Part 3
If you were wondering why you should not use any nitrogen tablets in the Biocenosis basket, it is because plants must get their nitrates into their cells against an electrical gradient. Plants, algae, and all photosynthesizing organisms use the N (NH3 and NH4+) of ammonium, not nitrates, to produce their proteins. Using nitrates is costly to the plant in terms of both electrons (e-) and energy. Because NH3 is a small molecule (NH3 ammonia enters plants even more easily than NH4+ ammonium) without an electrical charge, it freely diffuses back and forth across the cell membrane barrier.
If you were wondering why you should not use any nitrogen tablets in the Biocenosis basket, it is because plants must get their nitrates into their cells against an electrical gradient. Plants, algae, and all photosynthesizing organisms use the N (NH3 and NH4+) of ammonium, not nitrates, to produce their proteins. Using nitrates is costly to the plant in terms of both electrons (e-) and energy. Because NH3 is a small molecule (NH3 ammonia enters plants even more easily than NH4+ ammonium) without an electrical charge, it freely diffuses back and forth across the cell membrane barrier.
The energy required is so
substantial for the plant that nitrates are only taken up in the daylight
(during photosynthesis) whereas considerable ammonium uptake will continue in
the dark, all night long, long after photosynthesis has stopped. The fact is,
or pond plants do not begin the process of photosynthesis, until the sun begins
to rise. However, it is not unusual for plants to begin photosynthesis until as
late as 11:00a.m. only for this process to peak around 2:00p.m. in the
afternoon, then slowdown at sunset. After the process of photosynthesis can no
longer take place, the plants will begin to generate carbon dioxide instead of
oxygen. The plants do not have as much time to deal with excessive nitrates in
solution, as you would think.
The energy used represents
about one-fourth of the energy required for the plant to produce its carbohydrates.
Photosynthesis is reduced by one-third in the conversion of each nitrate to
ammonium, in a two–step process of nitrate reduction; the plant for increase
growth and flowering could use this energy. The fact is none of our aquatic
plants needs nitrates as a food source only ammonium, and there are only a few
exceptions to this rule, one is Eichornia Crassipes (Water Hyacinth), with 75
percent of its food source being nitrogen and 25 percent being ammonium.
Aquatic plants potted in compost, humus or topsoil endowed with organic matter
will certainly grow luxuriantly. However, excess nutrients that leak into
solution from such media will lead to the eutrophication or as it's called
hypertrophication of the garden/Koi pond. This state of affairs arises from an over
supply of plant nutrients in solution that favors the growth of algae at the expense
of vascular plants.
Laterite or clay (Kitty
litter) has a crystalline structure attracting cations (positive ions like k+,
Ca+++, Mg++, Al+++). If other growth factors are present in reasonable amounts,
(Note; this is called the Liebig Minimum Law) you will have good root growth. By good root growth,
we do not mean many roots. You can have hardy plants with big, thick masses of
roots in other systems. What we mean here is root hairs in proliferation
filling up a planted pot. The more proliferation of root hairs, the better the
plants uptake of cations (positive ion) and anions (negative ion) out of the
water body proper. The adsorption and absorption, or in equal equilibrium
between anions and cations is very important. If anions where taken into a
plant without cations in equivalence, any plant would suffer from a fatal pH
swing. Repeatedly it has been observed that the uptake of nitrates from pond
containing both ammonium and nitrates only starts after ammonium has been
exhausted or its concentrations greatly reduced.
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This is what I mean (the two
photos above) by good root growth and root hairs in proliferation filling up a
planted pot and this is only after a few months.
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Research has shown that even
the type of pots and baskets that are used play a very important part in this
filtration system. One of several experiment that were conducted, was to take
two different kinds of plant containers, one was a pot you may get at any
nursery center with holes only at the bottom of it; the other was the
open-cell- plant basket. The pots and baskets where planted up with Acorus
Calamus (Sweet Flag). Kitty litter and Laterite were both used as a substrate.
The pots and baskets were then submerged into
a pond with an oxygen content of no less than 8mg/l. There was to be a grow-out
period of four weeks for the plants to become established. After four weeks,
the pots and baskets were to be removed from the experimental pond for
examination, for their oxygen content, plant growth, root development, and
bacteria growth.
It was discovered that the
pots that only had the holes at the bottom of them already smelled like
hydrogen sulfide. Assimilatory Denitrification by sulfate reducing bacteria and
methanogenic bacteria were present, oxygen levels were between .5mg/l- 0mg/l
as tested. The open-cell baskets smelled sweet , meaning that there was still
oxygen but at low levels (between 1.8mg/l-.5mg/l). The plants in the open-cell
baskets were already showing good root growth. The plants in the pots that only
had holes at the bottom of them showed very little to no root growth at the
time.
(Part 4)
(Part 2)
(Part 1)
Expensive denitrifying media such as Bakki House Media has matured, it will have the same or similar facultative anaerobic bugs in it as in a biocenosis basket?
Anoxic Filtration System ®
Anoxic Filtration System ®
February 02-2005-2013
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