11.Practical Aquarium Setup and Maintenance
B. IS THE ‘BALANCED AQUARIUM’ DEAD?
C. CHARACTERISTICS OF A NATURAL, ‘LOW-TECH’ AQUARIUM
D. HOW PLANTS BENEFIT AQUARIUMS
E. PROMOTING PLANT GROWTH IN THE AQUARIUM
1.Metals in Our Water Supplies
2.Mechanisms of Heavy Metal Toxicity
5.Factors that Moderate Metal Toxicity
3.Ammonia Uptake by Aquatic Plants
D. USING AQUATIC PLANTS IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT
E. PLANTS AND TOXIC COMPOUNDS IN AQUARIUMS
A. ALLELOPATHY IN AQUATIC PLANTS
1.Phenolics as Allelochemicals in Aquatic Plants
2.Allelochemical Release from the Plant
3.The Subtle Nature of Aquatic Plant Allelopathy
5.Aquatic Plants versus Bacteria and Invertebrates
6.Chemical Warfare between Aquatic Plants
a.) Allelopathy in the Substrate
7.Defensive Chemicals Induced by Infection
C. ALLELOPATHY IN THE AQUARIUM
1.Decomposition by Heterotrophic Bacteria
a) Decomposition in the Sediment as a CO2 Source
b) Production of Humic Substances (HS)
c) Incomplete DAP and Incomplete Denitrification
5.Reduction of Iron and Manganese
7.Hydrogen Sulfide Destruction
8.Fermentation and Methanogenisis
C. BACTERIA PROCESSES IN THE AQUARIUM
A. REPRESENTATIVE AQUARIUM AND METHODOLOGY
1.Chemical Uniformity of Living Things
2.Fishfood as a Source of Nutrients
3.Nutrients Go from Fishfood to Plants
C. SOIL AS A SOURCE OF PLANT NUTRIENTS
D. WATER AS A SOURCE OF PLANT NUTRIENTS
1.Water Hardness and the ‘Hardwater Nutrients’
2.Water as a Source of Plant Nutrients
E. AVAILABILITY OF PLANT NUTRIENTS IN THE AQUARIUM
A. WATER ALKALINITY, PH, AND CO2
B. CARBON LIMITS THE GROWTH OF SUBMERGED PLANTS
C. CARBON’S SCARCITY IN NATURAL FRESHWATERS
D. PLANT STRATEGIES TO INCREASE CARBON UPTAKE
VII. PLANT NUTRITION AND ECOLOGY
B. COMPETITIVE UPTAKE OF NUTRIENTS
C. NUTRIENT ACCUMULATION AND THE CRITICAL CONCENTRATION
D. MODERATE WATER MOVEMENT IS BEST
E. SEDIMENT VERSUS WATER UPTAKE OF NUTRIENTS
2.Plants Prefer Root Uptake of Phosphorus
3.Plants Prefer Shoot Uptake of Potassium
4.Aquatic Plants Prefer Leaf Uptake of Ammonium
F. NITROGEN NUTRITION IN AQUATIC PLANTS
1.Aquatic Plants Prefer Ammonium over Nitrates
2.Nitrogen Source for Best Growth
3.Ecology and Nitrogen Source Preferences
4.Plants and Nitrifying Bacteria Compete
G. WATER HARDNESS AND PLANT ECOLOGY
1.Requirements of Hardwater Plants
2.Requirements of Softwater Plants
A. COMPONENTS OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
3.Precipitated Inorganic Matter
B. CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS AND SEDIMENTS
2.Anaerobic Nature of Substrates
3.Oxidized Microzone Keeps Nutrients and Toxins in Sediments
4.Stability of Sediments and Submerged Soils
C. CHAOS IN FRESHLY SUBMERGED TERRESTRIAL SOILS
D. TERRESTRIAL SOILS AND SEDIMENTS FOR GROWING AQUATIC PLANTS
E. PROBLEMS OF SEDIMENTS AND SUBMERGED SOILS
2.Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Toxicity
F. EFFECT OF AQUATIC PLANTS ON SUBSTRATES
5.Substrate Degradation over Time?
1.Aerial Growth Uses CO2 More Efficiently
2.Aerial Growth Uses Light More Efficiently
3.Emergent Plants Ferment Better
4.Aerial Growth Aerates the Root Area Better
a) Root Release of Oxygen by Aquatic Plants
b) Root O2 Release is More Efficient in Emergent Plants
c) How Emergent Plants Aerate the Root Area
d) How Oxygen Benefits Rooted Aquatic Plants
B. FLOATING PLANTS INCREASE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY
C. AERIAL GROWTH IN THE AQUARIUM
A. COMMON METHODS FOR CONTROLLING ALGAE
1.Algaecides, Chlorox, and Antibiotics
4.Algae-Eating Fish, Shrimp, and Snails
B. COMPETITION BETWEEN ALGAE AND PLANTS
1.Advantages Algae have over Plants
a) Better Adaptation to Low Light
b) Algal Adaptation to the Light Spectrum
c) Better Adaptation to High pH and Alkaline Water
d) More Efficient Uptake of Nutrients from the Water
e) Greater Species Distribution
2.Advantages Plants have over Algae
C. FACTORS IN CONTROLLING ALGAE
a) Iron as the Limiting Nutrient for Algae
D. INTENSIVE CARE FOR ALGAL TAKEOVERS
XI. PRACTICAL AQUARIUM SETUP AND MAINTENANCE
A. TYPICAL PATHWAYS FOR BEGINNING HOBBYISTS
B. SETTING UP A BASIC, ‘LOW-TECH’ AQUARIUM