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Old 20-04-2003, 06:11 AM
redled
 
Posts: n/a
Default How to tell if plants are "working"

Thanks for the input, all. I'm really not worried anymore. I've been closely
watching the plants since I planted them (4 days ago) and most have grown 1-2"
already.

In article , "Steve Galupe"
wrote:
I thought they only bubble because the water has been saturated with oxygen.
It kinda makes sense to me that it would only start bubbling in the
afternoon after a whole days work of photosynthesizing.
And again, plants in nature doesn't necessarily bubble to be healthy.
"Velvet" wrote in message
...
My plants bubbled, but anywhere between mid-day to lights-out. Once the
lights are out, they won't bubble. However, I'd point out that whilst my
plants are growing like mad (fert+co2+light) they bubble less than before.
More heavily planted tank now (due to excessive growth leading to many
cuttings) - so I suspect the co2 isn't keeping up with the plants. By the
same token though, I don't want the growth to be quite so quick, so am not
stepping up the co2/fert/light. I'm a newbie to plants (well, plants that
actually SURVIVE), so experimentation is the order of the day for me at

the
moment. Back to the topic, my plants were bubbling the day after

planting,
when it was more lightly planted (I'd say medium density) with good light
and good co2. Not much settling in required. Plants differ in the rates

of
bubble formation. Vallis is real easy, most of the others I don't see
bubble. The somethingorotherthatIforgotthenameof Marble Queen forms
bubbles on the underside of the flat leaves, but doesn't produce rising
streams like the vallis.

Bit loathe to step up the co2 and risk overdosing the fish ;-) Must get
those other test kits so I know what the co2's doing to my water params,
too, but the co2 method I'm using is a bit hit and miss anyway (floramat,
not DIY, not constant bubble).

Velvet

"redled" wrote in message
. ca...
Thanks for the input. I ran through the tests again this morning, at

about
the same time (ie: 24 hours later) and most of the tests are the same,

but
ammonia/ammonium is at 0ppm and nitrites are at 1ppm. So, I'm not too

worried
about that now. I think maybe they weren't that high last time I

tested,
but
with my kit once you get above 2ppm, it is quite a judgement call to

match
the
color of solution with the provided chart. Anyways, assuming my setup

is
good
enough for the plants to bubble at night, how long should it be until I
observe this?

In article ,
oSpam (LeighMo) wrote:
I planted it three nights ago,
with what I would call a moderate plant load.

If you only planted it three nights ago, the plants may not be

established and
growing well yet.

o ammonia/ammonium: 0.5ppm
o nitrite: 5.0ppm

Wow. I wouldn't expect four corys in a 55 gallon tank to produce that

kind of
nitrite spike. That is a dangerously high level.

Is it normal for the plants to have to establish themselves
first?

Yes. Especially if they are rooted plants, like swords and crypts.

Also, just in the last couple days, ammonia/ammonium has gone
from 1.0 to 0.5 ppm and nitrite up from 0 to 5.0 ppm. This is good

right?

Well, it sounds like your tank is cycling. However, it sounds awfully

rough on
the fish. Especially corys and a tetra fry, which aren't known as the

hardiest
of fish, at least when it comes to water quality.

Next time, I would consider either doing a "fishless cycle," or using

Chuck's
method for planted tanks:

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_newtank.htm



Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

__
"Insert witty comment here."
-John






__
"Insert witty comment here."
-John