RE: Aquariums

Francois Mario Schmiedel (as673@freenet.carleton.ca)
Thu, 6 Apr 1995 09:42:33 -0400

I've been catching threads of discussions about different ways to grow CPs
placed in aquariums. Currently, my plants are in individual pots placed in
the tank, with water around the pots. I chose this method as it allows me
to use different growing media for the different types of plants and
facilitates repotting. But the standing water appears stagnant and has some
algae. Is it better for the plants to fill the tank with growing media,
skipping the pots, and planting them all in the mix? And if not, how often
should I be completely changing the standing water and/or cleaning out the
tank of algae? I'd appreciate any advice on tank growing from the group.
Sincerely,
Rebecca

Hi Rebecca,

Have you tried using snails and daphnia in your aquarium?
They would eat much of the algae and reduce the frequency of
changes that are done and they would probably turn much of
the algae into fertilizer. It would also be a good idea to
float some aquatic utricularia in the water, for some reason
this seems to keep the enviroment good for the daphnia. The
daphnia would also feed any other utrics in your tank, as most
of them send growth down below water level. (I am assuming
that you have a good amount of sunlight coming into your
aquarium.)

Hope this helps

Mario