Quest

2003:
7/13/03
7/08/03
6/21/03
6/13/03
5/19/03
5/06/03
4/20/03
3/25/03
3/23/03
2/18/03
1/5/03

2002:
11/11/02
10/11/02
10/03/02
9/1/02
8/10/02
7/14/02
7/2/02
6/4/02
4/6/02
3/14/02

2001:
6/28/01
5/31/01
4/26/01
3/29/01

2000:
11/30/00
10/24/00
9/28/00
8/21/00
7/27/00
6/22/00
5/25/00
4/20/00
3/10/00
2/24/00

Q U E S T  Newsletter of the Madison Aquatic Gardeners Club, 3/23/03
From: John Glaeser 233-5182 NOTE: new e-mail address =

NEXT MEETING: THURSDAY EVENING, March 27, 03 6:30 – 9:00
Location: Russell Laboratories, 1630 Linden Drive, first floor, room 187.
If you arrive at our regular digs (Science House, 1645 Linden), you’ll see a sign directing you to Russell. It’s diagonally across the street.

A G E N D A
6:30 Doors open: Browse, chat, check library materials. Bring algae samples from home for identification and a jar of aquarium water if you want it tested.

7:10 Welcome guests and regulars. Brief announcements. Video presentation for the evening: Excerpts from last year’s AGA Conference in Houston.

8:00 Break with light snacks……no pizza this time.

8:15 Q&A. What’s happening with your aquariums these days? Special projects reports.

8:45 Skip across the street to the basement of Science House. Examine the 4 tank experiment we launched off of the 8TX aquarium plant project remnants.
9:00 – 9:15 Wrap up and leave Science House.

Bumped into John Fiske and Monica Adams in Sentry food store the other day. They’re moving to New Jersey next month. Monica is a newly minted PhD. Congratulations! Sterling accomplishment. Indeed! (sic).

I asked how their 55 gallon tank was doing. “Just wonderfully! No stopping the red Tiger Lotus and Ruben Sword growth. Clown Loaches have taken to hang together under the broadly arching lotus leaves as algae eater fish take “time out rests” on top of the leaves”. They are really getting a kick out of their peaceful kingdom. I ask them how they get such great plant success. “Jobes Sticks. We press them deep down around the roots every few weeks”. John and Monica say they’ll be missing Madison and would like to keep getting the club newsletter. With their enthusiasm and planted aquaria skills, I’ll predict some time in the coming year when they have friends over, “the tank” will be a big hit and someone will ask, “I wish we could create such a beautiful aquarium.” You can guess what happens next…..right?

Though John and Monica only came to a few meetings, they picked up a lot of information and we exchanged Q&A e-mails. They encountered challenges getting started and put together good information from several sources. And then, results! It’s always nice hearing success stories.

Whether folks visit our meetings a few times over a short period, now and then over a longer period, or show up almost every time, the main idea of the group is growth. This is a place where folks can learn from each other. With everyone having such busy lives, it’s not surprising a good number of beginners and motivated hobbyist alike, simply don’t have time to get to “yet another meeting”. However, our doors are open and we’re always happy sharing experiences with guests and hope they can come around again, when they can, if they wish.

Message to former members and occasional attendees: Keep in touch. Have technical questions or want aquarium water tested? Give me a call at 233-5182 or e-mail at   .

4 Tank Experiment Update: Refresh = At the January meeting we concluded our 3 month experiment with 8 aquariums having designed variables (A two level three factor experiment). Water hardness, light type, and substrate composition are our three factors. "Two level" refers to the two variations or states that each factor may adapt. This design is sometimes written as 2^3 or two raised to the third…Thanks Mark Adams, for codifying the experiment structure.

After three months, plants were in bad shape, with a good number having died. Limiting factors caused a sequence of algae proliferations, both cloudy water and filamentous types, resulting in our Tennellus and Ludwigia plants suffocating, to varying degrees. The four tanks displaying the least outrageous degradation, became candidates for an experiment in rehabilitation. The question: Let’s see if we can revive these plants. We have four tanks. Do we have four approaches?

Tom suggested floating duckweed to thwart the algae. With algae gone, macro plants will grow. Paul suggested dosing one tank with Miracle Gro plant food. He bet an ice cream cone that plants would bounce back and out-compete the algae. Since a third volunteering suggestion didn’t surface, Paul suggested leaving one alone. Don’t do anything with it. John had an idea for the last tank (Massive water change, add CO2, add a Duetto filter to create a water current, fertilize optimally with Kent iron/K & nitrate liquid, add Platy fish, do pruning and mechanical removal of initial evidence of algae and in general, coddle the venue with theoretically good procedures).

One cool white bulb and one wide spectrum GroLux type bulb lighted all four tanks.

Setting up 4TX: The four hard water tanks, contained the most viable plant materials. These plants were removed, pruned, cleaned and set aside as sets. In the process of removing 3/4 of the tank water, interior walls were cleaned and substrates superficially vacuumed. Tanks were topped up with tap water and plants reinstalled.

Tom, Paul and John took ownership of particular tanks, via flip of coin. Tom got T1 (second strongest collection). Paul received T2 (strongest group) plus T5 (least robust bunch). John was dealt T6 (second from last in strength).

T1 (Tom’s) and T6 (John’s) were fertilized with Kent nutrients, plus small amount of phosphate. T2 (Paul’s) got Miracle Gro, T5 (Paul’s), nothing. Paul established a duck weed assay using his two tanks. Equal numbers of Lemna were added to T2 and T5. He was curious how the two Lemna colonies would fare.

Initially, all tanks had slightly hazy water. I’m guessing it was a combination of algae, bacteria and suspended substrate particles.

Launching date: First week of February.

Critical checkpoint: Monday, February 17.

Tom’s T1: Water column was clear, with little sign of algae. Floating plants cut the light and foiled algae, as predicted. However, small amounts of Cyanobacteria on the gravel existed. Ludwigia and Tennellus plants were scrawny, certainly not showing signs of growth. They appeared thwarted because of light deprivation. Since there didn’t appear to be a huge algae threat, I removed the floating plants to give the higher plants light, hoping they’d get going. 3/20/03 I reintroduced floating plants because the Blue/Green algae had increased aggressively and the water was clouding up. Macro plants looked stunted and fuzzy algae was forming on the leaves.

Paul’s T2 with Miracle Grow didn’t waste time turning the water pea green…couldn’t see the plants! I took out a few to take a peek. Though smallish, they were in relatively good shape, to my mild surprise. Lemna looked strong.

Paul’s T5 (no added nutrients) had clear water. Macro plants were tiny, yet intact, with fresh looking growth tips, “ready to go” but for lack of nutrients. Lemna looked weak and failing.

John’s T6 Plants were strong. Ludwigia was fat, algae free and reaching to the water surface. Though fresh looking, Tennelus hadn’t grown much. Perhaps, due to relatively low light level? Water was clear and fish population, healthy.
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Tuesday (25) I’ll send out an extension of this newsletter. Mark and Linda are promising a report on Fe and Phosphate. In addition, look for a product review of AlgaeFix (it zaps algae and doesn’t harm macro plants and fish) and notes on raising Daphnia and culturing green water, frequently used to raise filter feeding critters.

Last call for newsletter contributions….a couple of paragraphs? Train leaves the station on Tuesday. See you Thursday. John