Re: [APD] Re: Water Changes for a non-CO2 Tank if you ask it nicely

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

--- Bill D <billinet at comcast_net> wrote:
> Tom said, in part:
> 
> "Part of the point of non CO2 tanks is not using test
> kits."



Well, that can be a reson for doing a tank that way. But it
might not be the reason at all; One might jsut like to do a
varitety of things diff ways. Or one might not want to fuss
with CO2 on all their tanks.

Unless you have dirt, a tank with out added CO2 might need
added ferts.

> I had a very successful non-CO2 tank for about 6 months. 
> Both stem and
> rooted plants grew very well in it and in required
> minimal care, except for
> some pruning of the stem plants.
> 
> The I noticed that the stem plants seemed to be in
> decline.  Closer
> inspection also showed a huge mass of  filamentous algae
> in the middle and
> rear of the tank.

Needs ferts.
> 
> I pulled out my trusty, inexpensive test kits and found
> that the nitrates
> and phosphates were both near zero.  I (choke) started
> dosing and removing
> the algae manually. Now it is just about gone and the
> plant growth is
> gradually improving.
> 
> Under Ms. Walstad's theory, the fish are supposed to
> convert their food to
> plant nutrients.

Under Ms. Walstad's method, you also have the dirt, which 
provides lots of nutrients to roots and, via bacterial
activity,  additional CO2.

>  Apparently I didn't have enough fish or
> I didn't feed them
> enough.   Now there are more fish and they are being fed
> more, and I don't
> have to dose as much, although I still do a little, as
> required.

Did you have dirt tank?  Without the dirt, and the dirt
method has its good and bad points, it's not uncommon to
need to add ferts, depending on the fishload, plant load,
light level, blah blah. So whether it's a tank with or
without added CO2, you have to watch the plants and adjust
accordingly, just like you did.

Ms. Walstad said the last AGA convention, that she too adds
ferts for the more ravenous eaters like swords.

Ms. Kasselmann, who spoke at the NEC convention earlier
this month, described a version of "dirt tank" (my term,
not hers) using loam. She, too, said that after a period,
ferts will need to be added. When and how much depends on
the loam and the kinds of plants, of course.

Scott H.


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