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Re: Tank Lifetimes



> Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 03:59:28 -0700 (MST)
> From: Michael D Nielsen <mnielsen at U_Arizona.EDU>
> Subject: Tank Lifetimes
[snip]
> Does anyone have any facts or good, multiple tank, multiple
setup, long
> term observations to share?  Also any speculation on whether
planted tanks
> also experience a similar "high point" in growth, color,
health of plants
> and then a slow decline.
Interesting. I've observed my 2 small tanks(1 year vs. 4
months) of the same setup: plain gravel, medium fishload, about
the same plants(mainly hornwort and hygrophila polysperma),
3w/g lighting, DIY CO2, fertilization(Kent + Crypto), etc. The
1-year tank does best when it comes to plants taking hold and
thriving. The 4-month tank is not even close for competition,
though, the vals are doing great with more space. I attribute
this to the mulm rotting in the substrate bottom. The mulm
contributes nutrients to plants, like in nature.

With adequate lighting, CO2, nutrients and trace elements, the
longer a tank has been up, the better the plants grow. Some
plants have dormant periods. A good example is aponogeton
cripus. If it uses up the nutrients in the tuber/bulb and it's
not taken care of for imitating the dormant period, it would
die off and never grow back.

Last but not least, a plant's leaf shape, size, color and
growth, within the proper environment, mainly depend on the
light, beside its inherent characteristics. For instance, the
hygro. poly. in the 1-year tank has greener foilage and some
reddish tips because of the close distance between it and the
light source and the light's intensity. The foilage is also
larger.

[snip]

Note: The post is just my 2 cents and experience. If you
disagree, it's fine with me. But I'd like to hear your
opinions/experiences that back up your disagreement.
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