Aluminum, Triton lamps and Living Water Vital

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Aluminum, Triton lamps and Living Water Vital
From: Craig Bingman <cbingman at netcom_com>
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1997 00:45:19 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <199702012039.PAA32553 at looney_actwin.com>

> From: Dirk 
> Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 10:24:43 -0600
> Subject: Aluminum
> 
> Does anyone know of any reason, for the sake of fish or plants, why
> aluminum should not be kept in contact with aquarium water?

There is no known positive role for aluminum in biology.  There are 
suspected negative roles.  Therefore, I see no reason to have it in 
contact with aquarium water.  I don't have problems with anodized 
aluminum reflectors, or other incendental contact.  I would not put a 
piece of bare aluminum in my aquarium, though.  There is no reason to do so.


> From: "Mark Shelton" <mark_shelton at pobox_tbe.com>
> Date: 1 Feb 1997 12:40:48 -0600
> Subject: Fluorescent Tubes Specs
 
>     I went down to the local fish shop with the intention of purchasing a 40
> watt Triton bulb. As is usual, the package was lacking any of the
> specifications we aquaria types need to compare bulbs. The package did however
> get my attention when I saw the price of $46 OUCH! 

That is way too much money for an aquarium lamp.  You will be better off 
with an industry standard triphosphor lamp.  I doubt that freshwater 
tanks need such a high color temperature light source.


> From: krombhol at felix_teclink.net (Paul Krombholz)
> Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 14:38:22 -0500
> Subject: Re: Living Water Vital
 
> Pat Bowerman wrote Jan 30:
> >"According to our laboratory, apart from the chelated calcium base, CV
> >also has calculated portions of brewer's yeast, dextrose, glucose,
> >acetate to insure the proper enzymes (already exist in nature or our
> >aquariums) to kick in. Although the CV is not a fertilizer, it feeds
> >microscopic organisms so that they become more active, especially in the
> >photosynthetic type of organisms."

> >Would it be too far fetched to infer that Living Water Vital might
> >contain many of these same ingredients? And if so, what are
> >"photosynthetic types of organisms" ? What would be the effects of
> >adding the above mixture (save the chelated calcium) to our planted
> >aquariums

> Ah! the smell of baloney is getting stronger.  

Maybe.

> The stuff has some sugar and
> some calcium!  The sugar will stimulate the growth of some bacteria, but,
> so what?  What good does it do to put sugar in your tank? 

It makes some carbon dioxide when bacteria use it.

> The only thing that will
> feed photosynthetic organisms is mineral nutrients.  Photosynthetic
> organisms are plants and algae.

That isn't true in marine systems, and I suspect that it isn't true in 
freshwater systems, either.  Most photosynthetic organisms are quite 
competent to pull glucose out of the water.  The question is whether or 
not that does a bit of good.  And whether or not the target organisms get 
it before the bacteria.

Gluconate is a potential iron chelant.  As is fructose, actually.  There 
is more to the product than just chelated calcium.  For all I know, it 
does have some positive effect on freshwater systems.  I have not done 
the experiments to prove otherwise.  However, I don't think that 
freshwater tanks are generally short of dissolved organic compounds, nor 
potential iron chelants, so I do have some reason to doubt its efficacy on 
that basis.  

Craig