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Re: soft water plants



A while back, I mentioned that in the Baensch atlases,
carbonate hardness is mentioned as "hardness" and not
GH.  James suggested that it might be a translation
error.  Maybe not.  I was looking through the
Scheurmann book and it says that "The amount of
carbonate hardness is much more important for the
growth of plants than the amount of noncarbonate
hardness; therefore, only the degree of carbonate
hardness is given in the plant descriptions."  

The book also mentions that supplimental co2 should be
added so that plants that are capable of getting co2
from bicarbonates don't have to. But if you add co2,
why should ANY hardness (GH or KH) matter?  Do some
hard water plants still split bicarbonates in the
presence of extra co2? 

Tha would be the only reason I can think of for
listing KH.  Isn't using straight co2 an "easier nut
to crack" for plants?  It would seem that listing KH
would only be useful if no co2 were to be added.  

I understand that in hard waters in nature, most co2
is bound up in bicarbonates and that soft water plants
couldn't hack it there because they can't split
bicarbonates.  But you can keep softwater plants in
harder water if you add co2.  Hard water with lots of
free co2 is an artificial situation not found in
nature but can be done in the aquarium.  Why then, are
you not supposed to be able to keep hard water plants
in soft water if they will use the easier to use free
co2 preferentially?  Or do they?  ARGHHH!!!!     

I know this may be rambling but it's late and I've
been thinking about this and wanted to get it out.

Thanks, Cavan



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