Are Elodea-type plants better at buffering than java moss?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
knifegill

knifegill

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Sep 19, 2005
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Oscar Tummy
The only major difference between my 125 and my 55 is the variety of plants. The pH in my 125, I've just noticed that the pH is down around 6.6 in spite of the crushed coral in the filter box. The only plant species in there is java moss. But in the 55, the pH is holding 7.2 and is has elodea-type plants in it. So could it be the plants?
 
Hmm. I thought since it grew faster it would also do more CO2 reduction. I guess it's back to the coral bucket with a vengeance.
 
I hate to report this, since it is only empirical observation with no controls or anything, but I put a cutting of the elodea-type plant into the 125g and, aside from watching it triple in length over the week, the pH has risen to 6.8 up from 6.6. I'll update this thread occasionally if the trend continues.
 
It's still rising. The pH in my tank is now a balmy 6.9 and I have done nothing I don't normally do. The last water change was on Thursday (they are always on Thursday or Friday of a given week). I've neither added nor removed any decor, changed no food and lighting is identical. The only correlation for the rising pH is the growth of that one plant.


The plant already has branchings and roots. It looks REALLY happy.
 
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