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Re: hard water vs soft water for creeping plants
Steve Pushak wrote<<Does anybody know if Amano uses a special substrate to
grow the Glossostigma he uses? How long does it take to develop the lovely
Glossostigma carpets in the pictured tanks?>>
I know for a fact that Amano uses Aqua Soil Powder. This is a very fine
silty laterite, if I can go so far as to call it laterite. One thing to note
about this substrate is its tendency to lower the pH and hardness. The
hardness in my tanks with Aqua Soil the hardness is about 3 degrees DH.
Amano probably has this same degree of hardness in his tanks. Now Baench
Atlas does say that soft water is not ideal for growing aquatic plants, but
Amano does break the rules. Just look at his 8000k bulb and how it peaks at
around 540 nanometers range. It sure does make your plants look green. This
is not actually ideal for plants either, but it works for him. With the
lights hung about 18 inches from the substrate, and using about 4 watts per
gallon the Glossostigma will grow carpet like in over a month. And the
Glossostigma is not planted that dense to begin with. Amano does have a
knack for planted tank I must say.
Ryan