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Re:iron and hair algae control by Anacharis

   Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn wrote, June 5:

>I have some chelated Iron powdery stuff that I've had for years.
>
>If I mix up a saturated solution of this stuff, roughly how many drops
>per gallon should I use ?
>
>I have a C. pontiderofolia that looks chloritic under gro lux
>lights (but not other lights), is this normal or is it
>indeed suffering from an Iron deficiancy?

The best, if not the only way to find out if your C. pontederifolia is
actually suffering from iron deficiency is to add the chelated iron and see
if the plant looks better and grows faster.  Any improvement in growth and
appearance that starts soon after the iron addition is very likely due to
the additional iron.  The bottle or can containing the powder should give
iron concentration, and from that it is possible to calculate the amount to
add.  You want about a 0.1 or 0.2 mg/liter concentration.  Concentration
should be  milligrams of iron per liter, not milligrams of the iron plus
chelate per liter.    You have to mix up a known concentration of the
chelate and then calculate how much you have to add to your aquarium to
achieve the desired concentration in the aquarium water.
>

>Date: Fri, 06 Jun 97 07:14:05 GMT
>From: sunfish at b022_aone.net.au
>Subject: Natural Algae Control
>
>I have observed that Filamentous Algae does not not grow on my Anachris
>Canadensis in my ponds.I have
>carried out experiments in wrapping strands of A.C around infested plants
>{Myro. sp,Echn. sp which were
>festooned by algae} and the algae will not attack it.
>A high planting of A.C in a particularly bad pond has shown a marked
>decline in algae growth.In order to
>eliminate the {natural} assumption that A.C is a great consumer of
>nutrients, I have mashed up A.C in a
>blender and dispersed the soup into a second pond. Initial results are
>promising {two weeks old}.
>
This sounds very interesting.  Are you sure that the species is canadensis?
The genus should be Elodea.  In order to show that the mashed up plants
are the cause of any decrease of filamentous algae, you must have another
pond to serve as a control.  Perhaps you should put in the control pond an
equal amount of mashed up aquatic plant of a species such as Myriophyllum
that does get covered with algae.

>Q. Is there a natural inhibitor in A.C which is released into the water column?

It is possible, but it needs to be clearly demonstrated.  Diana Walstad
reviewed the literature on allelopathy (production of inhibitory chemicals
) by aquatic plants in The Aquatic Gardener, Vol. 8, numbers 4, 5 and 6.

>Q. Are there other plants out there which deter algae {duckweed springs to
>mind though it does not appear
>     to inhibit algae growth}

Duckweed can inhibit just by shading when it covers the surface.  Again,
see the articles by Walstad for details.  Allelopathy has been clearly
demonstrated in a number of aquatic plant species.
>

Paul Krombholz                  Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS  39174, in
cool Jackson, Mississippi, where we had a cool May and are starting on a
cool June.