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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #333
Questions about Plenum
Hello...
I've been lurking on this digest for a while and wanted to share an
idea that I'm about to try that relates to the discussion about the
plenum.
I had thought about making a "real" plenum in a plant tank but decided
that it would probably not work well, for most of the reasons in
discussion. Although I must say that I had not thought about the
sequestration of minerals,etc, etc. So then I thought
about the investment into heating cables. Heating cables are so
outrageously expensive that I was not keen on that idea. Also, a LFS
here in Houston (otherwise known as the bowels of Hell) had tried and
said that it was too hot here to get a good temperature gradient, so no
water movement could be acheived.
So my alternative idea is this: I have taken 1/2 inch PVC spaced about
1 1/2 inch apart, connected to a tube in the back of the tank which has
an upright lift tube. I drilled small holes along the sides of the PVC.
The lift tube (just a tube that goes up, not really a lift) is
connected to a very low flow rate powerhead. I layered my substrate,
which is only laterite mixed with small gravel, and then gravel alone,
on top of these PVC "fingers". I am hoping that I can get a low
circulation through the PVC up through the gravel, which maybe will
create a downdraft circulation between the "fingers".
What do you think of this?
Thanks in advance.
Virginia Snell
c_vsnell at ix_netcom.com