What @_Maq_ says, it is like sugar in coffee, if you don't stir it, it will take a lot longer to go into solution, but eventually it will.Hello, if i put dry ferts in my filterless tank, does the powder will dissolve and propagate in all the tank or it will stay in the same area
But in principle, yes, salts would dissolve and spread thanks to diffusion
Does this imply that plants don't need flow to access dry salts? Or is the rate of diffusion slower than plant intake? High flow generally receives a lot of praise, so I'm curious about how necessary it is.it will take a lot longer to go into solution, but eventually it will.
Flow isn't a deal breaker, but it certainly makes a difference. In my case I'm most interested in maintaining oxygen levels (in the filter), but flow will help redistribute CO2 and nutrients as well.Does this imply that plants don't need flow to access dry salts? ............. High flow generally receives a lot of praise, so I'm curious about how necessary it is.
Not so sure about that. For the sugar example for instance if you don't stir it will eventually dissolve but will remain at the bottom of the cup since it's denser. Same goes with the tank and dry ferts. If there isn't any water movement whatsoever then the dissolved salt will remain mostly at the same spot and because it is denser than the water it will stay at the bottom.Hi all,
What @_Maq_ says, it is like sugar in coffee, if you don't stir it, it will take a lot longer to go into solution, but eventually it will.
Once the "sugar" (fertiliser) is dissolved then it will spread through the tank, in the same way that all the coffe is sweet, you don't get bitter patches.
cheers Darrel
Plants, both submerged and terrestrial, take up solely dissolved nutrients.Does this imply that plants don't need flow to access dry salts?
Definitely theoretically true, but I think because we are dealing with very dilute solutions, that the differences in density will be minimal.If there isn't any water movement whatsoever then the dissolved salt will remain mostly at the same spot and because it is denser than the water it will stay at the bottom.
That one.In water column, water flow primarily helps to make so called diffusive boundary layer (DBL) thinner. DBL is the space surrounding all interfaces where mass flow is non-existent and solutes move solely thanks to diffusion. If it gets thinner thanks to rapid water flow, plants gain better/faster access to oxygen, carbon dioxide, and dissolved nutrients, and vice versa, while photosynthesizing, oxygen disperses more quickly from the leaves and the rate of photorespiration gets lower.