just read a great plant article in tropical fish hobbyist mag. I would encorage reading it, if you have the mag. the author did a study on the nitorgenous waste use of plants in aquariums, lab setting, etc. EVEN used some saltwater grass. WOW. the persons findings were that many plants actualy prefer to use ammonia over the processed form nitrate. It also had several graphs showing how rapidly ammonia was utilized by the plants compared to nitrite or nitrate. and also stated that plants utilize ammonia more through leaf absorbtion, while the roots utilized nitrates more effectively. Although this study did not include any species of alge- like calerpa, I would assume that the preferences would be the same. SOOOO, as a hobbiest, that would mean to me:
if I were setting up an emergency quarentine tank, I could use calerpa alge to keep the ammonia in check- or at least help from building up high levels.
ammonia spikes due to overheating /disaters that we bring upon our tanks / dead critters behind the rock, could be made less toxic by the algae in your tank.
preferance to ammonia may also be why larger alges like the calerpa sp. work so well at our competing problem alge- they get rid of the fish waste before it becomes nitrates.
anyway, sorry for rambling.... and the bad spelling.... one of those insomniac nights!
Gene
if I were setting up an emergency quarentine tank, I could use calerpa alge to keep the ammonia in check- or at least help from building up high levels.
ammonia spikes due to overheating /disaters that we bring upon our tanks / dead critters behind the rock, could be made less toxic by the algae in your tank.
preferance to ammonia may also be why larger alges like the calerpa sp. work so well at our competing problem alge- they get rid of the fish waste before it becomes nitrates.
anyway, sorry for rambling.... and the bad spelling.... one of those insomniac nights!
Gene