RE: [AGA Member] Blue-green algae

["william ruyle" <inquartata@comcast.net>]

Wendy wrote
Interesting...do you mean oxygen deficiency to the roots?  I've read that
the plant delivers oxygen to the roots through its tissue.

Right you are, Wendy, but try an experiment using a stick (my wife is Thai
and we have all kinds of bamboo chopsticks) and poke a hole in the
substrate.
If you have gas bubbles that break the surface and smell like the open gates
of
hell, you have a compacted substrate with trapped gases. Plants if healthy,
release
small amounts of oxygen into the substrate at the roots, but if it is too
compacted and
the roots are decaying, respiration is compromised. I had nearly an
identical setup
to yours 4 years ago using sand given by a friend who drives the
sand-and-salt trucks
in Maine during winter. The sand was much too fine to allow adequate
circulation,
so what I had was a subterranean sewage gas generator:( I had a combination
of blue and
blue-green algae, not a lovely sight or fragrance. I ended up breaking the
tank down and
starting all over with coarser materials which did the trick. I hope Excel
works for you,
but I have my doubts if the substrate is compacted. There's only one way to
fix that.
Curious to know how you make your own peat extract and how large and
frequent the water
changes. "Cyanobacteria" would be another worthwhile search in the archives.

Regards,

Bill
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