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Re: Problem Plant Tank

> From: John Lobingier <jlob at wpa_net>
>  
> >         The one amazon sword was presumably getting enough nutrients.
> > The bulk elements came from the fish food and the tablets, and the trace
> > elements came from the fish food.  The lighting was pretty weak, so one
> > plant cannot have used very much in the way of nutrients.  How often
> > did you regenerate/change the Chemi-Pure?  If it was active it would have
> > consumed both GH and micronutrients, if it was old and dead, it would
> > have caused no problems.
>  
> Hi Paul, Thank you for the help.  I would replace the Chemi-Pure on an 
> average of every 3 to 4 months.  The company claims it is good for 6 
> months.  There were times that I left it go for almost 6 months before I 
> replaced it.  

	I understand that this stuff is an ion exchange resin.  Its life
would depend heavily on how much calcium and magnesium was in the water,
and how much water you changed.  What I don't understand is why you had
it in there.  What was it there for?  I'm assuming that it was a
cation exchange resin.  Do you know if that is correct?

> Per advice from the list I am not using the Chemi-Pure at 
> all now.  This Chemi-Pure thing has me thinking.  I can't remeber it 
> consuming the GH is this tank when I used it in the past.  Maybe since I 
> have put more plants in my tank recently the plants consumed the GH?  Is 
> that possible?  I don't know.  I am trying to think of everything.  The 
> problems I am having with this tank are frustrating.    
>
	I don't think the plants could have used this much calcium and
magnesium!  Did you measure the GH in the past?  Were you even interested
in the Ca++ and Mg++ content of the water then, and why are you now? 
We are usually much more interested in the HCO3- concentration, for
buffering purposes.
>  
> >         How many water changes have you made, how large were they, and
> > what is the GH of the water you add?  Was the Chemi-Pure new when it went
> > in?
>  
> I have made three water changes since I stopped using the Chemi-Pure.  
> They were 50%, 50%, and 75% water changes.  The GH of the tap water I add 
> to the tank is 3 to 3.5dh.  Yes, the Chemi-Pure was new when I had it in. 
>
	If you did those changes with water with 3GH, the hardness
should now be somewhere around 2.8.  Kit measurements are not all that
accurate, and remember that there is a fair volume of old water in the
gravel.    
> 
> 
> >         Make sure these plants get enough K, N and trace elements, and they
> > should be all right.  Use the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Stimulant for the
> > trace elements (it has the major 6).  The Flora Pride can be used for
> > potassium (albeit _very_ expensively), but is pretty well useless for iron,
> > as it uses ferric sulphate if I remember correctly.  You have plenty
> > of nitrogen for now.
> 
> The Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Plant Stimulant is labeled for Pond use, but 
> the company told me it is also good to use for an indoor plant aquarium.  
> How true that is I do not know.  The directions say to use one teaspoon 
> full ( 5 ml ) of this product for each 100 gallons of water every 2 weeks.
> Now, because I have 120 watts of light and CO2 for this 55 gallon tank, 
> should I be adding this fertilizer more frequently?  Like everyday, or 
> every other day like the PMDD?  Should I be confident with the ingredients 
> that make up this Aquarium Pharmaceticals fertilizer, or is it missing 
> something?             

	In general, it is better to add things frequently, in small amounts.
If you know the analysis of this stuff, you can see how the recommended
dosing compares with the PMDD route.  I would add small amounts each day,
and keep track of the iron concentration.  Keep that low, but detectable.
It does have all 6 of the usual T.E.s, but I have no idea of the proportions.

>  
> 
> >         They are getting very little light in this tank!  Maybe the nutrient
> > supply in there is adequate for the poor light conditions.
>  
>  
> I agree this tank gets very little light, but I can't argue with the 
> results.  I have two swords in this tank that have lived under these 
> conditions for 5 years and they are beautiful.  I would like my 55 gallon 
> tank with all of this new (120 watts ) light and CO2 to be like this tank.
> It has been suggested to me that I add one drop of iodine per 12.5 gallons 
> of water to this tank everyday.  Is iodine safe for plants and fish? What 
> will iodine do for the plants?  I do not know what the liquid measurement 
> for one "drop" would be.  Thank you for your help.  
> 
>
>
	Why would you want to do that?  It would oxidise things, and
get reduced to iodide in the process, neither of which might do much
damage, but what is it _for_?  As an interesting sidelight, iodide
ions react with copper ions (Cu++) in solution, reducing them to
insoluble Cu2I2.  This might not be a problem at the very low
concentrations we use, and if the copper were chelated, but I 
would not count on it.

	I think that so far you have been short on trace elements and
perhaps potassium.  That could also get caught in an ion exchange resin.

I have said this before, but it bears repeating:  If you put unknown
things into your tank or filter, the effects are unpredictable!!!  :)


Paul Sears     Ottawa, Canada