piece free of Cladophora. Just to be on the safe
side, I would grow it in a small quarantine tank until I was sure it didn't
have Cladophora.
Paul Krombholz Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS 39174
In humid Mississippi, where summer is still holding on, which is fine
because we are having our heating system replaced.