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Radican Marble Queen
Subject: Radican Marble Queen
> >Are Radican's really difficult to keep? Should I maybe pot it i
> >soil mix so it has a more desirable substrate?
Paul wrote:
> Probably Karen Randall is going to say about the same thing and
> better, but it occurs to me that E. radicans grows well emersed
> also be grown well submersed.), and your plants were very likely
> emersed. The damage to your leaves may be the result of formerl
> leaves now being submersed. I wouldn't mess with the chemistry
> would wait to see how the new, underwater growth looks and how w
> newly formed leaves do. In the mean time give it plenty of light
Gee, now I don't have to.<g>
The only thing I'd add is that depending on your water conditions,
if you are using a straight gravel or gravel/laterite substrate,
it might not be rich enough for a big sword. (and I do mean big...
I have a friend who grows his Radicans Swords outdoors in his
pond. It grows ENORMOUS and actually winters over here in N.E.)
So although I agree with what Paul has said, it might be worth
potting the plant up with some soil to give it a nutritional
boost. Just be prepared... it _will_ want to grow out the top of
your tank!
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Subject: Copper
> I read several times in APD that copper is bad for the plants. D
> anybody know what are the symptoms of copper poisoning in plants
> 5 months ago I did some plumbing using copper pipes. I'm wonderi
> the slow down in growth for several species of my plants is due
> copper poisoning or others. Most affected is Alternanthera sp. I
> waste the initial water before hooking it up to my tank. I also
> problem with green spot algae and just a bit of red beard algae.
> copper did it, are the alga able to withstand copper poisoning?
> for any information.
As the resident expert on copper problems in the aquarium, I can
pretty much guarantee that if you have red algae growing in the
tank, copper is _not_ the problem. It is very copper sensitive.
As far as symptoms are concerned, from what I've seen in my tanks,
slow growth is never an issue... make it _no_ growth. The plants
start to "melt" almost immediately, and do not put on enough new
growth to come close to keeping up with what is lost. Ludwigia
rots at the point that it is inserted into the substrate, Vals
tend to rot from the top down. Java Moss just turns brown and
dies (I don't think that anything can "rot" Java Moss!<VBG>)
Once the levels in the water are reduced, Java Moss can again be
used in the tank since it is not dependent on the substrate. Even
with water levels dropped to almost undetectable, I have not had
any success putting Vals or Ludwigia back in these tanks. I think
that there is enough residual copper left in the substrate that
they can't handle it. Certainly Malaysian Snails die on contact
with my substrate:-(
Also, I have never seen this response in Alternantheras, which
I've grown with some success in brightly lit tanks. Are you sure
you have enough light for these very light hungry plants?
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Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Assoc.
Boston, MA