Re:Aponogeton of yesteryear & What is this stuff?

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re:Aponogeton of yesteryear & What is this stuff?
From: krombhol at felix_teclink.net (Paul Krombholz)
Date: Thu, 2 Jan 1997 23:57:26 -0500
>Subject: Aponogeton of yesteryear
>
>A long time ago, in the hoary past, that is in the late 60's and early
>70's, there was available in the fish stores in L.A., a viviparous
>Aponogeton.  It had long, narrow, dark green, leaves with undulate
>margins.  Instead of a flower, it produced a stout stem which would give
>rise to a bulblet just below the water's surface, and eventually produce
>an independent plant.  Sadly, I have not seen this worthy plant since
>about 1973. It was so prolific that I thought that I would never be out
>of it and, of course, I have since lost it.  I wonder if anybody knows
>what sp. this was, and if it is still out there somewhere that I haven't
>looked yet.  I'll appreciate any info. that can be provided.
>David Curtright, FFF


It is, indeed, Aponogeton undulatus, and I have some languishing in a
gallon jar on the window sill.  They are  dormant, now, but if you put the
jar in the dark for a couple of weeks, and then return it to light, they
come out of dormancy.  I can't remember where I got them, possibly from
Delaware Aquatics (Mike Trzonkowski---not sure of spelling).   They have
been in that jar on the windowsill for about 5 years, and they send up some
leaves during the summer and go dormant over the winter.  They have stayed
pretty much the same as they were when I planted them.  A gallon jar is too
small for any of them to get big enough to reproduce, but none of them have
died, either.

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>Subject: What is this stuff???
>
>Hi. I have a question and I hope that someone out there has an answer for
>me!!  Today, i purchased a product at Wal-Mart called "Schultz-Instant All
>Purpose Plant Food Plus Micronutrients".  The "guaranteed analysis" is as
>follows:
....................<deleted>........................
Since some of its nitrogen is ammonia, I would be extremely cautious using
it in a tank with fish that you value.  You should have an ammonia test
kit, and not add enough of the product to get the ammonia level higher than
about 1 ppm.  My ammonia test kit says that fish stress starts in the 2-3
PPM range.


Paul Krombholz                  Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS  39174
In warm, sunny Jackson, Mississippi, where we may break a high temperature
record tomorrow.