Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #361

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #361
From: Edziu Iskra <edziu at gate_cybernex.net>
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 20:46:20 -0500 (EST)
In-Reply-To: <199612040839.DAA08416 at looney_actwin.com>

> From: "Matthew Paul Rhoten" <mrhoten at surly_org>
> Date: Tue, 3 Dec 1996 23:32:44 -0800
> Subject: Lilaeopsis observations, and a phosphate removal media question

[clip]
> as a tactic in the Great Fibrous Algae Wars. This tank has a Fluval
> canister filter, which has a yawningly empty center space, and it calls to
> me in the night saying "fill me with PhosGuard" and the like.

Pardon a stupid question from a newbie to the list and the hobby. . .  I
have a 55 gal that was formerly fish only.  I recently took up the plant
end of things.  This tank has a Fluval canister, but I am reluctant to
yank the carbon.  But with all the talk of trace elements, I'm thinking I
have to.  Doesn't water coloration become a problem when there's no carbon
filtration, and there's all that organic matter in the water?  (Then
again, I suppose LIVE organic plants won't color the water like rot would.
. .  Hmmm. . .)

Comments?


Also, on the pond-snail discussion:  I have found that snakeheads do
wonders for removing snails from a tank.  I once tried to keep two snails
in a 55 with a ten inch snakehead.  Even though the snails were
tough-shelled 1.5" armored bad boys, they fell to the snakehead (although
it did take him about three weeks of intermittent hammering to finally
break through the armor.  At first, the roughened shells looked like they 
were growing a fungus.)

The down side of a snakehead is that he will also clear your tank of algae
eaters and any other smaller fish.  That's why I never keep them (the
above-referenced tank did not belong to me.)

                                       --  Edziu

Follow-Up(s):

Re: Understanding CO2 fertilization

From: Edziu Iskra <edziu at gate_cybernex.net>