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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #960

Hello Kelly,

You'll never know, until you try it!

But I would NOT dry & cook the leaves. Particularly hot extracting might
destroy whatever the algicide is. I think that a blender/homogenizer
will be more gentle to it. Filter the "juice" through a paper filter (a
double coffee filter should be OK) and use that.

Then there is the question of concentration: At the surface of the leaf
it is high. BUT if you distribute the extract of several leaves over a
tank of any size -- the concentration of the active agent will be near
zero.

Solution -- do the experiment in a *very* small container, to have the
highest possible concentration of whatever it is that inhibits hair
algae. Once you prove that it works at that concentration, you can back
off.

Best,

George 


 
> I have a small outbreak of thread algae.  I've been studying each plant
> to see what plants were most affected by thread algae.  I've noticed
> that Barclaya Longifolia is almost completely absent of any noticeable
> growth of thread algae.  If you squint hard, you can see a few threads,
> but you have to look hard.  Old leaves, new leaves, it doesn't matter.
> I wonder what characteristic prevents this plant from being overtaken?
> Where some plants like Lugwigia repens are covered at the tops, Barclaya
> is clean as a whistle.  I had the idea of taking some leaves from
> Barclaya, drying and crushing them, then brewing them through a coffee
> machine and pouring the contents into a tank (sans fish of course) that
> was infected with thread algae, and observing the outcome.  What do you
> think?  If it works out, I could bottle this stuff as an "All-natural
> algae suppressant".
> 
> Here's a couple more observations:
> 1.  Thread algae definitely does not grow in the shade.  Only the tops
> of stem plants and plants with exposed leaves like Aponegetons and Java
> Fern are affected.  This makes me think that covering the tank and
> leaving the lights off for a while will help - although I can barely
> stand the thought of shrouding my babies in complete darkness for a
> while.
> 
> 2. Thread algae does not grow in areas of strong current.  I have a HOB
> UV unit that pours water out.  Thread algae does not grow in that
> current.  Nor does it grow in the area where the spraybar flows.
> Neither on the glass or on the gravel.  Makes me think that having a
> wave maker in a planted tank might be on some benefit - but I'm not
> going that route.  I'm going to bottle the Barclaya extract instead.
> :-)
> 
> Maybe this is one for The Krib!
> 
> Let's have some feedback on this one.