Date: Fri, 7 Mar 1997 13:49:49 -0800 From: John Walker <jorwa@syspac.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg841$foo@default> Subject: Re: Bacterial infection?
At 10:58 AM 3/7/97 -0800, you wrote:
>Hi John, you wrote:
>
>> ...there was a very thin, clear "film" covering the
>> surface of the water...I completly cleaned the
>> aquariums and flushed the pots but the surface scum kept
>> returning....
>
>Probably the bacteria were living in the pots as well as
>the water surface. Flushing wouldn't have eradicated them.
>So, when you set things up after cleaning the aquarium tanks the
>bacteria from the pots emerged to set up another colony
>on the water surface.
I tried the simple approach at first. Repotting was my last resort.
>What method did you use to clean the aquariums tanks?
I used an ammonia based glass cleaner
>> I next placed the pots into individual saucers
>> of water but again the scum returned.
>
>It is reasonable to try to isolate the pots from one another
>and from the aquarium tank. Unless you take special precautions,
>though, this still wouldn't prevent bacteria in the pots
>from re-establishing a colony in the tank.
>
>> Over the weekend I repotted all the plants ....
>
>Sounds like a much better idea, but it still might not
>get rid of all the bacteria.
>
>When you clean your tanks, use a good disinfectant. I like
>a strong chlorox solution, and vigorous scrubbing with a
>bristle brush. Do the same thing to any pot that once held
>a plant, and is about to receive a plant for repotting.
I'll try the bleach cleaning next.
>Repot in fresh potting media.
>Even after all this, there probably will be bacteria on the roots of
>the plants. If you keep conditions a bit drier for awhile,
>the bacteria may not be able to flourish and hopefully will die back
>to harmless levels.
>
>I'm not sure if there is an antibiotic that you an apply in solution
>to the plants, which will kill the bacteria but leave the plants
>alone.
If anyone is aware of some sort of anti bacterial that won't harm CP I would
be interested in finding out about it.
> Sounds very unnatural, though, since plants live with
>bacteria all the time.
I agree!
>It seems that some aspect of the growing conditions has made things
>ripe for bacteria growth.
I also agree with this assesment. I haven't made any real changes in
growing conditions though in over a year so I'm kind of at a loss as to what
is happening. It is over 80F outside now and the tank temp's are
approaching 90F during the day, but this was also the case in past years.
>Where are you getting your water from? Perhaps the source is
>a bit contaminated?
I use store bought gallon jugs of distilled water so I think this is pretty
unlikely.
>Regards,
>
>Perry Malouf
Thanks for the advice :)
John in Phoenix
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