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fw: Balancing a new tank


---forwarded message---->

Sun May 14 14:37:00 1995


 To:         Shaji (S.)  Bhaskar                (BNR)      Dept 3X12   BNRTP
             'owner-aquatic-plants at actwin_com'                 (BNR400)

 From:       'owner-aquatic-plants at actwin_com'                 (BNR400)

 Subject:    BOUNCE aquatic-plants at actwin_com: Admin request

 Attachment:  1) UNIX File: ORIGINAL.HEADER - 560 bytes  

From bhaskar at bnr_ca  Sun May 14 14:37:04 1995
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Date: 14 May 95 14:36:03 EDT
From: David Randall <76535.2776 at compuserve_com>
To: <Aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Subject: Balancing a new tank
Message-ID: <950514183603_76535.2776_DHL36-1 at CompuServe_COM>


 Michael,

 >> My phosphate levels were zero today and the iron was low. Do you think
that adding more iron and trace elements will help the plants and 'hurt' the
algae? <<

 As I think Shaji mentioned, your iron level may be a little low.  Adding a
little more trace elements will not "hurt" the algae, but _may_ give the
plants a little boost.

 IMO, you CO2 level could go up some.  You are _well_ within the "safe" range
for CO2, and at the bottom of the optimal range.  When you say a pH of 7.3 is
"OK" with a KH of 10, you are speaking strictly about quantity of CO2 in the
water.  There are two reasons for keeping the pH below 7.  First is if you
need to to that to keep the CO2 levels up.  Second, most plants utilize
ammonium much more easily than ammonia. (or nitrite or nitrate)  At a pH below
7, ammonia is present in the form of ammonium.  Remember that whatever is
available that is hard for the plants to use and easy for algae to use will be
grabbed by the algae.

 Finally, all tanks go through a period of instability in the beginning.  The
best thing you can do is keep the parameters _you_ control as stable as
possible... make changes slowly.  Remove algae manually as necessary, and be
patient!<g>

 >>  Subject: Problem with Amazon Sword <<

 Ted,

 It sounds like most of what you are doing is great.  But I suspect that your
tank is a little under-lit (it sounds like a deep tank as well as a 6 footer. 
Am I correct?

 Also, your CO2 is really on the low side.  I would up it to at least 15-20
mg/L.

 Finally, a little "low tech" trick that works well in a high tech tank as
well.  There is something about my water that makes it hard to grow
Echinodorus sp. even in a high tech tank. (I'm sure it's the water, because I
had no problem growing them even in low tech tanks in my old home)  What ever
they are missing, I am able to make up for by potting them in a clay pot with
potting soil and laterite or micronized iron on the bottom, covered with a
good layer of gravel to keep everything in.

 Grown this way, I have to keep replacing them because they outgrow my 70G
tank. The last one I removed was an E. martii with 40" leaves!  In a heavily
planted tank, it's quite easy to hide the pots behind something dense and
lower growing like a stand of Crypts or an Anubias barteri.

 Subject: Newsgroup: is this the consensus?

 Shaji,

 >> 1. go ahead with the creation of the newsgroup
 2. retain the mailing list <<

 Sounds good to me!

  E-mail from: Karen Randall, 14-May-1995