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RE: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #336



In APD V3 #336, Reid wrote:

> Many seem to want to avoid the expense of heating cables, by using
> various types of undergravel devices.  However, maintaining a
> slow/gentle enough water flow seems to be an issue.
>
> Rather than using a powerhead to generate flow, would it be possible to
> use a wide, shorter lift tube, with a submersible heater positioned
> directly IN the lift tube?  In this way, one might be able to use
> convection to generate EXTREMELY gentle water flow, much more so than
> with any pump.  Has anyone contemplated/tried this?

If I'm not mistaken, Karen Randall made just such a suggestion a few years
ago. I seem to remember that she may have even tried it in one of her tanks.

Also in the same issue, Greg is wondering how to re-constitute R/O water:

> I was reading the FAQ at the newsgroup homepage, but I never really came
> across a conversion method for R/O water or distilled to the desired
> chemistry.

Kent Marine makes a product called R/O Right, which is designed to add the
proper mix of minerals to R/O water to make it suitable for fish. Using
varying amounts of it you can recreate soft to hard water. There are several
other companies also making a similar product but I've only had personal
experience with the Kent one. It works for me and I use at least 100 Gal of
R/O water per week.

> Will a massive Hydra outbreak harm my plants?

Hydra are carniverous Cnidaria (or Coelenterates), related to Jellyfish,
Corals and Sea Anemones. They capture small animals from the water column
using stinging cells located in their tentacles. They can capture and kill
fish fry but I can't imagine that they would pose any danger to your plants.

James Purchase
Toronto, Ontario