_Maq_
Member
I'll happily discuss our findings/impressions with you - and anyone else - once there are any tangible results.
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MichaelJ
Member
Sure thing. I originally deployed my UV filters to quell some reoccurring bacteria blooms - that worked as far as I can tell. As far as algae goes it’s certainly most efficient against algae that spread through spores. I personally regard the UV filter as a measure that help guard against certain algae in the first place. To what extent I cannot say, but would like to learn more. In a stable well maintained tank it’s definitely in the nice-to-have category.
Cheers,
Michael
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_Maq_
Member
Based on discussion with @Hufsa , I've performed a small experiment charting the speed of diffusion.
First, I took 250 mg of KMnO4 - potassium permanganate.
Then I added silica sand - grain size 0.6-1.2 mm, carefully washed in acid, then in tap water and dried. In spite of that - as you'll see - permanganate managed to oxidize something, i.e. got reduced to MnO2:
Then I poured RODI water, very slowly and carefully. Still, the water flow made the permanganate ions move up more than I'd expected.
That was May 6th, 7:30 p.m. I anticipated that it would take many hours till the permanganate ions diffuse above the sand. There is some distortion because permanganate got reduced by something into MnO2 (brown colour), which is supposed to precipitate and thus does not diffuse. On the other hand, we should keep in mind that concentration gradient - the driving force of diffusion - was truly extreme: hundreds of milligrams of permanganate ions in some 0.1 liter.
Some twenty hours later:
And the next day:
Only today, after about 60 hours, the water became reddish:
... and still continues turning violet:
First, I took 250 mg of KMnO4 - potassium permanganate.
Then I added silica sand - grain size 0.6-1.2 mm, carefully washed in acid, then in tap water and dried. In spite of that - as you'll see - permanganate managed to oxidize something, i.e. got reduced to MnO2:
Then I poured RODI water, very slowly and carefully. Still, the water flow made the permanganate ions move up more than I'd expected.
That was May 6th, 7:30 p.m. I anticipated that it would take many hours till the permanganate ions diffuse above the sand. There is some distortion because permanganate got reduced by something into MnO2 (brown colour), which is supposed to precipitate and thus does not diffuse. On the other hand, we should keep in mind that concentration gradient - the driving force of diffusion - was truly extreme: hundreds of milligrams of permanganate ions in some 0.1 liter.
Some twenty hours later:
And the next day:
Only today, after about 60 hours, the water became reddish:
... and still continues turning violet:
_Maq_
Member
Take green dust algae, for example. When they appear, they do not spread from one spot to nearby places. The pattern of their proliferation suggests that 'spores' (or something similar, I'm not sure whether they are spores) are present in water column before they settle and grow on some surface.I have no algae and haven't had a sick fish for ages... did the UV filters help achieving that? Maybe
This and similar thoughts lead me to a belief that filtering water through UV-lamp does affect benthic microflora (bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae) to some degree.
MichaelJ
Member
For more information:
Pourbaix diagram - Wikipedia
I I think you're right. The question of course is to what degree and if it matters. Personally, I haven't experienced any adverse effects (except that I buy a new bulbs for each of my tanks every 6 months or so
). I always to try remember to say that I consider a UV filter a nice-to-have of debatable value. I am sort of confident the UV filter helps prevent algae from becoming a problem in the first place - too what extent is impossible to say... Also worth mentioning is that I originally deployed the UV filters to quell a bacterial bloom I was fighting at some point when using certain Gluconate (= bacteria food! ) based compounds.Cheers,
Michael
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I had an in-line UV but I am not convinced about the benefits continuous use of UV vs the 'cost' - lower flow rate, more plumbing=more leakage risk.
Whenever I scrape GDA off the glass using a scraper, I use an in-tank UV lamp for a few hours to zap the algae. It noticeably reduced the GDA growth rate on the glass.
Whenever I scrape GDA off the glass using a scraper, I use an in-tank UV lamp for a few hours to zap the algae. It noticeably reduced the GDA growth rate on the glass.
X3NiTH
Member
- Joined
- 13 Apr 2014
- Messages
- 1,647
If you use CO2 with a UV it can eat the plastic. My Aquamedic Helix developed pinholes while I was using it on a Marine tank after a few years of using it in CO2 laden freshwater, saw what looked like a cluster of glowing stars on the side of the unit which I brushed with my finger only to remove the salt plugging the holes, drip drip drip, opened the unit up and the plastic was turning into powdered carbon on the inside surface, the millimetres thick plastic where the pinholes were was eaten down to being as thin as a cigarette paper, dodged a bullet there!
_Maq_
Member
This sounds worrisome. I don't inject CO2, but still, there's no water without some CO2. I'm worried for the plastic case durability.
Is there any explanation for this phenomenon? Any sources?
Andy Pierce
Member
@_Maq_'s suspicion is well-justified.
I bought a pH meter and have been keeping a pretty vigorous timecourse in the Shrimphaus which runs with Cambridgeshire tapwater that is both hard (dGH 17.8) and alkaline (dKH 16.6) according to the water report. It takes a day or two for the CO2 to stabilise (decrease) after a water change to the environmentally equilibrated CO2 concentration of around 0.55 PPM. The CO2 varies between night and day by about 0.1 PPM overall, so ranging from 0.5 PPM (day) to 0.6 PPM (night). The levels don't appreciably increase during the 4 hour lighting break in the middle of the day; maybe they edge upwards ever so slightly but nothing that's going to launch off massive plant growth. I don't know what experiment Diana was running, but I do know now it doesn't have any meaningful relevance to the aquarium I am operating.
_Maq_
Member
Meet my Azul ... aka ... Encouragement for Low-Tech Paladins
Azul is one of my Portugals (second from left). Like the others, it's not meant for display, it's just a stock of various species I'm interested in, and on which I commit my violent experiments. pH is about 6.5, conductivity about 60 µS/cm, lean dosing.
The tank is dominated by Cyperus helferi. If you like some of Takashi Amano's "light" scapes, have no fear to try this plant in low-tech. It's a slow grower but its beauty is quite unique.
Lindernia rotundifolia Variegated is not considered demanding, yet in my opinion, it deserves attention.
Even more beautiful (in my eyes) is Lysimachia nummularia. In my lean conditions, it's a slow-grower, which I take for an advantage. I love it!
Cuphea anagalloidea is often considered difficult. I can't say why, it grows well in all my tanks. Have no fear and try it.
Rotala indica is a tougher nut to crack, at least for me. Tissue culture plantlets almost refuse to grow. Then I've got 'normal' plants and they fare better. Yet not without incidents. They seem to be extremely sensitive to re-planting, their injuries attract snails, fungi and algae, and lose many leaves. Only later, they begin growing, albeit slowly. To me, this proved a difficult species. But I love its unique appearance.
Alternanthera reineckii Red Ruby / Rosanervig / Variegata. A short, slow-growing variety of Alternanthera. Resisted bravely almost all my attempts to kill it.
Hygrophila lancea. Another species you don't have to fear to try. It grows rather slowly, that's the whole thing. Avoid shadow and algae.
Rotala wallichii? It has its demands, sure thing. Water must be clear, algae free, and nutrition must be well-balanced, otherwise it stunts. Yet definitely does not depend on CO2 injection.
Ammannia pedicellata Golden. Well, life's not perfect. No matter what I try, it stunts. I haven't found the clue, the trick which makes it grow well. Yet I don't think CO2 injection is required for this species.
But at least Ludwigia glandulosa on the right side is doing well. Robust and straight like a fir, never dropped a leaf. And its colour is... well, natural, I think. Still far from the water surface, anyway.
And there, in the very rear, can you see it? Ludwigia inclinata Pantanal seems to be fully content with low-tech conditions.
LOW-TECH AQUARISTS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Azul is one of my Portugals (second from left). Like the others, it's not meant for display, it's just a stock of various species I'm interested in, and on which I commit my violent experiments. pH is about 6.5, conductivity about 60 µS/cm, lean dosing.
The tank is dominated by Cyperus helferi. If you like some of Takashi Amano's "light" scapes, have no fear to try this plant in low-tech. It's a slow grower but its beauty is quite unique.
Lindernia rotundifolia Variegated is not considered demanding, yet in my opinion, it deserves attention.
Even more beautiful (in my eyes) is Lysimachia nummularia. In my lean conditions, it's a slow-grower, which I take for an advantage. I love it!
Cuphea anagalloidea is often considered difficult. I can't say why, it grows well in all my tanks. Have no fear and try it.
Rotala indica is a tougher nut to crack, at least for me. Tissue culture plantlets almost refuse to grow. Then I've got 'normal' plants and they fare better. Yet not without incidents. They seem to be extremely sensitive to re-planting, their injuries attract snails, fungi and algae, and lose many leaves. Only later, they begin growing, albeit slowly. To me, this proved a difficult species. But I love its unique appearance.
Alternanthera reineckii Red Ruby / Rosanervig / Variegata. A short, slow-growing variety of Alternanthera. Resisted bravely almost all my attempts to kill it.
Hygrophila lancea. Another species you don't have to fear to try. It grows rather slowly, that's the whole thing. Avoid shadow and algae.
Rotala wallichii? It has its demands, sure thing. Water must be clear, algae free, and nutrition must be well-balanced, otherwise it stunts. Yet definitely does not depend on CO2 injection.
Ammannia pedicellata Golden. Well, life's not perfect. No matter what I try, it stunts. I haven't found the clue, the trick which makes it grow well. Yet I don't think CO2 injection is required for this species.
But at least Ludwigia glandulosa on the right side is doing well. Robust and straight like a fir, never dropped a leaf. And its colour is... well, natural, I think. Still far from the water surface, anyway.
And there, in the very rear, can you see it? Ludwigia inclinata Pantanal seems to be fully content with low-tech conditions.
LOW-TECH AQUARISTS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!
Myrtle
Member
I'm having to completely rescape my little 30cmx20cm fry tank after a whole tub of shrimp food fell in it (all fry saved!) and you've given me the confidence to try some more "difficult" plants I'm already successfully growing Hygrophila lancea in one low tech shrimp tank. Trying to find plants that won't look like they're too big for a tiny tank leaves mostly moderate or difficult plants or ones that are too rampant! Maybe I can try a nano dutch-inspired tank now!
I'm already successfully growing Hygrophila lancea in one low tech shrimp tank. Trying to find plants that won't look like they're too big for a tiny tank leaves mostly moderate or difficult plants or ones that are too rampant! Maybe I can try a nano dutch-inspired tank now!
MichaelJ
Member
Very, very nice @_Maq_ 👍 It definitely reminds and encourage me to start getting rid of some of my easy plants in my very mature, slightly overgrown super soft acidic lean tank and plant some challenging stems!
My problem seems to be that I have a hard time selecting appropriate stem plants
... I am going to put a post up on my journal in the next day or two fleshing out my water parameters and fertilizer regime in this particular tank and perhaps you (and everyone else) can come up with some appropriate stem plant recommendations.Cheers,
Michael
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The Miniaturist
Member
That's nice to see @_Maq_!
I'm growing a few of the same plants low tech & I've also managed to kill some others you have succeeded with so I've a way to go yet!
I believe quite a number of the more difficult plants will grow without CO2 but, as you said, slowly.
More power to your low tech tanks! 👍🏻
I'm growing a few of the same plants low tech & I've also managed to kill some others you have succeeded with so I've a way to go yet!
I believe quite a number of the more difficult plants will grow without CO2 but, as you said, slowly.
More power to your low tech tanks! 👍🏻
_Maq_
Member
In fact, that was precisely my aim when I took my camera today morning and took the pics.
Recently I've encountered some threads here where people either discussed or adopted CO2 injection without discussion. At the same time, their projects seemed quite modest. I'd like to see people thinking twice before acquiring hi-tech gear. It surely has its pros and cons. Among the latter, people should be aware that CO2 makes everything faster and 'running on steroids', more demanding on money, time & effort. So, if you're not a devoted enthusiast, you'd better opt for a less ambitious path.
Now I've got a collection of pics which I can link each time when somebody says: "But I want to try some more demanding plants!" Additionally, it shows a tank without commercial substrate and filter.
That looks really nice, such beautiful rounded green leaves 😍
I must try to get my greedy paws on some of this species. This is not the golden version right? I think the green variety looks nicer, but it seems less common 🤔
MichaelJ
Member
I gather from the pictures that you don't keep any livestock in there. Correct?
Cheers,
Michael
plantnoobdude
Member
In the UK it is available at almost every garden centre! Try have a look
_Maq_
Member
I don't recall for sure but I rather believe I've purchased it as such, the golden version ("Aurea"). But it does not look like that. Anyway, I like the colour as it is.
