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Originally Posted by aquabillpers
That's not a few, I agree, but as a percentage of all aquarium plants? Maybe 5% (to pick a number) can use bicarb directly AND thrive?
I think the consensus is that crypts in general, for example, cannot use bicarb. But I've also read postings from people who say that they have done this, so . . . ?
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But the trade off for Crypts: they has low CO2 demand since they grow slow.
But.....Crypt affinis does extremely well in hard water, so does C aponogetifolia among other hard water crypts.
So this is not really true either.
A plant such as Isoetes uses CO2 at night, some use C4 metabolism, some use direct bicarb use, some indirect.
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Yes, I see that, but if the carbon in the bicarb is not useable by the plants that one is trying to grow, of what use is it?
Maybe a better question is, "What plants cannot grow in a high pH/low CO2 environment, without special measures like very high levels of lighting and ferts?"
Bill
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It's of no use if the plant cannot use it, but most can/do.
Few people have tanks without a plant species that doesn't use bicarb....so you will see some plants thrive when the CO2 drops and some that are pretty sensitive.
If the CO2 issue gets worse, the algae will apear and bloom also.
Tonia does not appear to be one, L cuba does poorly without good CO2, picky plants in general.....tougher hardy plants, the so called true aquatic you find in most systems in nature and permently submersed over several years, these tend to be the ones that have adapted to the low CO2 levels by using bicarb.......
The less adapted aquatics, sometimes they are marginals, amphibous, creeping surface(so they still use the air CO2), some are often not even found near water in nature(some Ammannia etc) often will be the ones that don't have the bicarb use ability.
But the pH thing, it's mainly an issue of CO2, not the specific KH/pH.
Regards,
Tom Barr