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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #1090



Subject: Strange Rumor

>Hello all,
>    I know this sounds off the wall, but I had to forward it to the list.
>I belong to the Aqualink Help desk and this question hit my computer the
>other day.  
>
>>I am a member of the New Hampshire Aquarium Society, and at our last
>meeting we heard 
>>that the Fefderal Government will be banning the sale of all aquarium
>plants.  Do you have 
>>any information on this?  
>
>Now like I said this is a little off the wall, just wanted to through it
>out there and see if anyone else heard anything like this?  Note the one
>thing that left me with a twing of possibility in my mind was that it is
>the Government he is talking about here:)  

Well, it's not the Federal Government, it's the state of N.H., but we
should all be concerned.  The law was meant to try to help stop the spread
of Cabomba, Eurasian Milfoil and Trapa Natans.  Unfortunately, that's not
the it was written.  The way it is written, it not only prevents the sale
of aquarium plants, it makes it illegal to sell or OWN aquatic or bog
plants that were not native to the state at a certain date. (I believe
around 1900, but I can't recall the exact date off hand)  

Of course, the law as written is unenforceable, and effects not only
aquarists, but terrestrial gardeners and pond keepers as well.  AT this
point, they are not even pretending to try to enforce it.  Letters have
been sent to pet stores telling them that as of Jan 1, 1998 it will be
illegal to sell Fanwort (Cabomba) and Milfoil (Myriophyllum).  

I do not think at this point that their intention is to stop pet stores
from selling other plants.  But the potential is there.  It's a bad law,
and those who live in N.H. should contact their reps and complain loud and
long.  

Of course they also haven't come up with any way to stop people from
transferring plants from one body of water to another via boat propellers,
and that is the most serious threat to waterways!

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

Subject: Cyanobacteria & UV???

>>Subject line almost says it all.  Is UV sterilization effective against
>>cyanobacteria?

I don't see how it could be.  It might kill anything that floats through
the filter, but once it has colonized a substrate, it just keeps creeping.

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

Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association