PLANT PRIMER DOCUMENT Submitted by Earle Hamilton Reposted with his permission ======================================== Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:02:13 -0400 (EDT) From: Earle Hamilton To: albert@athiel.com Subject: Plant Primer (fwd) Albert, what an honor to hear from you. I have no web page but it would be fine to include my email address. I have recieved several comments re the primer and have made just a few changes in this version I am sending to you. Keep the list posted re the new Dennerle book. Aren't you the one who translated TOA? --Earle Hamilton from northern Michigan where coral once grew ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 22 May 1997 20:21:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Earle Hamilton To: ehami@sunny.ncmc.cc.mi.us Subject: Plant Primer Many excellent references to growing plants are available. The purpose of this paper is to summarize a few fundamentals that work for me. It is good to understand LIVE. A plant is either growing or dying. We learn in basic science that plants give off oxygen and consume carbon dioxide. This process only occurs when plants grow. Growth involves storing startches and other stuff that makes a plant a plant. Aquatic plants need sufficient light, nutrients, proper water conditions (temperature, pH and water movement) and for rooted plants, proper substrate. A dying plant will rot and give off carbon dioxide and other byproducts of decay. Benefits of live plants include, but are not limited to: + Give off oxygen when growing + Consume fish wastes (nitrates, ammonia and carbon dioxide) + Provide hiding places for fish + Esthetically appealing + Can sell or trade surplus plants to subsidize hobby + Provide surface area for protozoan to anchor and provide bacteria control + Spawning medium (some species of fish require plants to breed). Growing plants consume fish wastes. But plants will not remove all wastes since the fish load in our tanks is much greater than what would be found in nature. So having plants will not eliminate the need for occasional water changes. If the aquarium is considereed a closed system then adding fish food will require an equivalent removal of material by pruning or removing extra plants. There are other reasons to make regular water changes. Plants produce their own set of chemicals to protect them from being eaten and to protect their space for growth. In 1995-6 there were excellent articles written in the Aquatic Gardener about this interesting phenomena called "allelopathy". Allelochemicals are almost impossible to measure toxins that keep other plants from doing well. Where water changes are infrequent, such as every six months or so, the tank will tend to a single species or two of plant. Allelotropes kill off less competitive species. The easiest way to control allelotropes is by water changes. If you want to see some amazing picture of planted aquariums, get "Nature Aquarium World" by Takashi Amano (t.f.h.). Amano lists specs on how each tank is maintained. Most of these extraordinary tanks get 1/3 to 1/2 water changed ever week! One of the recently published books on growing plants stated that regular water changes are necessary to replace minerals and nutrients taken up by the plants. The previous two reasons suggest water changes dilute toxins produced by fish and plants. No matter, what is important is to change water on a regular basis. In 1947 I was given my first aquarium. In those days air pumps were prohibitively expensive so I did without, as did nost aquarists of the day. But I had pretty good plants. We knew nothing of the nitrogen cycle and it was believed that very old water was best. Water was added to take care of evaporation and the lime buildup was heavy. After several years the tank required complete tear down and the mud in the gravel was excessive. In the ensuing years many changes have taken place, but some, such as air pumps, are not good for growing plants. Listed below are the main points or "success items" for low cost, low tech, low maintenance good looking plant tanks. As a bit of a disclaimer, I am quite aware there are many other approaches that work. The system descibed here is for a beginner who is not willing to spend a lot of money but would like good results with minimum effort. The advice given is in opposition with many authors who suggest undergravel filters are bad. My personal experience is from a base of using undergravel run by air stone, undergravel with power heads, exotic substrates with sponge filter (or with outside canister filter) and no filter at all with either exotic or gravel substrates. The methods described here are subject to audit by anybody who cares to come visit. I can show you tanks in a dozen locations that are all beautiful and all the ownder did was follow these basic guidelines. 1. Use undergravel filters. Do not use air to make the water flow. Use a power head and do not turn on the bubbler. Set the top of the power head about 6 inches above the gravel unless the tank is very deep. For deep tanks set the power head 6 inches below the surface. Keep surface agitation to a mionimum. This provides ample filtration without driving off the carbon dioxide. Outside filter are OK too but avoid too much surface turbulence. My personal preference for UG over outside filters is they are cleaned when doing water changes (see below) and they don't add to the clutter by hanging on the back of the tank. 2. Change 15% to 30% of the water every two weeks and use a gravel vacuum. Push the gravel vacuum all the way down to the filter plate unless the roots prevent this. There should be at least two inches of gravel over the filter plate. Now, the percentage of water changed will depend on many things. An absolute minimum is 15%. A more optimum would be 15% per week to reduce the chemical shock to the system. Plants and fish would both prefer more frequent changes. When doing a water change and vacuum, remove any dead leaves and tidy up the tank. Obviously, clean the glass with a scraper if needed. If you find algae becoming a problem, then increase the frequency and/or size of water changes. Some folks find a weekly schedule is easier to deal with. The critical thing is avoid doing a 50% change after 6 weeks and then a 15% change in two weeks etc. Develop a pattern and if things are going OK, don't change the system. 3. Use fluorescent light 1 1/2 to 2 watts per gallon for 10 to 12 hours per day. This assumes no natural light. Replace bulbs every six months IF you see a reduction in growth. When bulbs have a black area at the end they should be replaced. Use any of the bulbs reported to be good for growing plants and mix them if you want to get a different color tone. There is a strong body of evidence that says the spectrum is less important than the intensity so the use of expensive bulbs can be challenged. 4. Use a liquid fertilizer such as Tetra's Florapride. Substrate fertilizers are not necessary but if you want to experiment, try a second tank with substrate fertilizer and see if you notice a significant difference. Of course with substrate fertilizer you will not be able to use an undergravel filter. 5. Start with faster growing plants. Use enough to get a head start on algae. 6. Be aware it takes some time to see any real change in plants. It will take about 3 weeks to see improvement and it will take almost that long for plants to show distress. There are exceptions of course but this is mentioned so you will follow the water change schedule andnot wait for a problem to show. By the time you see a problem you will be playing catch up to make corrections. 7. Use Malaysian live bearing trumpet snails. They do not bother plants, are difficult for snail eating fish to eliminate and they do a good job of eating extra food. ALGAE. There is no way to avoid algae. There are many types of algae and each has its own special requirements. The subject is too extensive to get into here but as a point of common sense - - Algae Are Plants. They require the same basic stuff as the "good" plants. Therefore the plants we want are in competition with algae. For fewer algae problems, do regular water changes and have a few good algae eating fish. One of the best and availabe is the Ancictrus or bristle nose plecostomus (not reaolly a pleco but sometimes called such since they look similar). Avoid any other plecostomus. They can get to be up to 18" long and can be mean and lazy when they get larger. Mollies browse algae and Otocinclus are good. The best of all is the Siamese Algae Eater (SAE). Avoid Chinese algae eaters. Chinese algae eaters grow up to get large, lazy and mean. Juviniles are OK but I suggest you avoid them. Recent research suggests that algea can be completely controlled by proper fertilizers and light levels (lots of light, use CO2 injection and specially formulate trace element aquatic fertilizer). This research shows that by giving plants all they need for optimum growth they will compete with algae and lock up phosphorus. Algae are starved when they don't get enough phosphorus. But all that is beyond the scope of this primer. For a low tech approach, if you are getting algae, increase water changes. Assuming the tap water contains minimal phosphorus, regular water changes are the best low tech way to control algae. Some water conditioners contain phosphorus. Read the label. Charcoal will remove critical nutrients. Don't use it unless you are removing medication after succesful treatment. And by the way, some municipal systems add chemicals that are OK for us humans but can dramatically affect aquaria. You may want to check with your local water utility and find out how you can be alerted to these occasional variations in water chemistry. My experience is consistent with the Aquarium Atlas by Baensch when it comes to difficulty level in rearing plants. Stick with the level 1 (easy) plants until you have enough success to try more difficult varieties. Specific plants that work well for me with hard, alkaline water are listed below. They may also do well in soft acid water. After each plant I have copied the suggested environment range from the Baensch Aquarium Atlas. D=difficulty, KH=carbonate hardness, pH=pH, T=temp in degrees F. Vallisneria - either corkscrew or straight. Medium light requirement, Grows fast and looks good. D=1,KH=5-12, pH=6.5-7.5 (mine grow at pH 8.2), T=59-86F. Water sprite. Does either very well or dies out. If it will do well it can take over a tank and is truly a beautiful plant. I suspect allelotropes are involved. Several plant varieties do better with a critical mass and water sprite seems to be in this group. Cryps fall into this category (lots is good category). Water sprite seems to do well in a new tanks and since it grows so fact it is a highly recommended starter plant. D=1, KH=5-12, pH=6.5-7.2, T=75-82F. Rotalla Indica (actually rotalla rotundifolia (sp?)). Needs more light but grows rapidly and has a rust colored tint on new growth if given enough light and iron rich fertilizer. D=2, KH=2-15, pH=5.5-7.2, T=68-86F. Hgrophila Polysperma. Durable and needs medium light. Other excellent Hygrophila to try are H. Difformis (water wisteria - D=2) and if the tank is large enough, H. Corymbosa also known as Temple Plant or Giant Hygrophila. D=1, KH=3-15, pH=6-7.8, T=68-86F. Cryptocoryne. Most available varieties are hardy. Very slow growing but are worth trying. Need less light. Suggest adding after tank is established. D=1,2 KH=3-15, pH=6-7.8, T=72-82. Anubias Nana. Looks a little like a house plant (ivy). Very, very slow growing but as some say, almost impossible to kill. Very expensive due to slow growth. Get one after you have succeeded with cheaper plants. Can get by on very low light levels and has a tough leaf that most fish can't hurt. There are other anubias varieties available that are larger but share the slow growth and expensive attributes. D=2, KH=2-15, pH=6-7.5, T=64-82F. Amazon sword plants and most of the family Echinodorus. D=2, KH=5-15, pH=6.5-7.5, T=72-82. Aponogeton bulbs are sometimes available at modest cost packed dry with four bulbs for around three dollars. Bulbs grow from food stored in the tuber but that does not mean the plant is storing new food as it "grows". Try aponogeton bulbs after you have had success with other plants. Aponogeton need a resting or dormant period so read up on them before you try them. Or, considering how cheap they are, try them but be aware a rotting tuber can pollute a tank. When new leaves stop forming, remove the bulb and let it rest for two months at 60 degrees or discard. D=2, KH=2-12, pH=6.5-7.5, T=68-79F. Java Fern. Reported by most plant authors to do well but I have had minimal luck. Slow growing, low light, quite hardy and very pretty. Most fish that eat plants will not eat Jave Fern. D=1, KH=2-12, pH=5.5-7.0, T=68-82F. There are other specialty plants such as hornwort (ceratophyllum), and Java Moss that are good for protecting baby fish. While I am advising against adding more expensive plants at the start it is only because of economics. If you have the money, or better yet if you are being helped by an experienced fish/plant person, go ahead and add the anubias and other more exotic plants. Once you have had success at keeping plants, try some of the more exotic species. Avoid the potted plants sold in fish shops unless you know what you are buying. These may be house plants sold as aquatics. When in doubt, hold the plant where the leaves branch out of the base (the crown). If the leaves fall over and droop on you hand, it is aquatic. If not, it is probably a terrestrial plant. Some of the varieties mentioned above are actually bog plants that do well in a submersed stage (Echinodorus, Hygrophila, Anubias and Cryptocorynes). You will need much more knowledge than given in these few pages. That's what books are for. Read them. Know if the fish you are considering will attack plants. Know if they require salt. Read all you can. The advice given in these pages is an attempt to put down what I have NOT found emphasised enough in publications. As with any endeavor, knowledge will enhance the chance of success. Read all you can. After having success you can go down the high tech road a step at a time. Start with do it yourself carbon dioxide injection system by using a brew of yeast and sugar and run the gas into a bell jar made from the bottom half of a plastic 2 liter pop bottle. Upgrade lights with additional fluorescent or replace with metal halide or hough output fluorescent bulbs (HO or VHO but they take a special expensive balast). The ultimate is substrate heating and exotic substrate (such as laterite). Each of these high tech steps brings rewards and problems. Keep it fun and enjoy the world of aquatic plants.