Hi,

While browsing the Tropica website, stumble on this page about removing plants from the aquarium (scroll down a bit) as may I quote it here :

"If plants are to be removed from the aquarium, cut the plants at the plant/root transition to avoid the plant substrate mixing with the water. Plant roots are left in the bottom layer. They are quickly broken down, so providing nutrition to other plants in the aquarium."

Interesting indeed. But IHMO, your aquarium conditions must be in the top conditions to do this, filter too. Any rotting parts, will produces ammonia first, broken down to nitrite than to nitrate. Enough ammonia, algae will be the one growing instead of your plants .

What do you guys think? And one more, I wish can get my hand on those Tropica substrate, ferts etc!!!.

Best Regards

I think that's their tactic to encourage more sales. Over here, we recycle, pull out plants to be used in another tank or give to frens or sell to LFS.

KG

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But if it is in the substrate, won't it be absorbed by the roots of other plants before the ammonia can get to the water column and cause problems?

Hi,

kimco, hahaha.. I never thought that way..one good point...

Yes, I agree with you, RuslanJamil. The only thing is as I said before the aquarium must be in top conditions, enough remaining plants to do that, IMHO. As removing plants, less uptake of ammonia (ammonium). As a matter of fact, aquatic plants remove ammonia from water quite quickly, within hours. They also prefer ammonia (ammonium) over nitrates and also prefer leaf uptake of ammonium as opposed to root uptake, actually. You may want to read more about this by reading the article Plants and Biological Filtration by Diana Walstad

Best Regards

If anyone is considering it, dosing ammonia/ammonium/urea is a bad idea!

Hi,

Hahaha…adding ammonia/urea definitely is a bad idea. I am only stating the obvious what other scientists, people like Diana Walstad have studied on aquatic plants nutrients uptake. Far from suggesting adding ammonia/urea just because aquatic plants prefer it.

It just to show that there is some truth about the plant roots which left in the bottom layer of the substrate are quickly broken down into ammonia (ammonium), so providing nutrition to other plants in the aquarium as what you said earlier and as claimed by Tropica.

Best Regards

I have her book and it is quite interesting since it is a different way of doing things from the relatively high tech approach of most other methods. I have yet to fully adopt her methods though (too impatient). These days her forum is in http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/ and is named 'El Natural'.

I was just worried that people reading this thread might make the conclusion that since ammonia/ammonium is a preferred form of N as far as aquatic plants are concerned, it would therefore be a better way to dose N than other forms such as NO3.

The reason this is not a good idea is that ammonia is highly toxic to fish and invertebrates. Even if there were no creatures, adding ammonia/ammonium will supposedly (I personally have never tried this) bring on an algae bloom.

But I guess if you put it in a capsule and stuff it deep in the substrate it might be OK...

Guys, have you thinking of ADA? I am not promoting their products or sowhatever. The 5 elements using with the power sand do help to break down the ammonia once the root is melt. And turning it into nitrient for other plants.

Normally we cut off the root of the plants n left the root inside the gravel. After a day or 2, we saw that part of gravel turning black. This is because of the root melting and causing the bacteria break down and dying.

But it is not happen anymore if you are using ADA. I know it is pricy a bit. But if you are having expensive fishes and plants inside there. It is worth to get.

helo taikor...tot u promoting labis sand ...now ADA ah.

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not promote ler. went thru all kind of experiments liao mah... but then found ADA is kind of easy and problem free products. If you guys still want to experiment, can try my method. but then...i will not responsible for any fish/plant died or algae problem.