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Java Moss & Allelopathy
Just wondering if anyone has found any problems keeping this plant. In large
quantities.
I have a 20 gallon tank with the bottom almost entirely covered with wads off
java moss. I _used_ to have a lot of water sprite, some wisteria, java fern
and some crypts in also. Little by little, nearly all the water sprite
melted. Even the java fern and windelov started to rot. I recently put in a
small piece of driftwood with bolbitis attached on it, and now that appears
to be getting brown and rotting as well. I'd almost think the water was
poison except the fish are well and spawning. I just got my first batch of
(dwarf?) croaking gourami fry.
In this tank I also had a biological filter crash a few months ago. I thought
it was due perhaps to pH dropping too low, but now I'm wondering--? I'm still
having problems with bio filtration and am forced to use alternative methods
of ammonia and nitrite control, and pH is hanging around 6.5 consistently for
the past 2 months or so.
Plants are known to give off chemicals that inhibit the growth or even kill
other plants. Some have anti-bacterial propertie, according to Ecology of the
Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad, and some of these chemicals even inhibit
nitrifying bacteria.. Each is individual in as far as which plant they may
affect. Just wondering whether this plant is particularly noxious in that
regard. There's probably a couple pounds of java moss in there.
I'd appreciate any thoughts on this.
Sylvia