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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #470




-----Original Message-----
From: Aquatic Plants Digest <Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com>
To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com <Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com>
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 1998 1:59 AM
Subject: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #470


>
>Aquatic Plants Digest     Tuesday, August 25 1998     Volume 03 : Number
470
>
>
>
>In this issue:
>
> Re:  Silicone
> cannister filters
> silicon
> Re: silicone and what you read
> re: lighting
> Strange new inhabitants since lowering Hardness
> Substrate question
> PDMM in Austin
> Plant web site
> Breeding angel fish
> Re: Silicone
> canister filter
> Re: Mail order plants to Hawaii..I screwed up
> Re: Silicon
>
>See the end of the digest for information on unsubscribing from the
>Aquatic Plants mailing list and on how to retrieve back issues.
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 15:03:52 -0500
>From: "Hutton, Don" <DHutton at omnipoint_com>
>Subject: Re:  Silicone
>
>My understanding is that "mildew resistant" silicones contain
>mildewcides that would be toxic to fish.
>
>I suggest you buy silicone that is rated for aquarium use or is "food
>grade."  You may also want to consider using acrylic cement to join the
>acrylic pieces.  For some reason  I've never seen acrylic in aquariums
>and wet drys joined with silicone, it's always with acrylic cement.
>Maybe someone else can comment on this.
>
>Don


Aquarium silicone is 100% silicone with no additives.  Mildew resistent
silicone must have some sort of chemical in it and I wouldn't use it for
aquariums.  I think that acrylic cement creates a stronger bond than
silicone and that is necessary since acrylic tanks don't have the trim bands
to help support the pieces.>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 13:13:29 -0700
>From: Roxanne Bittman <RBITTMAN at hq_dfg.ca.gov>
>Subject: cannister filters
>
>I use an Eheim 2213 on one tank and a Fluval 103 on
>another.  I have experience with the Fluval 303 as well.
>
> I would strongly recommend getting the Eheim over
>the Fluval.  I too had the unpleasant experience of a
>hose popping off of the Fluval and putting about 5
>gallons of water into my living room.  Also, the Fluval
>tends to be noisier and harder to get started or
>primed.  Small amounts of air or other gas in the
>Fluval cause a lot of noise!  Also, I broke the impeller
>chamber cover a couple of times, due to poor design
>on their part.
>
>The Eheim is silent.  This is a big plus for me.  It is not
>as easy to clean as the Fluval, since this model has
>no baskets, but I don't mind.  The impeller cover is
>very easy to remove.  Also the Eheim's clips are metal
>vs the breakable ones on the Fluval.
>
>Eheim's are more expensive, but well worth it in my
>opinion.
>
>Roxanne Bittman
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 15:18:49 -0500
>From: "Basil J. Miller" <basilm at flash_net>
>Subject: silicon
>
>I'm constructing a wet/dry filter and I was curious if the GE brand
>Window and Door Sealent is safe to use. It says that it is "mildew
>resistant, water tight, wil not shrink or yellow, perminantly flexiable,
>withstands the most extreme conditions, low oder, and 100%
>
>  IMO and my experience as well.. any silicone that says it is
>mildew resistant is not aquarium safe.  I have found the big tubes
>(that you put in a caulking gun ) available at a very good price
>at paint stores.
>
>Basil J. Miller
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 14:29:29 -0700 (MST)
>From: "Roger S. Miller" <rgrmill at rt66_com>
>Subject: Re: silicone and what you read
>
>Adam Weingarten wrote:
>
>> I'm constructing a wet/dry filter and I was curious if the GE brand
>> Window and Door Sealent is safe to use. It says that it is "mildew
>> resistant, water tight, wil not shrink or yellow, perminantly flexiable,
>> withstands the most extreme conditions, low oder, and 100% Silicone 2." I
>> was planning on using this to glue acrylic to acrylic, and pvc to pvc.
>> I'd appriciate any input that anyone has to offer. Thanks.
>
>Don't use silicone unless the manufacturer approves it for use in
>aquaria.  If you're joining acrylic to acrylic and pvc to pvc then you
>should be using solvents to fuse the parts, not silicone.
>
>> ------------------------------
>
>Bob Ashcraft wrote:
>
>> >What I've read is that aquatic plants will use ammonia first if its
>> available and ignore nitrite/nitrate as long as sufficient ammonia is
>> available.  <snip>  I don't think the difference between ammonia
>> and ammonium is significant. <
>>
>> Can the assumption then be made that high ammonia levels in a fishless
plant
>> tank are preferable?
>
>I think all else being equal that aquatic plants will grow better when
>using ammonia as a nitrogen source.  But you would only get high ammonia
>levels in a fishless plant tank by adding rather a lot of ammonia, and if
>you do that then probably nitrifying bacteria (which are hard at work even
>without a nitrifying filter) will get to a lot of the ammonia before the
>plants do.
>
>I think if you want to add ammonia to a plant tank then probably you need
>to do it in small quantities and probably by introduction into a
>low-oxygen substrate where nitrification would be supressed.
>
>
>Roger Miller
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 13:29:50 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Anthony Ciarochi <Anthony.Ciarochi at eng_Sun.COM>
>Subject: re: lighting
>
>> I'll comment on one of Peter's lighting questions:  >>>5.  I need 3
>> watts per gallon for a plant tank = 375 watts at least.>>>
>
>[snip]
>
>> 2 watts CF lighting per gallon should be plenty of light.
>
>I think this really depends on what else is going on in your tank.
>
>I have a fully planted 55 gallon tank lit with 2W/gal, and populated by
three
>discus, two clown botias, three ottos, three rams, and a couple of zebra
danios.
> Although all fish and plants seem healthy and happy, I have trouble
keeping
>nitrate levels down, even though I feed a total of 4 frozen 'gumdrops' of
food
>per day to the fish; really not much for the fish load.
>
>Every day at about 4pm, a shaft of sunlight passes across my tank.  As this
>happens, the entire tank suddenly starts pearling and bubbling;  the water
looks
>positively 'fizzy'.  AFter the light passes, the plants continue to bubble,
but
>at a MUCH slower pace.  There is almost no bubbling prior to the sunlight.
>
>This reaction, combined with the nitrate buildup, has convinced me that
2W/gal
>is not enough for this tank.  It might be sufficient if I had a lighter
fish
>load.
>
> - Anthony
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 16:09:12 -0500 (EST)
>From: Kenneth Bruno <kbruno at bilbo_bio.purdue.edu>
>Subject: Strange new inhabitants since lowering Hardness
>
>Hi all,
> I'm a starving grad student that is attempting to convert my 29
>gallon into a planted tank.  I've been reading this digest as well as
>other internet stuff in preparation.  I'm currently experimenting with a
>DIY CO2 and I will be planting soon.  I have a small Aquarium
>Pharmaceuticals test kit and I have found that my water was as high as
>380ppm with the 'hardness' test which was provided.  I work in a lab and
>R.O. water is easy to come by and so I have since done a few water changes
>and my hardness is down to 150ppm.  I did this change over a six week
>period and my fish only look better.  However I have noticed some new
>things growing which were not before. I was wondering if anyone could tell
>me what they are and if I should get rid of these problems before I tear
>my tank down to put in the new substrate and plants.
>
> 1.  My gravel now has a large population of little tiny worms.
>They are white and very small.  My tiger barbs love to eat them when the
>gravel is disturbed.
> 2.  I have a large piece of driftwood.  There is a thin white
>hair-like material growing out of the wood.  It looks more like fungi than
>alage and is growing but very slowly.
> 3.  The algae I had was brown and dingy.  Since the change in
>hardness, I now have patches of green algae that are about the size and
>shape of duckweed(but not duckweed, this stuff grows on the glass).
>
>I'm going to take the tank down, remove the undergravel filter and put
>about an inch and a half of 'Aquatic Plant Soil' at the bottom.  I found
>this stuff at Home Depot and it looks just like the expensive stuff I've
>seen at the LFS.  Any ideas on if my new inhabitants should be dealt with
>will be appreciated.  Thanks in advance. KSB
>
>Kenneth S. Bruno
>Purdue University
>Department of Biological Sciences
>West Lafayette, Indiana
>kbruno at purdue_edu
>(765) 743-9905
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 17:18:47 -0400
>From: Shawn Keslar <keslar at wvunrcce_nrcce.wvu.edu>
>Subject: Substrate question
>
>A friend and I were checking out Amano's book (vol. 1) on aquascaping,
>and he mentioned some sort of hydroponics ceramic bits he uses for
>substrate. Anyone got more info on this stuff?
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 16:21:05 -0500
>From: "Thomas Vickers" <redroach at sprynet_com>
>Subject: PDMM in Austin
>
>I contacted you via email about your message.
>My work computer ate my email this week, so could you contact  me at home.
>redroach at sprynet_com
>
>Thomas Vickers
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 06:38:23 +0700
>From: "jim" <jim at pontianak_wasantara.net.id>
>Subject: Plant web site
>
>"Tropica" and "The Krib" are two plant-sites that I know, but the plants
>they show are limited.
>
>Any other sites to visit to download names with pictures of plant species?
>
>Jim.
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 07:16:01 +0700
>From: "jim" <jim at pontianak_wasantara.net.id>
>Subject: Breeding angel fish
>
>Most web sites about breeding angels say we should take away the eggs to
>hatch manually in another tank.
>
>Anybody succeed breeding angel fish in a very big size community planted
>tank? Can't we just let the parents nurse the eggs and raise the fries in
>this community tank?
>
>Jim.
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 21:04:43 -0500
>From: George Slusarczuk <yurko at warwick_net>
>Subject: Re: Silicone
>
>Hello Adam,
>
>ANY silicone sealant that proclaims that it is "mildew resistant"
>contains some fungistat = poison. Depending on the brand, it can be
>arsenic or a similarly "nice" preservative. STAY AWAY from it!
>
>Best,
>
>George S
>
>
>>
>> I'm constructing a wet/dry filter and I was curious if the GE brand
>> Window and Door Sealent is safe to use. It says that it is "mildew
>> resistant, water tight, wil not shrink or yellow, perminantly flexiable,
>> withstands the most extreme conditions, low oder, and 100% Silicone 2." I
>> was planning on using this to glue acrylic to acrylic, and pvc to pvc.
>> I'd appriciate any input that anyone has to offer. Thanks.
>>
>> - -Adam
>>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 22:33:29 EDT
>From: anggrek at juno_com (Tsuh Yang Chen)
>Subject: canister filter
>
>i have both a fluval (for my 55-gallon) and eheim (for 29 gallon tank),
>and i must say that when i buy my next filter for my next tank, it will
>be an eheim.  the fluval had a few advantages when i first bought it: i
>liked the 3 compartments as many have pointed it out, it comes with the
>valves whereas with the eheim you have to buy them separately, the fluval
>is cheaper and they have a 1-800 number for  assistance.
>
>however, after using them for years, the fluval has been a great
>disappointment.  the valves are impossible to connect and disconnect
>without a struggle.  the eheim on the other hand has been almost
>trouble-free.
>
>just my 2 cents.
>
>tsuh yang chen, new york city
>
>_____________________________________________________________________
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>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 16:48:30 -1000
>From: "David & Lynne" <davidst at aloha_net>
>Subject: Re: Mail order plants to Hawaii..I screwed up
>
>This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>
>- ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01BDCF7F.062312C0
>Content-Type: text/plain;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>Sorry about copying the whole list when sending the original message..I
>screwed up..
>Thanks to all those who did reply to my question, and to the others who
>pointed out what I did..:(
>
>David
>
>- ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01BDCF7F.062312C0
>Content-Type: text/html;
> charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
>
><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
><HTML>
><HEAD>
>
><META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
>http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
><META content=3D'"MSHTML 4.72.3110.7"' name=3DGENERATOR>
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><BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
><DIV><SPAN class=3D400144202-25081998><FONT color=3D#000000 =
>face=3D"Bookman Old Style"=20
>size=3D2>Sorry about copying the whole list when sending the original =
>message..I=20
>screwed up..</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=3D400144202-25081998><FONT color=3D#000000 =
>face=3D"Bookman Old Style"=20
>size=3D2>Thanks to all those who did reply to my question, and to the =
>others who=20
>pointed out what I did..:(</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=3D400144202-25081998><FONT color=3D#000000 =
>face=3D"Bookman Old Style"=20
>size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
><DIV><SPAN class=3D400144202-25081998><FONT color=3D#000000 =
>face=3D"Bookman Old Style"=20
>size=3D2>David</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>
>
>- ------=_NextPart_000_0001_01BDCF7F.062312C0--
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 23:54:13 -0700 (MST)
>From: Michael D Nielsen <mnielsen at U_Arizona.EDU>
>Subject: Re: Silicon
>
>DO NOT USE THE SILICON!!!!
>
>Silicon may be great for bonding glass, but it forms a very, very poor
>bond with most plastics.
>
>For the pvc use the pvc cement and if you are concerned make certain that
>the cement is for drinking water pipes.  I have always used any old pvc
>cement and have never had a problem.
>
>For the acrylic you really, really need to use an acrylic solvent.  THis
>can be purchased at a plastics dealer or at an Ace hardware.  It comes in
>either "water" like consistency or a "gel" like stuff.  Either one works
>great with the gel being very forgiving of cutting problems.
>
>Also never use a silicon that is mildew resistant as it incorporates
>chemicals to give it this advantage.  It is possible they may leach into
>the aquarium and cause problems.  WHen using silicon make certian it is
>NOT mildew resistant and that the tube specifically states that it is for
>use on aquariums in continous underwater applications.
>
>Have fun making the filter.
>
>o    Mike Nielsen                                                        u
>m    Department of Geography         THE OPTIMIST BELIEVES WE LIVE IN    ?
>a    Harvill Bldg Box #2             THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS;    w
>r    Tucson, AZ 85721                THE PESSIMIST FEARS THIS IS SO      h
>e    mnielsen at u_arizona.edu                                              o
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #470
>************************************
>
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