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Natural aquarium approach?
Hello, Like Michael mentioned in a reply to my previous thread ("Why won't my plants grow?"), it wouldn't be very wise of me to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment and chemicals to keep a few plants in a 20 gallon aquarium. Incidentally, a book came to me (a friend recommended it) that argues that natural aquarium is not only much cheaper and easier to maintain, but also is beneficial to both plants and fish (_Ecology of the Planted Aquarium_, Diana Walstad, 1999, Echinodorus Publishing). I only started reading the book yesterday, but so far the author has talked about how fish, bacteria, and fish food (through fish and bacteria) provide all nutrients needed by the plants. She also mentions numerous laboratory and practical experiments that support that. However, since I have practically no knowledge of biology, chemistry, botany, or even fish-keeping, I'd like to ask your opinion on the idea of natural aquarium (i.e. having an almost self-sufficient micro-biosystem without expensive equipment and chemicals) and what do you think of the aforementioned book and/or its author. I couldn't find much info on this approach on the net, hopefully that doesn't mean that nobody has tried it or is interested in it. Thanks in advance! Richard -- "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." -- Albert Einstein |
#2
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Natural aquarium approach?
http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/plant/lotech.html
Most of us prefer the un-natural aquarium, though. Running a natural aquarium can be a joy -- easy, low-cost, low-maintenance. But there are tradeoffs. The soils substrates are messy. The lack of mechanical filtration means you have to be careful about stocking levels. You can't choose the plants you want; rather, you plant a variety of plants, and let the ones that do well take over. It can take weeks or months for the tank to find its balance, and while it does, it can be rather unattractive. But if you have the discipline and patience for this method, go for it! Leigh http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/ You can substitute Flourite, about 4 inches or so, for the soil and add about 1/2 inch of peat to the bottom layer along with lots of mulm from a mature tank. This works better than soil after a year or so. It also only gets better as it ages and also is far less messy. Regards, Tom Barr |
#3
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Natural aquarium approach?
In article ,
Richard Krush wrote: Like Michael mentioned in a reply to my previous thread ("Why won't my plants grow?"), it wouldn't be very wise of me to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment and chemicals to keep a few plants in a 20 gallon aquarium. Incidentally, a book came to me (a friend recommended it) that argues that natural aquarium is not only much cheaper and easier to maintain, but also is beneficial to both plants and fish (_Ecology of the Planted Aquarium_, Diana Walstad, 1999, Echinodorus Publishing). I only started reading the book yesterday, but so far the author has talked about how fish, bacteria, and fish food (through fish and bacteria) provide all nutrients needed by the plants. She also mentions numerous laboratory and practical experiments that support that. However, since I have practically no knowledge of biology, chemistry, botany, or even fish-keeping, I'd like to ask your opinion on the idea of natural aquarium (i.e. having an almost self-sufficient micro-biosystem without expensive equipment and chemicals) and what do you think of the aforementioned book and/or its author. I couldn't find much info on this approach on the net, hopefully that doesn't mean that nobody has tried it or is interested in it. Yes, some of us have tried it: http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/plant/lotech.html Works for me! High-tech aquaria can look fabulous (been there, done that, although YMMV), but for a discussion of the disadvantages, see: http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net/plant/hitech.html Mike. -- Mike Edwardes Tropicals http://mike-edwardes.members.beeb.net |
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