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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V4 #1221
Tony asked:
>>Anyhow, the problem is, the dozen E. tenellus I received are very tall --
> about 8 inches with most of it being petiole. I assume they were grown
> emmersed because most of them had the arial flower stems/buds still
> attached. Is this normal? Will they "shrink" to normal size once they
set
> out new leaves? Do I need to do anything special to them?
This is very normal when buying the plant from any commercial grown source.
It is the emmersed form. You do not really need to do anything special other
than provide enough light and the right growing conditions. The tall growth
will die off as it is replaced by new submersed growth which will be much
shorter and thinner.
Aquascaping question
Other than driftwood, are there other ways of raising
> the height of some plants (riccia, Java fern, Java moss,
> etc.)? Large rocks could cause weight problems! Does
> anyone use realistic-looking lightweight "fake" rocks
> made of plastic or styrofoam that provide a good
> clinging surface for some plants like riccia, Java fern,
> etc.?
Slate can be used fairly successfully, But I have built stone walls by
siliconing rocks that fit in the palm of my hand together, mostly quartz.
Lava rock can also be used and is much lighter weight, (BTW Roger, I have
some of this lava rock that we talked about before. I could send you one for
a proper identification) You can see how I did it by going here:
http://www.aquabotanic.com/chronology.htm Eventual substrate slipage is the
biggest problem in terracing, but with this stone wall and using gravel, In
the year that the tank was up there was no problem. Foreground terracing is
the toughest.
Excel
> > Does any one have any experience with excel reducing the growth
>of algae in > your tanks. I have been using it for about 3 or 4
>weeks, since that time
> > algae seems to have cut back quite a bit. I read some past post
>about excel > that say (you need to read between the lines) I guess
>I just didn't get
>> it.
Sure. I have seen a sharp decrease in algae growth when I first introduce it
to the tank, and if I keep adding it every day. But it is not the Excel
itself that is doing it... Just like adding CO2 doesnt increase or decrease
algae...it is giving plants that have been stunted or stopped growing due to
unavailability of carbon, a source of carbon that encourages plant growth.
Flourish Excel also contains a chelator, a darn good one. Adding this to the
water makes minerals in the water more accessible to plants. Excel doent
kill the algae, it simply improves the growing conditions for the plants.
Pearling
>>From the context of the recent messages, I've kind of figured out what
> pearling is. I have not, however, been able to figure out why I should
> strive for it.
Pearling is simply the oxygen being released from the plant as part of its
respiration, photosynthesis process. It is a sign that there is enough CO2
in your water for this process to be triggered. Higher CO2 ppm levels
produce more vigourous pearling.
[Redacted]
OK, my fingers are tired, I will stop now.
Robert Paul H
http://www.aquabotanic.com
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