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Re: Higher algae / Brackish Water Plant
Tom Barr:
>Cladophora, Nitella and Chara are the main ones. Others by invasion mostly.
>Some folks like some of the others. Personally like Cladophora the most.
>The plant I sent you was in fact Chara, one tough customer. It can produce
>large amounts of marl and other Ca rich deposits. The encrustation of hard
>water on the plants gives rise to the common name - stoneworts. Potamogetons
>do this as well.
>All of these plants love lots of light. Nitella, Tolypella and Chara.
>Nitella likes the softer acid waters in nature. If you want to remove lime
>try Chara or Potamogetons. You'll see lots of deposits on these plants with
>hard waters. None on Nitella. Chara is foul smelling (a good thing if your
>a plant). Burnt rubber bands was it ?:)
I've seen Chara mono cultures growing in approx 6-24in deep waters in
certain parts of Florida in landlocked, shallow, VERY clear, brackish
water lagoons. It covers vast areas that may be too brackish (salt) to
support other species. The vast expanses of Chara w/in 0 -15 feet of the
shore are interruped only by the shade of Red Mangrove trees. What
impresses me about the plant is it seems to produce "Amanoesque" scenes in
the shallow water of the lagoons that resemble larger versions of Amano's
"rolling riccia" look when left to itself. It sure does LOOK like a
vascular plant.
Till now, the plant was of little interest to me. I thought it was a nifty
looking "seaweed" and would never have thought to try it in my freshwater
aquaria thinking (mistakenly) that it would'nt grow in freshwater. But
then a Brackish water, carbonate reducing, fish inedible plant definately
has possibilities.
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