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Dead Elodea



Howdy all,

I recently posted a request for advice on growing large anounts of
Elodea.  Many responded, and I'm grateful.  Due to budget
considerations, I couldn't take all the advice, but here's what I set
up:

20 gallon long tank (30x12x12)
about 3 inches gravel, with a few marble chips mixed in
DIY yeast CO2 generator
Tank faced a west-facing window, and had a low wattage lamp on it
Every week I would remove 2 liters of water, and replace it with water
from my fishtank at home (2 Zebra Danios, 2 Neon Tetras)

Now, we got a pack of plants in a while back, and although we killed
most of them in the General Bio labs, I was able to save a few, plus I
had a few I had brought from home.

I came to school Wednesday to find that the tank was now an Elodea-free
zone!  EVERY plant had croaked.  Last week, they were OK, little bubbles
on the leaves, good growth.  

Now, this might lead me to think I had incurred the wrath of some
terrible plant deity.  BUT- just for kicks, I had also tossed in a few
Myriophyllum from home, and they're STILL doing great- bubbles, growth,
the works.  There has been some green algae around, probably due to the
exposure to sunlight, but nothing I couldn't deal with.

Could the heat wave here in NYC have killed the plants?  I found out
today that the A/C in the building was shut off over the weekend- the
water probably spiked in temp at about 90F.I'd appreciate any tips!

Chris Thompson