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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #199 (all of it!)
Jon and Denise Haydt wrote:
> Karen Wrote:
> "...>
> > I didn't say phosguard wouldn't work... It will. But it's expensive,
> > particularly if used in the tank as opposed to pre-filtration......"
>
> I paid <$30 for a 4 litre bucket of Phosgaurd at 'That Fish Place' over 6
> months ago. I have not used 25% yet, so let's say $15/year. That's dirt
> cheap compared to the way money is thrown around on this list!
>
You got a good deal. My experience with Kent phosphate remover (which I
think is the same material as phosguard) was very much different. I put it
in a media bag in an over-the-back power filter and two things happened:
1) phosphate would drop substantially while the bag was new, then stop
dropping within a couple days. After the bag was removed per
manufacturer's recommendations the phosphate level would rebound, probably
because phosphates bound up in the tank were freed when the concentrations
dropped
2) the same media adsorbs several thing, including silica (which in my
tank is something like 20X more common than problem levels of phosphate)
and organics which became evident because the initially white media
turned brown. Capacity used to adsorb other things doesn't adsorb phosphate.
I was buying the Kent product at $18.00 for approximately a kilo of
product. I bought three containers at that size and price and never saw a
substantial change in my tank. Maybe I'm a slow learner. If nothing
else, the containers are good for storing little odds-and-ends.
I guess this is probably one of those things where your mileage will vary.
--------------------------------
Merrill Cohen wrote:
> Roger Miller wrote:
> "Nothing in the substrate" is a great way to start in this hobby, but you
> have to expect more experienced hobbyists to move on to more complicated
> arrangements when their experience suggests that it will improve their
> results.
>
> That is exactly what I proposed for discussion. So many people on APD are
> having such difficulties by starting out with so much "stuff" under the
> gravel -- giving themselves the problems that may cause aquatic life to be
> difficult to keep and aquariums winding up empty in the attic or stored in
> the basement. As Steve pointed out, make it fun! Make it interesting!
> Make it easy -- and interest more people into the hobby!
>
I think Steve also pointed out that this is an oft-repeated discussion. It
appears to me that it's one that maybe we don't repeat enough.
We hear from way too many beginners who misunderstand the discussion and
recommendations on this list and end up with complicated and sometimes
expensive failures. For a lot of those people, the difference between
their fish-only setup and initial success at growing plants is probably
nothing more than a good algae eater, an extra light bulb and some
patience.
Roger Miller
In Albuquerque, recovering from chocolate bunnies, an Easter egg hunt and
a big dinner with the family.