[Jane of Upton]

Actually, since learning that Alex was growing glosso, I decided to try it, too, and have had great success. I got a small bit that was grown submerged at the BAS auction. I think the fact that it was NOT grown emersed was key - I'd tried glosso before that was emersed-grown, and failed at it very quickly during the transition to submergent growth. I've had it going since early November (about 3 months) in a Walstad-style 15 gal tank, and recently upgraded the lighting to a Coralife 65 w 24" with a 6700 K bulb, on for 11 hrs per day. It was very slow to get going, but since no one dug it up, and I got some TINY algae eating snails to keep it clean, its finally settled in. In the last 6 weeks, its started taking off (*relatively) - I've had to cut back runners that were scrambling up a piece of driftwood, and replant them to shape the lawn-in-progress. It is VERY small, and hugs the bottom (with the exception of climbing up the driftwood) VERY tightly. (I have GOT to get photo-capable!)

In fact, given the success, I recently obtained a large amount of glosso from one of our members here. I know he uses "high tech" methods, and that this glosso had overgrown itself. I was struck by how large each plantlet is! Literally, there is a difference of 2-3 TIMES the leaf size! Plus, his from the CO2-enriched, fertilized conditions is a brighter apple-green. My low-tech grown stuff is a darker green, about like a young oak leaf. The size difference was quite remarkable! I've planted this new glosso in my 30 gal tank, and hope it will settle in nicely.

Back to the topic, for me, "Low Tech" includes not only Walstad-style setups, but Quackenbush-style setups. In the Q-style, a plain granular baked clay (kitty litter that stays fairly granular in water, and has been tested for pH swings and turbidity when submerged) is supplemented with slow-release fertilizer (I use a type like Osmocote, but rated for even slower release). This layer, 1-1.5", is CAPPED with fine sand to keep the nutrients out of the water column. This part is crucial to prevent algae blooms. There is very little exchange between the water column and the substrate. For reasons that the articles I read went into in depth, the substrate can still bring oxygen in via the plant roots, and the high chealating/ionizing capacitance of the soil. I still run two tanks in this style, because I set them up before finding the El Natural forum here, which prompted me to read the Walstad book. The longest Quackenbush style tank I had running was 6 years. It got a mix of a single 15w NO flourescent, and relfected sunlight in a west-facing room. I believe its demise was when I removed a water sprite from next to a huge (soccer ball volume) amazon sword, and clay layer turned anoxic, furthered by the sword roots dying, and it eventually crashed. But, during those 6 years, I used to get enough plant growth to trade the LFS for lots of fish, fishfood and water conditioner. My hobby basically sustained itself once set up. Plus the LFS owner loved my plants! I regularly brought in java fern, water sprite, some saggitaria and java moss. He was dumbfounded when I told him it was a 10 gallon! I grew "easy" plants, but now realize I was just intimidated out of trying anything else. Plus, on a limited budget (in college) I didn't have the funds to "try" something unless I was pretty sure of success. Between prunings, one could barely see the fish. I had Rainbowfish that I had to give away because they got too big, and were raucous when spawning. I also had White Clouds, and some eggs survived (very few given the huge amount of spawning that happened) and I raised a second generation, too! My cories died of old age (nearly 6 yrs old) in that tank. My two current Q-style tanks are not as successful, but they're both under artificial light, and I realize I may have lucked out with the "perfect balance" on that first tank.

I probably run, on average, at least around 3 wpg (high for an el natural) of light on both the Walstad and Quackenbush tanks. I also combat algae with snails, freshwater shrimp, and floating plants which seem to have an inhibitory effect on many algaes. Plant growth IS slow, but I've been experimenting with other types of plants, with a good amount of success.

For me, Factors which keep me in Low-Tech land are

1) Cost. My hobby budget is pretty low right now, and the investment in CO2 equipment is prohibitive right now. I haven't ruled it out, but its not in my near future.

2) Time (in the tank). Right now, I only do tank maintenance infrequently. I occasionally trim plants, and do a water change, but I can be lazy and let it go for a very long time. I love to feed my fish and sit and watch, and the Walstad method "allows" me to feed liberally (within reason). I also don't test my water as often as I probably should, but I've learned to learn a lot by observation. Recently, I noticed some pinholes in my M. umbrosum (which grows like a weed). So, I did a trim, and a water change, and put some KCl (certain salt substitutes, needed to search to find them without anti-caking ingredients) into the water with the water change. The problem seems to have cleared up.

3) Time (away from the tank). Also, I know I can leave my aquariums on a moment's notice without having to worry that there will be a pH spike due to complications with CO2, or some other water chemistry crisis. My elderly father is needing more frequent visits, and I am self-employed, so this type of Aquarium keeping keeps with the schedule I've designed, in which I can go away for a week on fairly short notice. I don't have to enlist the help of anyone to make sure my tanks are OK (barring a heater malfunction). I've come home to find out that the power has been out, and when the light timers started up again, its caused all my tanks to switch to the "night shift", but effectively, no harm done. The fish are regularly well fed, and there are enough tiny critters in the tanks that the fish are fine without being fed for a week. When I've gone away for longer, my BF came in and dumped pre-measured feedings (in a stack of dixie cups) into the tanks, and all was well.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but I've chewed everyone's ear off enough today!
-Jane