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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #13



Re: Networking with other plant folk

Dave,

> I like this method of adding your city (country) location in you
> signature. It really helps people to know who's in their neighbo
> I think we should all start doing this. Hey George, what state a
> in anyway? I know you told me once, but I long since deleted tha

Since I can't figure out how to add it to my signature, I'll tell 
you all now that I live outside of Boston.
 
> You know there are a lot more people reading this mailing list t
> posting on it??? A lot of them seem to be shy about asking if th
> anybody in their neighbourhood with a few spare plants. Personal
> think sharing with your neighbours is the best way for people to
> up a selection of plants. It has taken me a long time to get my 
> and lately I've seen a lot more varieties but it has been slow. 
> lived close to George Bush, Karen Randall, Dave (gosh do I have 
> everybody here?)... all you guys, well I could have found a lot 
> plants earlier and gotten good advice, seen how you did it. Well
> it would have been just DUCKY!

Although your idea of Digest members working together is a great 
one, the first thing I would suggest is for everyone to join their 
local Aquarium Society.  This is the best way I know to meet other 
interested people.  

Here in the Boston area, we've gone one step further.  A couple of 
years ago, I put a notice in our local A.S. magazine saying that I 
would host a "planted tank workshop" at my home. You don't need to 
have fabulous tanks to get the ball rolling.  The first night we 
watched the Dupla video, and looked at each others favorite books 
as well as looking at the tanks.

The response was amazing! Now we hold workshops several times a 
year.  We all meet at someone's house and discuss their tanks, new 
methods people are using and to trade plants.  We also organize 
club sponsored plant purchases a couple of times a year so that 
people can split the shipping costs.  The next workshop we have 
planned to tear down my 75G tank and install cable heating. It's 
gotten to the point that there are often more plants in our 
monthly A.S. auction than fish!  Try it in your area! 

------------------------------

> Subject: Strange water values, hypothesis

Matt,

Many people don't realize that just as with fish, if the 
temperature in a tank is raised (within reason) the metabolism of 
the plants speeds up.  They can still grow well as long as they 
are well supplied with CO2 and other nutrients.  

If I were you, I'd set up a yeast reactor to help out in the short 
run until you can set up a more permanent CO2 system.  This will 
help more than just aeration, although in your case it sounds like 
that would be an improvement too!  

You will find that when the plants are properly supplied with CO2, 
they will not split carbonates in the water, and your KH will 
remain stable.  But you _may_ want to increase it in any case 
since it's a little on the low side.  It's easier to stabilize the 
CO2 supplementation with a little higher KH. (I prefer a range of 
3-5 KH)

I would _not_ decrease the lighting.  The plants need the light 
even more at the higher temperatures.  If you can't reduce the 
temperature in the tank, keep the lighting, and supplement CO2 and 
trace elements.

I suspect the high phosphate reading has another source.  Have you 
added any potted plants without removing the rockwool?  Any new 
water conditioners? pH adjustors? fertilizers? In my experience, 
when phosphate goes up in the absence of high nitrate readings, it 
is usually being added to the system inadvertently.

Karen