Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #292

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #292
From: George Booth <booth at hpmtlgb1_lvld.hp.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 1995 09:01:34 -0600
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 06 Sep 1995 03:39:03 EDT." <199509060739.DAA07549 at looney_actwin.com>

> From: Thomas Price <tprice at u_washington.edu>
> 
> Would you recommend the following set-up?

We have had good luck with something as simple as this:

- -  water column
- -  plain gravel with laterite balls (Duplarit-K) at the base of plants
- -  ugf platform

Your scheme seems overly elaborate. I don't think the screen will keep
laterite from being pulled through the gravel by the powerheads.  The
egg crate (to prevent vacuuming the laterite up?) will probably cause
more problems than it solves (roots will get tangled in it and you will
have trouble planting things). 

> From: krandall at world_std.com (Karen A Randall)
> 
> Peat in the substrate _does_ do the same thing.  I have been
> experimenting with it in my Paludarium.  There is enough leaching from
> the substrate to color the water quite significantly ... Don't know
> how long the effect will last, but it's been in there 3 months now,
> with 50% water changes weekly, and it's still cookin'.

I'm amazed.  I would have thought peat would just lay there and
moulder.  Is this common with folks who have peat in the substrate?

George