Hallo,
i'm an aquarist from Italy and i have good experience with low and high-tech aquaria. I enjoy "Ecology of the planted aquaria" (italian version) and Ilove it. I think european and american aquaria are very different and I have some doubt. I would like very much to make some questions to Diana Walstad:
1) In Italy we don't have distinction between pot-soil and garden-soil, but we have "universal soil" - it contains: High % of peat(>50%) and organic matter and few clay (we have also special soil like cactus-soil, geranium-soil grass-soil...). Is it good for natural aquaria? I have good results with it.
2) Many fishes love and need fine sand, can organic soil became too anaerobic under it? under the sand is to use clay or/and black peat better?
3) In Europe there are many different kinds of lamps. I use succesfully full spectrum cool-white (osram/Philips 4000K de luxe). It,s less blue than "vita-lite"(6500k) but it includes all the colors of sunlight. What do you think abaut it?
4)Finally I think that hard-water and soft-water plants can live well together in hard water but with few bicarbonate,(without CO2 addition).
Thank you very much,I think I will have other questions.
P.S. I'm sorry for my english! |