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Re: barley straw
Ashley Sligh:
>I thought that if one is to put barley straw in their canister filter to
>decompose, this alone would not reduce algae. As the straw decomposes,
>humic acids are released into the water column, which in the prescence of
>dissolved oxygen and <bold> sunlight <bold>, produces hydrogen peroxide
>which supresses the algae. Is the H2O2 not the chemical responsible for the
>control of algae?
>
>If H2O2 is what we're after, why not dose it on a regular basis, via the
>oxydator or some other method?
As you pointed out in an earlier post, its more than the humic acids that
are produced in the decomp of the straw. I was well on the way to
following your above frame of thought, until Purchase..whoops! JAMES!!!
Yeah..... that's the ticket! ;-) produced that link to dupla that
illustrated their "barley straw device" was constructed out of dark
plastic. That was the clue that led me to believe SUNLIGHT was much less a
factor than I once thought.
I tried manual dosing w/ peroxide months ago when I first learned of the
idea. It was more effective when applied directly affected plants out
of the water and I saw little change in treating the tank (against HAIR
algae). Though, I was never very persistent in peroxide dosing to draw a
serious conclusion. If you want to try pure peroxide dosing please note:
1. Peroxide H2O2 is a potential fish toxin (unless used in small amts) you
already know this.
2. Peroxide is very labile...breaking down into water & oxygen in 30 min
..I think?
3. Peroxide is therefore best applied with an automatic dosing pump if
you're going to experiment w/ it. `
Liquid Barley Straw for Aquariums & Ponds:
http://www.floridadriftwood.com/alfloraapm.html