Re: Water and algae questions (was Re: [Killietalk] Golden Killies ID)

["Mark & Peta" <mbethke at socal_rr.com>]

Wow, Excellent gentlemen,
I used to have much more coral sand (calcium carbonate) in my substrate.
Then a flurry of "You'll kill all your plants" came from aquatic plants list
and they recommended to get rid of the coral sand. I always liked the
extremely good root growth I got with it. now the plants are not near as
healthy. I did probe the sand about once a month to keep hydrates from
forming. When we lived in Florida I would snorkel in the clear pools of the
everglades, all those plants grew well in coral sand, the whole southern end
of FL is coral sand.

You guys would have loved to see those pools. mark



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wright Huntley" <whuntley at verizon_net>
To: "killifish discussion list" <killietalk at aka_org>
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2004 1:01 AM
Subject: Re: Water and algae questions (was Re: [Killietalk] Golden Killies
ID)


> Tucker,
>
> "Robert Tucker" <tucker at covad_net> wrote:
>
>
> > Exactly. I was being a little rhetorical there. Mark was told the
"plants
> > don't need carbon" and I think what was meant was 'plants don't need
carbon
> > in the filtration system'.
>
> Exactly. The activated charcoal is not available to the plants, may
> sequester useful minerals the plants need, and can release adsorbed
> poisons at the most inopportune times. Not a good isea, IMHO.
>
> Plants prefer dissolved CO2 which is often in the form of carbonate or
> bicarbonate ions, rather than just as carbonic acid, but I think all are
> used by some plants, if not all. Some Vals even get a crusty coating of
> CaO or CaOH (both fairly insoluble) when the plants have stripped off
> CO2 from the carbonate/bicarbonate ions and allowed the insoluble forms
> (aka boiler scale) to appear.
>
> Wright
>
> PS. Ever notice how KH can drop in a healthy planted tank? It's probably
> the plants eating the carbonates and bicarbonates.
>
> -- 
> Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net
>                      760 872-3995
>
>          "WAR, n.  A by-product of the arts of peace."
>                     Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_
>
>
>
>
> To join the AKA see http://www.aka.org/pages/join.html
> Archives are at http://fins.actwin.com/killietalk/
>



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