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[APD] RE: Aquatic-Plants Digest, Vol 4, Issue 95



>I've read before (sorry I can't point exactly to where) that in a planted
>tank, the plants  tend to use up all available fish waste as nutrients, so
a
>biological filter in a planted tank may actually never form.

It does form but is certainly smaller than a non planted tank in terms of
the filter bacterial count.
Also, a great deal of it forms on the surfaces on all the plants and the
gravel and deep in the gravel also(roots bring O2 to the deeper paerts of
the substrate).

>The source of this information was a story about trying to use biological
>filter media from a planted tank to filter an unplanted tank in an
>emergency, with disastrous results.

Well, if the loading of NH4 exceeded the capacity of the plants to handle a
shock load, yes, this would not work.
Most planted tanks that are doing well are balanced in this respect, adding
more NH4 is not a good thing generally.
Just like adding NH4 directly to a planted tank is not a good idea from
inorganic sources.  

>So just a thought... the organic "gunk" that has built up in your gravel
>might benefit the plants in your new aquarium, but there's probably very
>little there to benefit the fish.

Indirectly ....healthy plants => healthy fish.

>Incidentally, in an established planted tank, since there's no water
>movement in the gravel, your substrate is going to be full of anaerobic
>bacteria... not convinced?

No, I am not. 

I just pulled up a number of plant roots while pruning, I had no stinky
plant roots.  
Some/ anaerobic bacteria will stay intact during the trip though.
There is movement in many planted tank substrates, via the roots and
diffusion. 
I think Claus from Tropica mentioned about .49 liters per m^2 day which is
about optimum for plant roots.
I believe that was for a basic laterite/2-3mm sand substrate size 10 cm
deep. 
Healthy plants pump O2 into their roots zones, roots respire and need a
fair amount of O2 for growth. 

But  

 just take a good, deep scoop out of the water and
>smell it!  So I could see the logic if someone were to argue that 7-10 days
>in a moving truck might not do any harm.  (I just don't have the knowledge
>or experience to make that argument with confidence.)
>Matt

I agree on this point. I've moved tanks by draining all but about 1 inch or
so of water and let the plants in. The plants got some sun on the trip, but
the tank made it. It was only 3 days though, not 7-10. That's a bit long.
Maybe stir up the gravel some when they get there, replant etc. Keep plants
in a bucket where light can get to them also if you cannot leave them in
the tank.Change the water every day or two. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr


 




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