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RE: Dive! Dive! Dive! - KH and hair algae, valisneria
- To: <Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com>
- Subject: RE: Dive! Dive! Dive! - KH and hair algae, valisneria
- From: "James Purchase" <jpurch at interlog_com>
- Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 23:29:46 -0500
- Importance: Normal
- In-Reply-To: <199903162048.PAA22126 at acme_actwin.com>
It must be spring in Colorado.... George wants to go swimming...
>Perhaps one of our botanists can help correct a possible misconception that
>may be sprouting here (or another one I may have been laboring under lo
>these many years).
< snip > < many conjectures about bicarbonates and carbonates later >
>Some plant books (Baench Atlases specifically) describe plants as requiring
>certain amounts of KH and don't mention GH. I wonder if this is a mistake
>in translation or an author's misconception or if I'm off the deep end.
Mmmmmm, I'm no botanist but if you want to go into the "deep end" in March,
I hope that you aren't a brass monkey!
Actually George, this is a very good question - I have experienced a drop in
Ca and Mg levels (GH) in tanks with lots of fast growing plants with CO2
injection. I always assumed that they used the Ca and Mg in their growth
phase - they are both essential elements. I have been working under the
assumption, at least in my tanks, where I use Sodium Bicarbonate to boost
KH, that the plants get their Ca and Mg from the Carbonates in the water. I
change enough water, often enough that I really don't worry about KH, or
bicarbonates.
James Purchase
Toronto