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Website with an easy to digest format of the concept: https://reverserespiration.com/ Reverse Respiration; The Quick-Guide Reverse Respiration is a new, aquatic plant cleaning method designed by multiple COOP forum members to remove pests and algae off of aquatic plants without inflicting any plant damage, and the only residue it leaves is water. In fact, Reverse Respiration paradoxically, appears to accelerate growth and plant health. There will be much more on this forthcoming in; “Reverse Respiration Growth Augmentation”. Concisely, how Reverse Respiration works is extremely simple: It places plants in a high pressure, pure-CO2 solution that asphyxiates the snails, worms, eggs, aerobic bacteria and insect larva but actually enriches the plants with an intense CO2 environment. This is done for 12 hours, in the dark. The plants are then placed in plain water (an O2 environment) for at least 30 minutes which suddenly changes the pressure which kills off any remaining eggs or anaerobic bacteria (if any). This last step also helps destroy any remaining algae. Since testing began on Reverse Respiration in January 2022, we have seen no surviving pests, most algae are killed and no plant damage has been observed and although it’s early, we’re now even seeing some growth acceleration. As Reverse Respiration is quite new, more field testing will naturally improve our data quality. We feel more field experience is needed but there’s ever mounting evidence from new users posts to suggest that Reverse Respiration is the least toxic yet most comprehensive plant disinfection technique available that does no damage to the plants and has no residue. Below are abbreviated instructions to perform Reverse Respiration. Please post your results on the main Reverse Respiration thread below as we are accruing data from all users to improve the quality of data of the entire experiment. If you wish to learn how and why Reverse Respiration works in great detail, you may read the results of the full, 6-month experiment and/or post your results on the thread here: Reverse Respiration Full Experiment Instructions for Performing Reverse Respiration What You’ll Need: Common Seltzer Water. Container with loose fitting lid. Dark area for 12 hours. You’ll need as much seltzer as is required to fully submerge the plants you are cleaning. It makes the plants quite buoyant such that you’ll need to weigh them down to keep them submerged. 1-Rinse the plants. Fully submerge the plants in freshly opened seltzer water. 2-Cover the top with a towel or other loose-fitting lid (should not be airtight) and place in the dark for 12 hours. 3-After 12 hours, remove the plants and soak in plain water, preferably aerated for 30 minutes or more. Usually, tank water is sufficiently oxygenated such that you may skip this step. 4-Rinse to remove remnants of pests or dead algae. 5-Place in the tank. You may also watch microscope videos of many of our tests via the links throughout the experiment and you may download all of the reference and citational materials we used in PDF form from a link at the end of the experiment. Please post your results and try to include pictures at the end of the full experiment thread as the more data we acquire, the more comprehensive Reverse Respiration can become. Note: We have recently observed that some sparkling waters may not have enough carbonation to perform Reverse Respiration. Please use only pure seltzer water or unflavored club soda as we have tested these extensively with to date, 100% success. Thank you for trying Reverse Respiration. * Introduction: A Forum Collaboration Sometime in early January 2022, we began an experiment to design and extensively test a new, chemical-free, aquatic plant cleaning method known as Reverse Respiration. We began with three unrelated technologies, two energy-based and one-gaseous-based as we were uncertain which, if any, would succeed or prove efficacious enough to be viable. As each of the nominated technologies was tested and analyzed, we eventually distilled the process down to the gaseous-based technology nominee, Reverse Respiration. We were greatly assisted throughout the experiment by many consultations with @OnlyGenusCaps and @Odd Duck such that it eventually became a collaborative effort involving four COOP forum members: @OnlyGenusCaps and @Odd Duck as consultants as well as @Guppysnail and myself operationally. @OnlyGenusCaps quite literally initiated the research. He encouraged and vigorously supported designing the experiment, literally from its embryonics. As we did not yet know which direction this might take, all three different technologies were fully developed and enjoyed a full, factorial experiment designed for each technique. These experiments for each were performed to verify the viability, or to reject a concept, and @OnlyGenusCaps was kind enough to review and advise on every one of them. Ultimately, two of the methods enjoyed partial success but suffered insufficient proofs and much of the performance was too mired in theory for us to assert claims with any degree of authority. However, for Reverse Respiration, we were able to fully develop proofs for each proposal and concept, all of which are available to anyone for download and review (see links at end). The initial concept was born in a discussion with @OnlyGenusCaps. He recognized the potential as I was unaware of the current plant cleaning methods and their limitations. @OnlyGenusCaps convinced me that the potential was great enough to warrant the research. As an expert in plant physiology, @OnlyGenusCaps has been an invaluable consultant throughout the testing. He analyzed our microscope images and videos and helped us identify and verify what we had recorded. His input, data and advice and continuous encouragement literally made this manifest. This experiment simply would not have been possible without his help. @Odd Duck, a veterinarian and authority in multiple related fields, reviewed and edited our documents and was a consultant for us as well. She graciously offered and examined our many microscope images and videos, and her observations led to redirecting our efforts to a pH theory that eventually led to proofs for the entirety of the process. Reverse Respiration might not have been fully understood without her help. She also was extremely kind to review and edit the entire lengthy document and made corrections and suggestions as well. It truly would have been a deeply inferior product without her expertise and input. Just one month into the experiment, it began to reveal its reach was beyond mere plant disinfection when an unusual post-cleaning growth acceleration was noted. And although the initial intent was only for plant disinfection, I was contacted by @Guppysnail as she was the first to observe that Reverse Respiration behaved as both an algaecide and potentially, a growth stimulant. I’m no expert in this area nor do I have enough experience with growing aquatic plants to speak with authority, so to that end, I found myself repeatedly consulting with this knowledgeable, veteran aquarist who would no doubt recognize and implement growing techniques that would escape my observation. @Guppysnail’s input became ever more invaluable and frequent, identifying growth patterns, their indications, species-specific conditions and behavior, as well as identifying pests. By then, the experiment expanded to 2 locations and 14 tanks such that we elected to make this experiment a collaboration. To that end, @Guppysnail and I partnered on this piece both operationally and as co-authors and her commentary is indicated throughout the article. Growth stimulation and observation, of course, take far more time for results than mere disinfection. As such, while @Guppysnail is a co-author of this article, you’ll see much more of her content in Part-2: Growth Augmentation in the coming months. Again, I truly do apologize for the length. I failed to find a direction forward that was more concise without neglecting proof of concept, and we didn’t want to present any concepts without a minimum of one proof; many have several proofs and even some precedents. At the end of the article, you may find all of the imagery, videos, university and laboratory studies in PDF form and the citations used during the entirety of the experiment. This content is free to download or redistribute and all the links are at the end of the article. I only hope the length does not dissuade anyone from reading it! But thank you once again for giving me a space to present results of my experiments and for allowing me to take so much of your time. What follows is the complete experiment: Reverse Respiration A Chemical-Free Technique for the Removal of Worms, Eggs, Diatoms and Algae from Aquatic Plants in Less than 24 Hours Without ANY Residue Reverse Respiration disinfects aquatic plants without chemicals or special equipment by simply alternating the CO2 levels in the water in cycles that favors plants but not pests. Plants require CO2 and O2 during their day and night cycles. Reverse Respiration works by denying oxygen to pests during the CO2 cycle of the plants. So, with the plants immersed in a pure CO2 solution, they respire normally but all of the pests are asphyxiated. Then the next cycle is oxygenated, denying CO2 to any anaerobes. In both cases, when the plants desire CO2, we exclude O2, and the aerobic pests perish. When the plants desire O2, we exclude CO2, and the anaerobe pests perish. Upon completion some 12 hours later, there are no pests, no eggs, no algae, and the only residue is water. The original experiment design had a time frame of two months. This included a month of promoting pest breeding in the infested plants under test. Additional time was required post-cleaning to observe for long term plant damage or growth, and to observe if any eggs remained fertile. To that end, the experiment was expanded to six months, fourteen tanks in two locations, in order to facilitate testing all of the nominated technologies. However, initial observations of post-disinfection growth stimulation first noted by @Guppysnail caused us to extend the process an additional six months and is presently ongoing. A followup article by @Guppysnail, “Part 2: Growth Augmentation,” will explore several technologies that one can easily apply to stimulate growth, improve survival rates, and accelerate ‘melt’ and regrowth. Categorically Speaking The method and time for expiration of all the snails and worms we saw were similar, but vastly different than the timing for algae and live eggs. To that end, we’ve grouped the parasites into two categories, based upon the time required for expiration: Dynamic Entities (snails, worms, all pests with motility) and Static Entities (non-motile, i.e., algae, diatoms, eggs). Dynamic Entities identified (there were innumerable unidentified!) in the tests: Ostracodes (crustaceans) Various Copepods (crustaceans) Rhabdocoela (flatworms) Various Nematodes (roundworms) Planaria (flatworms) Detritus worms Collembola, common name springtails (hexapods) Pond snails Bladder snails Ramshorn snails Multiple (black and clear) smaller snails Limpets (snails) Hydra (simple invertebrates) Aphids Insect larvae Static Entities included the plants used in the test: Cryptocoryne retrospiralis Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘Green’ Vallisneria Contortionist Anacharis (Egeria densa) Susswassertang Java Moss Hornwort Java Fern Marimo Ball Rotala rotundifolia Anubias Amazon Sword Hair BBA GSA Diatoms Snail Eggs Static Entities included algae and pest eggs under test Please note: Throughout this article, we’ll be taking some semantic license in categorizing for brevity and consistency. All plant cell content that is not chlorophyll-a will be referred to as non-chlorophyllic cell contents (all non-chlorophyllic enzymes, lipids, pigments and proteins, etc.). All references to gas spaces in plants, regardless of location, will be referred to as chymatous zones. Plant Damage The first casualty in plant cleaning is inevitably some plant damage and usually some mass loss. Comprehensive testing requires control batches (samples without changes imposed) that very closely mirror the batches under test. The “controls” are parameters where we have natural or original vs a sample under test. Alum Hydrogen Peroxide Vinegar Chlorine Bleach Reverse Respiration Untreated Our first control was a microscopic examination of the cells and content from an anacharis leaf treated with one of four popular aquatic plant cleaning methods: alum, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), vinegar, and chlorine bleach, as well as Reverse Respiration. Below we have specified timing and quantities for each procedure for a more linear comparison. Alum: 1 tablespoon per gallon, 2-day treatment. Relatively gentle, alum did minor damage to chloroplasts, but alum’s extreme acidity caused substantial dissolution of non-chlorophyllic enzymes and proteins (usually brown or yellow in color). Vascular activity continued, that and being multicellular are why the plant largely recovered from the damage. Anacharis Cleaned with Alum Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2): 1 part 3% H2O2 + 1 part water, 10-minute treatment. A mild antioxidant, H2O2 partially dissolved some non-chlorophyllic enzymes and proteins and partially oxidized (yellowing) the chloroplasts. Vascular activity continued, that and being multicellular are why the plant largely recovered from the damage. Anacharis Cleaned with Hydrogen Peroxide Vinegar: 1 part vinegar to 15 parts water, 5 minute treatment. Vinegar treatment resulted in minor non-chlorophyllic enzymes and proteins dissolution from extreme acidity but less damage to chloroplasts. Vascular activity continued, that and being multicellular are why the plant largely recovered from the damage. Anacharis Cleaned with Vinegar Chlorine Bleach: 1 part bleach to 19 parts water, 2 minute treatment (neutralized with dechlorinator). Virtually all non-chlorophyllic enzymes and proteins were removed and approximately half of the chloroplasts were killed, making this the most caustic of all treatments tested. Vascular activity continued, that and being multicellular are why the plant largely recovered from the damage. Anacharis Cleaned with Bleach Reverse Respiration: 12 hours in CO2 solution in the dark followed by 30 minutes plain, aerated water in the light. With Reverse Respiration, we experienced almost no enzyme loss. Chloroplasts were a brilliant green from the intense CO2 infusion and appeared nearly identical to the untreated plant. Non-chlorophyllic cell contents (usually brown to yellow in hue) were clearly visible and virtually unchanged from untreated plants. Vascular activity is dense and has rapid chloroplast activity, almost identical to an untreated plant. Anacharis Cleaned with Reverse Respiration and Anacharis Untreated There was little question that Reverse Respiration by far is the gentlest plant cleaning method we tested. Of all the techniques tested, within the limits of visual, microscopic analysis, it inflicted the least damage to the cell contents, proteins, enzymes and chloroplasts, and the only cleaning process that did not slow or reduce vascular activity. Tales from the CRYPTS by @Guppysnail Most aquatic plants are grown with their leaves ‘emerged’ in air vs submerged. This is much less expensive and enjoys a higher rate of success than when grown fully submerged. However, the leaves evolve differently in air, thicker and denser, as CO2 is much easier to access and more plentiful in air. When eventually submerged, they cannot perform metabolically and begin to rot…the infamous “crypt melt.” This is normal, and once the old growth rots and falls away, new growth will replace it over time. As they are thinner and have less mass than most plants, even water changes or other significant events can send a crypt or a val spiraling into a melt/regrowth cycle. The reuptake of the ‘melting’ plant’s rotted material as nutrients, known as remobilization, occurs, but this takes more energy and time than if the leaves are pruned. Pruning helps initiate the start of new growth, as there are no leaves for nutrients or respiration triggering new growth. The new leaves, of course, grow under water and are now adapted for an aquatic environment. They tend to be thinner and more exposed to the environment for improved access to nutrients and CO2 directly from the water but primarily due to the CO2 being not as plentiful under water. Reverse Respiration accelerates the melting cycle by chemically simulating the pruning process on dead and dying tissue. Once again, we are taking some semantic license, so I’ll be referring to this phenomenon as “pH Pruning”. pH Pruning is manifested as a form of accelerated dissolution of exposed, decaying (melting) cellular matter, accelerating the ‘melt,’ by exposure to the low pH of the CO2 solution. The CO2 solution dissolves the decaying matter at a much greater rate than normal decay. Reverse Respiration seems to accelerate both the decay of the dying organics and the replacement with new, healthy growth, although the latter may be due entirely to the former. There’s some suggestion that the dissolving of decaying material in concert with the intense CO2 charging of the chloroplasts may be a factor in the growth stimulation we initially observed (see “Val” images below). This would NOT occur if the tissue was healthy and intact, for there would be a multicellular and vascular buffer affording time before any form of dissolution occurs. The rapid dissolution of the decaying matter takes place because of the phenomena cited in the section on pH shifting (see “pH Shifting” below). What we found was a stark contrast between the way healthy plants reacted vs damaged ones. No healthy plants, leaves, stem or roots showed any discernable damage. Those that were previously ailing, however, melted or distinctly showed more damage over time once returned to the aquarium. Note these plants and plant parts were the ones that were already dying. Once leaves and stems are damaged or dying, they will not recover in any situation treated or not treated. Healthy growth is not affected, and new growth continues unaffected. Anacharis elodea densa In this picture the are several strands of Anacharis elodea densa. All were treated using Reverse Respiration. The leaves most heavily infested with BBA are the ones that were already dead. Most algae will take advantage of dying and dead leaves and the excess nutrients they release in the process of dying. Those not infested but unhealthy leaves are turning clear and will melt entirely. Left untreated those leaves would melt away on their own but over a longer period of time. Freshly planted Val leaves treated with Reverse Respiration are here beginning their classic’ melt’ cycle. New growth has already begun unusually early, well before the melt cycle is complete. Many of those unhealthy leaves still appeared healthy to the naked eye but were not. One common observation when purchasing aquatic plants grown emersed is that they appear greener and firmer than they would under water. This is because they are, but it is due to being grown in air (see above) and these will die off for new growth once submerged. Under a microscope we are able to see the vascular tissue of the plants in operation. The Xylem and Phloem of the vascular system carry nutrients and water to and from the roots and leaves. The vascular activity delaying cell saturation of the solution protects healthy plants during Reverse Respiration. · The visibly dead and dying have no chloroplast movement under a microscope. Untreated Melting Val · The ‘healthy to the naked eye but in the process of dying’ components show vastly reduced chloroplast movement or almost none at all under a microscope. Treated Melting Val · Healthy vascular activity is easily seen under the microscope in the undamaged leaves with chloroplast movement being rapid and dense. Untreated Val Many trials were done on healthy and unhealthy plants producing these same results. The dead, red BBA is eaten by aquarium inhabitants. Tanks that did not have inhabitants to eat it saw the killed BBA turn red, and eventually it turned white and disintegrated. Healthy Val Leaf Untreated Val Leaf beginning Melt Treated Healthy Val Leaf Treated Notice in the untreated, healthy leaf, the chloroplasts are widely distributed and easily discernable. In the untreated leaf with ‘melt’ beginning, you can see chaotic chloroplast distribution and clusters indicating low or no metabolic activity. The Reverse Respiration treated leaf looks nearly identical to the untreated, healthy leaf with highly discernable and plentiful chloroplast distribution, the only difference being an intense green from the saturation of the chloroplasts from the CO2 solution. To that end, our next control for this test was plant mass, that is: Does it lose any mass during the cleaning? We weighed the plants dry (when possible) to retain accuracy, or by using a fluid displacement method. Fluid displacement is more accurate than just weighing, since it ignores water weight on the plant; or you can weigh portions of the plant without cutting to determine if there was any measurable mass loss after cleaning. Unexpected Weight Gain With Reverse Respiration, we not only observed no plant damage, after treatment, we actually measured a GAIN in mass. What we found was the cleaned plant’s mass increased temporarily. This was not literal plant mass but actually the gas spaces within the plant, here, collectively referred to as the chymatous zones, filling with the CO2 solution. PEARLING (internal gasses escaping the chymatous zones) We found that an aquatic plant immersed in CO2 solution temporarily increases in mass, in concert with immediate “pearling.” This was further evidence of the chymatous zones filling with CO2 solution. Microscopic Image of Parenchyma The Chymatous Zones A variety of vacancies for gas exchange, respiration and buoyancy in plants are collectively known as the chymatous zones. Our intent was to demonstrate if these zones are indeed filling with our CO2 solution as an explanation for the mass gain. We needed to verify that the chymatous zones did indeed fill with the CO2 solution. Microscopic verification of this event was beyond our ken, so we elected to derive this mathematically. We used data from a now historic 1994 study done on chymatic pressure and area in leaves, done at the Department of Plant Biology, Louisiana State University. For this test specifically, we soaked a 671mG pothos leaf in CO2 solution for 12 hours. We calculated the chymatous zone area of this leaf sample and determined it could have enough vacancy to contain approximately 65uL of fluid if 100% of the internal gasses were displaced by water. In 12 hours, a CO2-soaked leaf gained about 67uG of mass, nearly equaling the weight of 65uL of water! The gas spaces were capable of containing 65uL of fluid which weighed 67uG. Yet within a 24-hour period, the plant had yielded back 98% of the weight gain, nearly returning to the original weight! This suggests liberal fluid passage into and exiting the plant, via the chymatous zones. Pressure Tactics Extensive testing of internal fluid and gas pressures in plants was performed at the Department of Plant Biology, Louisiana State University. In that 1994 study, they found that an aquatic plant’s internal CO2 pressure is about 3.5X greater than the CO2 pressure in the surrounding water. The CO2 solution, however, is much higher pressure than the normal atmospheric CO2 and that of the plant. The unopened container of the CO2 solution has some 17X more pressure than the natural atmospheric CO2 pressure but almost immediately stabilizes at about 3X the normal atmospheric CO2 pressure upon opening, where it remains on average for approximately 72 hours if undisturbed. Undisturbed CO2 solution retains enough CO2 to prevent any O2 saturation for approximately three days. Blue is plain, CO2 solution. The same test was made on Diet Pepsi (red) showing the additives in Pepsi inhibiting the rate at which it goes flat. A plant immersed in the CO2 solution begins to immediately fill the chymatous zones with roughly the same pressure CO2 as is throughout the solution, and within minutes, replaces all gasses from inside the plant with the CO2 solution. The CO2 solution is now both internal and external to the plant, effectively cancelling pressure impacting the plant. Pothos leaves deliberately hyper-stimulated with vibrational energy to simulate caustic conditions, performed in both plain water and in CO2 saturated water. The frontmost leaf was cleaned in plain water, and the leaf in the rear was cleaned in the CO2 solution. If the pressure is the same inside and outside of the plant, the plant experiences no pressure. We tested the pressure equalization theory by allowing the filling of the gas spaces in the leaves with the CO2 solution and then subjecting them to vibrational energy of normally fatal intensity. Notice the leaf cleaned in plain water (front) suffered significant damage, whereas the leaf cleaned in CO2 solution (rear) was nearly unscathed---further supporting the theory that having the same fluid inside and outside of the plant, the contiguity of masses---the energy is then the same throughout and around the plant, so relatively no energy impacts the plant. Snails, Worms, Algae and Diatoms Entities with more complexity than plants are less fortunate. Just 30 minutes in the CO2 solution eliminated 100% of the snails, worms and pests of all kinds, via asphyxiation. Worms of all types seem to expire almost immediately. Snails expired by minute 20. Unhatched eggs, algae and diatom expiration required 12 hours. Below: Images of parasites after being immersed in the CO2 solution for 30 minutes: Nematodes before CO2 soak After 30 minutes in a CO2 solution. Nematodes lost most of their mass and most of their elasticity. A Tough Egg to Crack Ostrich eggs Eggs proved to be another matter altogether. While the snails lost most of their color over a 30-minute treatment, (Snail Eggs-30 Minutes of Reverse Respiration) the embryos were still alive and in motion within the egg although their motion slowed considerably. Snail eggs after 30 minutes (left) and 12 hours (right) in CO2 water The snail egg on the left survived 30 minutes in CO2 solution but lost most of its coloration, and according to the study cited below, is likely sterile. (A study done in 2000 by the University of Miyazaki in Japan had demonstrated that nematode eggs subjected to 20% lower of oxygen levels than normal atmospheric levels for just 4 hours became unviable despite the still living embryo.) However, the snail egg on the right was identical but was killed by 12 hours of asphyxiation in CO2 water. Our intention was then to incubate the discolored eggs and watch for hatching. However, we found the 12-hour cycle of CO2 solution followed by just 30 minutes in aerated water (the “O2 cycle”) resulted in 100% expiration of all eggs and circumvented the need to do so. 12 hours of CO2 solution effected 100% egg elimination: Microscope images of treated snail eggs. Note the internal fluid exits the dissolving egg on the left, leaving visible ripple patterns as the fluid leaked over the slide. Similarly on the right, we saw the embryo begin to dissolve and leak well into the egg. Although algae were not a component in this test originally, when we observed Reverse Respiration’s tangential effects as an algaecide, we extended the tests to explore any parallelism amongst the egg and algae expiration, as they reacted quite similarly. Most forms of algae we care about are simple, single-celled organisms that respire similarly as most plants. Yet despite algae using CO2 for respiration, the CO2 solution killed all forms of algae we tested within hours: Black Beard, Green Spot, Green Dust, Staghorn, Hair and Diatoms. Green Spot Algae Hair Algae Green Dust Algae Black Beard Algae Staghorn Algae Originally, we suspected that the algae death observed was caused by a lack of respiration. That is, the CO2 solution denying a cycle for O2 respiration, followed by an “O2 solution” (aerated water) denying CO2 respiration, killing the algae. But algae death occurs far too quickly (<9 hours) for it to be respiratory… pH Shifting PH Shifting is a widely used process that uses pH extremes to extract the proteins and specific nutrients from plants and algae. Common sports drinks with algae proteins often use precipitated plant proteins made through this method. How Reverse Respiration kills algae and eggs is not unlike the same action that is commonly used to create high protein, algae-based nutrient drinks: pH Shifting. Normally the pH is raised greatly as chlorophylls, plant proteins and enzymes are more soluble in a higher pH. Once the plant proteins have dissolved into the solution, organic waste and other unwanted elements are filtered out. The pH is then quickly and drastically lowered to precipitate proteins and enzymes that are insoluble under acidic conditions (or pH is restored to neutral, and precipitates are removed electronically, known as ‘isoelectric precipitation’). This a generic explanation of pH Shifting as there are variations, but all operate in a similar fashion. Algae protein solubility per pH For our purposes, we employed a variation on this theme as precipitating the algae proteins is not for harvesting them but rather to act as an algaecide. Notice how the plant proteins begin to become insoluble as the pH falls, particularly so below a pH of 4.5. The CO2 solution’s low pH of 3 precipitates most of the proteins and enzymes in the algae cells, destroying (denaturing) them in the process. Most of the precipitated algae cell contents, however, dissolve in the CO2 solution's acidic conditions, forming extremely minute quantities of carbonate salts that simply rinse off. Plants have many proteins and enzymes, but chemically, all but one, chlorophyll-a, become unstable at a pH below 4. Although most plant enzymes are insoluble below a pH of about 4, chlorophyll-a remains viably active as low as pH 2! Chlorophyll-A Stability / pH Chlorophyll-A Light Absorbance Efficacy / pH BBA, GDA, GFA, GHA, GSA...R.I.P. by @Guppysnail While working on another project with plants soaking in the CO2 solution for an approximately a 12-hour period, something very unexpected was noted. It involved various plants covered in various algae. Green Hair algae (GHA), Green Fuzz algae (GFA), Green Spot algae (GSA), Black Beard algae (BBA), Staghorn algae, as well as some plants completely coated and suffocating from brown diatoms. At the end of the day, the unused plants were placed back in the aquarium. But WAIT...where are the plants covered in brown diatoms? There they were appearing completely diatom free and vibrant once again. A mystery is afoot! The other plants and algae were examined. The green fuzz/hair algae appeared lighter, some near white and opaque. Other algae appeared unaltered. · The plants were returned to the aquarium for the evening. · Almost every shrimp in the tank converged on all types of dead algae. · In the morning the brown diatom plants still had no trace of brown to the naked eye. · The green hair/fuzz was entirely white and opaque and had been mostly consumed by the shrimp or dissolved. · Plant leaves almost entirely covered with green spot algae were now partially cleaned of the GSA. · The real shock was the plant nearly covered in Black Beard algae (BBA) and staghorn. Every drop of the BBA and staghorn turned blazing red and was being consumed or dissolving. A second test of this resulted in the same alteration to the algae but was returned to a tank with no inhabitants that would consume the altered algae. Over the course of 72 hours, all types except GSA dissolved on their own. The GSA saw about half fall off. However, 100% of the GSA died and no more grew. In yet another example, here we have BBA treated with Reverse Respiration, but I had no animals in the tank that would consume it, so its action as an algaecide is on display: BBA Before and After Reverse Respiration Treatment Without any predators to consume the killed algae, the BBA turns white and slowly falls off. At this point the prior project was paused, and we investigated this avenue. We simply had to know why it kills all algae, but not plants. The best potential for explaining our observations proved to be with diatoms. Diatoms have a different ratio of content such that there’s more non-chlorophyllic (brown enzymatic) content than green chlorophyll as opposed to common algae, yet it contains both. This seemed ideal to test this theory as if it dissolved most of the brown content (non-chlorophyllic enzymes and proteins), but the green, chlorophyllic content remained, it strongly points towards pH shifting. We found that virtually all of the algae proteins and enzymes are removed by Reverse Respiration, leaving expired or hollowed algae cells or cells simply incapable of a metabolic process. Only chlorophyll-a remains, such that the algae and even diatoms still appear bright green or form green patches due to the intense CO2 saturation of the chlorophyll-a (see below). However, in our testing, 100% of the algae samples turned red or white and died, as they no longer had any metabolic activity. Diatoms after 12 hours in CO2 solution---all enzymes are gone, leaving hollow cell walls and chlorophyll-a (green) remnants. BBA before and after CO2 treatment Hair Algae before and after CO2 treatment Diatoms before and after CO2 treatment GSA before and after CO2 treatment In all instances, we found most of the cell’s content is largely gone (denatured), leaving large gaps in and between the cells: Healthy BBA - Denatured BBA Once again, the only enzymatic remnant we found was chlorophyll-a, hence the dark green (darker here as they are stained for the microscope) in all of the images. Chlorophyll-a remained because it is the only one stable in a pH of only 3, but chlorophyll-a alone is not enough for metabolic processes to continue, so the algae perish. Timing is Everything Our final tests were to verify theories as to why algae perish within hours, whereas live plants seem immune and may actually enjoy growth augmentation from Reverse Respiration. It’s all about time: Left: Normal chloroplast and vascular activity Right: 4 days Reverse Respiration no activity Most algae are open to water flows, immediately and directly accessing water-borne gasses and nutrients, with no vascular systems to delay the process. This and other factors result in algae metabolizing at 10X to 50X the rate of terrestrial plants. Plants have a vascular system, a pseudo-circulatory system that requires time to bring gas and nutrients into the plant and distribute them. So, although it may appear stagnant, algae grow and perform nearly all metabolic activity much faster than plants. Too Much of a Good Thing? “Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?”- As You Like It, circa 1600 While the vascular system (and being multicellular) protects plants from damage, we needed to determine if the CO2 solution ever damages the plants, for if not, it conflicts with our theories on why it kills algae so effectively. To that end we subjected the same anacharis plant to repeated (and unnecessary) treatments until we observed damage and found that the same action that kills algae will eventually kill live plants if the treatment is extended some 8X longer than the required treatment time. (It required a 12-hour treatment be extended to 96 hours to finally incur plant damage.) It is this inherent delay in the distribution of gasses and nutrients that allows the plants enough time to see the pests and algae expire, yet it avoids any damage to the plants as evidenced in these microscope images below of an anacharis plant being treated with Reverse Respiration (extended from 12 to 96 hours to test how long a vascular plant will tolerate this low pH): Day 1 - Normal Vascular Activity-Day 2 - Normal Vascular Activity Day 3 - Vascular Activity; some enzymatic dissolution-Day 4 - No Vascular activity It took approximately 4 days before we witnessed any irreversible plant damage. The pests and algae are eliminated within 12 hours, but live plants endure up to 96 hours without damage. The Difference is Night & Day Our initial intention for performing these treatments in the dark was that in darkness, the plants under treatment will not respire any O2, further depriving the pests of oxygen, therefore accelerating the expiration of the aerobic entities like pests and eggs. We did somewhat unexpectedly observe that the rate of expiration of the algae accelerated in darkness substantially as well. The algae expired at more than TWICE the rate when treated in the dark. In fact, some 12-hour expiratory events shortened to as little as 30 minutes simply from being performed in the dark. “Nothing and Something Create Each Other” (From Chapter Two, Tao te Ching, circa 500BC) Although it takes countless forms, mass, light, heat, x-rays, all are ultimately just energy. Be it a rock or a bolt of lightning, both are the same stuff, a form of energy. What a mass or a form of energy is defined as is relative and depends on the observer. It is the scale that creates the reality. If we were at the level of an atom inside of the rock, we’d see countless energetic particles moving near the speed of light. If we pull back, it’s just a motionless, dead rock. What makes it a mass is not inherent but rather where we observe it from. But in truth, liquid, solid or gas, light or electricity, it’s just the same stuff as the rest of the universe: energy. Or said in a more relativistic fashion, light (photons) is the same thing as electricity (electrons). It’s only “light” because we can see it. That is, we the observers, “create” light. An original handwritten letter from Albert Einstein with the E=mc2 equation sold for $1.2 million dollars at RR Auction in 2021 The most famous equation in history centers around this core principle. The Photoelectric Effect was first discovered by Albert Einstein in 1905. Einstein won a Nobel Prize in Physics for The Photoelectric Effect yet ironically enough, his most famous and important work, The General Theory of Relativity was passed over by the Nobel committee. However, The Photoelectric Effect is an integral component of Relativity. The Photoelectric Effect Before Relativity, Einstein proposed that all energy regardless of type is the same. To illustrate this, he correctly predicted that when light strikes a metal, that metal will release electricity because energy is interchangeable. Light (photons) can infuse metal atoms with more energy than they can contain, forcing them to release electricity (electrons). He called this The Photoelectric Effect. This phenomenon ultimately became the technology in digital cameras, solar cells and most likely, in the screen that you’re reading this on. When we first observed that Reverse Respiration killed algae more quickly in the dark, we finally understood how Reverse Respiration acts as an algicide. We used Einstein’s Photoelectric Effect to demonstrate how Reverse Respiration kills algae. Reverse Respiration kills algae by removing electrons from metals in the algae. As you'll see below, the metal most affected by Reverse Respiration is magnesium however, it also destroys the potassium and calcium amongst other metals inherent to common alga's chemistry. The “Lattice Energies” indicate the ability of each metal listed to enter into a chemical reaction. The greater this energy, the more likely a chemical reaction with that metal will occur. Of some metals commonly found in algae, magnesium followed by calcium are the most likely to form new compounds. This reaction can be catalyzed by a chemical reaction (such as the CO2 solution), electricity or light. When we first observed that algae perished more quickly in darkness, we realized that light (photons) was interfering with this algicidal reaction. The reason this occurs has nothing to do with photosynthesis, however. This reaction is about 10,000X stronger than photosynthesis. Light degrades its algicidal power due to The Photoelectric Effect. In essence, if photons (light) are present, the energy required (electrons) to effect a chemical reaction may not all be taken from the algae but rather, from the light itself, sparing the algae to some degree. If Reverse Respiration is performed in total darkness, the only energy available for this reaction must come from the algae, killing it. A well-known study done (see the chart below) on the reaction of chlorophyll in various, acidic conditions (as well as many other plants cellular contents-testing performance in stagnant waters and other potentially acidic environments) was performed in 1977 at the Department of Vegetable Crops, at the University of California in Davis. It became well known because perhaps not inadvertently, they made the one of the first Quantum Biology demonstrations ever, four years before it became a viable theory, although that was not their goal. What they found was most cell content that was denatured or in the process of being denatured, did so at 2X-4X the rate in darkness than in light. Chlorophyll Destruction by the Bisulfite-Oxygen System - PMC (nih.gov) As stated above, our original intent to keep the process in darkness was to prevent the plants from photosynthesizing and therefore creating oxygen when we're trying to asphyxiate the pests. This observation added a secondary import to performing Reverse Respiration in darkness: That Reverse Respiration kills algae up to 40% more quickly in the dark. The CO2 solution removes and converts the algae magnesium to a magnesium bicarbonate salt by stripping it from the algae and killing it. Eventually once dried, the newly formed magnesium bicarbonate is unstable, it loses any remaining H2O and CO2 content and ultimately manifests as a white powder residue in the evaporate, magnesium oxide - a common antacid. The first image above are the distillates, distilled water at a neutral pH of 7 and the same water used to dissolve the evaporate from a Reverse Respiration session. The insoluble solids are filtered out to compare the chemistry of the solutions. The brown coloration is the cell contents stripped from the algae (as well as general dirt that the effervescence ‘scrubs’ off of the plants), now dissolved in the water. The white powder, the magnesium carbonate precipitant (it becomes magnesium bicarbonate in water), dissolves in the fresh water, raising the pH and alkalinity. On the immediate above left the rise in nitrate, nitrite and cyanuric acid are indicative of the brown, decaying organic matter from the algae and is relatively little. But the (magnesium) carbonate content is now quite literally, off the chart, as predicted by The Photoelectric Effect. On the above right is a standard flame test of the precipitant solution with a white-colored flame indicating the element is largely magnesium. Quantum Biology For a deeper peer into the subatomic governing this amazing reaction the entire study cited above is available for download in the PDF section at the end. If you have less time, although the famous quantum theorist Schrödinger initiated the idea of Quantum Biology with his findings, that relatively new science (<40 years) was largely developed by the British physicist J. McFadden. He was kind enough to make popular videos explaining this phenomenon. They are low budget productions, but the content is priceless: Professor Johnjoe McFadden's "Does Biology Need Quantum Mechanics?" at Imperial College London's 2014 The Solution is the Solution Admittedly, the path to this solution was much more convoluted and complex than we had imagined, in part because our initial intention was solely to design a ‘chemical-free pesticide’ to clean aquatic plants. But observations soon resulted in expanding the testing and analysis to explore these parallel events, as it soon evolved into a multi-faceted, pesticide – algaecide – and growth stimulant. Cleaning Aquatic Plants with Reverse Respiration Providing scientific proofs involved months of testing, hundreds of references, several consultants (several COOP forum members!) and reviewing dozens of laboratory studies. Yet as convoluted as designing the procedure and providing proofs was, the resultant process was distilled down to an extremely simple solution, so long as one observes proper timing and lighting. We found a literal and figurative solution by immersing the plants in carbonated soda or seltzer water for 12 hours in the dark followed by 30 minutes in aerated water, in the light. Plain, unflavored seltzer has the correct pH, pCO2 (pressure), anoxic state, and timing of decay to effect everything cited above in our testing. Aerated water is sufficient to serve as the O2-only portion of the cycle. Reverse Respiration Instructions: 1. Immerse the plants entirely below the surface in freshly opened seltzer water. It should be an open lid container such that the pressure does not build. You may need to add a weight to keep the plants submerged as the effervescence and high pressure makes them highly buoyant. 2. Place in the dark. Stir gently to help solution penetrate difficult areas but do not disturb once placed in the dark. 3. Remove after 9 hours-12 hours. Rinse. 4. Place in fresh water and aerate for a minimum of 30 minutes in the light. Rinse. For all of the reasons cited above, in less than 24 hours, there will be no worms, no larva, no eggs, no snails, no algae, and all of the carbonation and excess oxygen will have dissipated, …the only residue being WATER. IN MEMORIAM: Live snail embryo before and after 12 hours of Reverse Respiration Hair Algae before and after 12 hours of Reverse Respiration BBA algae before and after 12 hours of Reverse Respiration GSA algae before and after 12-hours of Reverse Respiration Diatoms before CO2 Diatoms after CO2, saturated green Close-up--CO2 saturated Plant damage (anacharis) after repeated, redundant Reverse Respiration treatments to test plant stress over a number of days: Day 1 (healthy) Day 2 (healthy) Day 3 (minor damage) Day 4 (dead). In summary, after six months of testing and treating dozens of plants, in fourteen test tanks, at two facilities, we had zero pest survivors, zero surviving eggs, and…zero plants perished. In fact, the opposite occurred… G R O W H What we observed in the subsequent days was beyond paradoxical. Our intent was to quantify how much plant damage occurs and if it is reversible. What occurred truly surprised us and extended the experiment to an estimated six additional months longer than previously intended. The first obvious change in the plants upon immersion in seltzer is they become rigid and deeply green. Even crypts and vals stood straighter and more erect. The relatively sudden environment of pure CO2 saturates the chlorophyll in the plants, making them a deep, intense green within hours. In addition, the seltzer replacing the gases in the chymatous zones add mass and rigidity to the plants. But it did still more. We measured the mass of a hornwort sample in the control tank vs. the same after the first cleaning session. Just days after the cleanings, we noticed that the hornwort that was cleaned appeared brighter, greener and slightly larger. In the days to come, the hornwort subjected to treatment became much larger than the original control batch. Inside of a month, the cleaned hornwort was some 80% larger than the control (untreated) hornwort! External energetic stimulation of plant tissue to accelerate growth is in common use. While it’s not fully understood, applying external energy to plants, seeds, and roots seems to have a similar effect on plants as light energy. The growth stimulation in both cases was short lived though. It seems to accelerate for several weeks, producing longer, taller, and thinner plants initially, which eventually linearizes to normal growth and appearance. We noticed the growth of the control hornwort ‘caught up’ with the treated hornwort after an additional 4-5 weeks. And while many studies have been done, one famous study done at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2014 cited some theoretical possibilities. This study, which was done on the effects of externally applied energy to radishes, had shown accelerated growth up to a staggering 87%-150%! The study noted that auxins, plant hormones that regulate growth, saw their production greatly stimulated after the treatments. In fact, they grew so rapidly that they distorted the shape and size of the plant, albeit temporarily. In a matter of weeks, growth normalizes. While no further testing was performed by us, this observation served as an important indicator that Reverse Respiration, unlike all other plant disinfection methods, inflicts little to no plant damage. ******* ADDENDA In this section we intend to post new findings from ourselves, other users or any meaningful contributions to the experiment. Posts in this section may be unproven or theoretical and are noted as such if so. Addendum-1: SODA POPS A study performed at the University of Austin in 2018 was done on champagne to determine oscillation rates of the bubbles. Some have rightly raised the difficulty of cleaning plants that are deeply netted or suffer difficult to penetrate areas; that is, the formation of ‘micro pockets’ of trapped air or even water, shielding the pests we’re trying to eliminate. This of course is an issue with all forms of treatment in a liquid that is static. One of the interesting byproducts of using a carbonated liquid as the cleaning agent is that the liquid is dynamic or in continuous motion. While trapped, protected areas must exist to some extent, the following could suggest that the survival of ‘micro pocket shelters’ in carbonated water is far less likely than static cleaning solutions. The tests performed for the study above at the University of Austin in 2018 were done on champagne but we performed our own and found very similar results with seltzer water. Seltzer effervesces at an amazingly predictable rate. In fact, it bubbles at many rates but at two rates primarily. These rates don’t vary much over time, but they do lose intensity over time. These rates are known as oscillations as seen in the oscilloscope image below: Seltzer water has two dominant oscillations, one being infrasonic at about 1-3 times a second (1Hz-3Hz) and another much higher at about 7000 times per second (7kHz). The low frequency, infrasonic vibration of the first oscillation literally shakes the plant during the entirety of the bath. Simultaneously, the approximately 7000Hz oscillation behaves not unlike a pseudo ultrasonic cleaner as it forms immeasurable amounts of microscopic bubbles which pop, sending vibrational energy throughout the solution. Our hypothesis is that this energy is strong enough to penetrate microscopic nooks and crannies or to burst standing air or water and dislodge most anything from the plants' surface with surprising power, known as ‘cavitation.' This is known as cavitation and is how commercial ultrasonic cleaner’s work. Although we did not test this, we saw no pests or eggs survive even after 6 months. Of course, the degree of any additional deep cleaning and penetration this affords is speculation at this point. However, it could suggest that a combination of the very high pressure of seltzer with the mechanical cleaning action of the seltzer bubbles cavitating should at least improve the likelihood of micro pocket penetration. As an example of the incredible pressure, here the 300:1 pressure of seltzer water applied to algae cells forces the contents almost completely out of Marimo algae cells at around second 45 in the video: Marimo Algae Drained by CO2 Pressure Here is a sample of the recording of the oscillations in seltzer. A hydrophone was immersed in seltzer to measure the frequencies of the oscillatory energy. If you listen closely, you can hear the very high frequency ‘whistle’ of the fast, microscopic cavitation bubbles popping en masse along with the low rumble (and occasional large bubbles crashing into the microphone!) of the much larger, effervescence bubbles: Recording of Seltzer Oscillations This addendum is speculative and has not been tested beyond what is presented here. ******* The Cinema Below are links (Ctrl + Click) to microscope videos we shot during the test period (10X-2500X, 40x magnification unless otherwise noted). They show various entities in the tests and provide a live, microscopic look into the eggs, how they protected the snail embryos, and how they eventually expired. Seventy-two microscope videos were shot for these tests, all of which are available for your viewing or to download here: Aquatic Animals and Eggs used in Reverse Respiration Tests under Microscope Aquatic Plants used in Reverse Respiration Tests under Microscope References PDFs of the Studies Below - Download Link Urban Forest Research Center, National Institute of Forest Science, Seoul, Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1‑1‑1, Bunkyo‑ku, Tokyo Judit Dobránszki (2021) Application of naturally occurring mechanical forces in in-vitro plant tissue culture and biotechnology, Plant Signaling & Behavior, 16:6, 1902656, PQM-1 controls hypoxic survival via regulation of lipid metabolism Thomas Heimbucher, Julian Hog, Piyush Gupta & Coleen T. Murphy Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Banerjee N, Hallem EA (2020). The role of carbon dioxide in nematode behavior and physiology. Parasitology 147, 841–854. Aerenchyma formation in the rice stem and its promotion by H2O2 Bianka Steffens, Thomas Geske and Margret Sauter Physiologie und Entwicklungsbiologie der Pflanzen, Botanisches Institut, Universita¨t Kiel, Germany Photosynthetic Response to Elevated Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in the aerenchyma of Typha Latifolia L. Leaves. John Van horne Constable 1993 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Precision and Intelligence Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology,Nagatsuta-cho Batangas State University, College of Engineering, Architecture and Fine Arts, Pablo Borbon Main II, Alangilan, Batangas City, Philippines Batangas State University, College of Engineering, Architecture and Fine Arts, Pablo Borbon Main II, Alangilan, Batangas City, Philippines Emerson Process Management Beverage (Carbonated Drink) - De-aeration J. Aquat. Plant Manage. 45: 76-83 In-vitro Investigations on Ultrasonic Control of Water Chestnut MEI-YIN WU1 AND J. WU Corresponding author: Center for Earth and Environmental Science, State University of New York, College at Plattsburgh Department of Physics, University of Vermont Aerenchyma Carbon Dioxide Can Be Assimilated in Typha latifolia L. Leaves John V. H. Constable and David J. Longstreth Plant Physiology Volume 52, Issues 1–2, September 1995, Pages 93-106 Aquatic Botany CO2 and O2 transport in the aerenchyma of Cyperus papyrus L. Michael B.Jones Broad oxygen tolerance in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans W.A. Van Voorhies, S. Ward Author and article information J Exp Biol (2000) 203 (16): 2467–2478. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.203.16.2467-15 AUGUST 2000 On cryptobiosis and anoxibiosis: N. Dasgupta, A. M. Patel, B. A. Scott, C. M. Crowder, Hypoxic preconditioning requires the apoptosis protein CED-4 in C. elegans. Curr. Biol. 17, 1954-1959 (2007). [PubMed] Oxygen-Starved Worms JOHN F. FOLEY SCIENCE'S STKE • 27 Nov 2007 • Vol 2007, Issue 414 • p. tw432 • DOI: 10.1126/stke.4142007tw432 Van Voorhies WA, Ward S. Broad oxygen tolerance in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. J Exp Biol. 2000;203(Pt 16):2467–78. Epub 2000/07/21. Division of Parasitology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan The Aquatic Gardener 10 (1997): 126-131 Water Plants 101: Dave Huebert A. M. Humphrey, “Chlorophyll as a color and functional ingredient,” Journal of Food Science, vol. 69, no. 5, pp. 422–425, 2004. Chlorophyll Extraction from Microalgae: A Review on the Process Engineering Aspects Aris Hosikian, Su Lim, Ronald Halim, and Michael K. Danquah Bio Engineering Laboratory (BEL), Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Victoria (2010) “Fluorescence measurements of free Mg2” Elisabeth M Froschauer, Martin Kolisek, Frank Dieterich, Monika Schweigel, Rudolf J Schweyen, Max F Perutz Laboratories Department of Microbiology and Genetics University of Vienna Campus Vienna Biocenter, Dr Bohrgasse 9 A1030 Vienna Austria “Water content quantitatively affects metabolic rates over the course of plant ontogeny” State Key Laboratory of Grassland AgroEcosystem School of Life Sciences Lanzhou University Lanzhou 730000 China, College of Forestry Southwest Forestry University Bailongsi China, Department of Biological Sciences Missouri University of Science and Technology, School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Biology Section Cornell University “Determination of elements in algae by different atomic spectroscopic methods” (MG2++ and Carbonic Acid analysis) Attila József University Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry Szeged Hungary, Albert Szent Györgyi Medical University Department of Pharmacognosy Szeged Hungary, School of Pharmacy Portsmouth Polytechnic Portsmouth UK Studies on Sonication of Plants for Accelerated Growth: Sonication and ultrasound: Impact on plant growth and development Beneficial effects of ultrasound on plants—a review - ScienceDirect TOVATECH Tovatech - The Source for Ultrasonic Cleaners & Lab Equipment for More than 10 Years. Greenhouse Product News Effects of Blue Light on Plants Erik Runkle FEBRUARY 2017 Ultrasound has been investigated as a control for zoo[1] plankton in ballast water. Holm et al. (2008) tested ultrasound effects on a cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia), rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis, B. calyciflorus, and Philodina sp.), and brine shrimp (Artemia sp.). The Potential Use of Ultrasound to Control the Trematode Bolbophorus confusus by Eliminating the Ram's Horn Snail Planorbella trivolvis in Commercial Aquaculture Settings Bradley T. Goodwiller & James P. Chambers, Pages 485-488 Sep 2012 Ultrasound has been investigated as a method for zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) control. (Kowalewski et al. 1993, Donskoy and Ludiyanskiy 1995). Donskoy and Ludiyanskiy (1995) cite research in which ultrasound ranging from 20kHz to 380kHz was used to induce cavitation and mortality in veliger, juvenile, and adult zebra mussels. The Potential Use of Ultrasound to Control the Trematode Bolbophorus confusus by Eliminating the Ram's Horn Snail Planorbella trivolvis in Commercial Aquaculture Settings Bradley T. Goodwiller & James P. Chambers Pages 485-488 | Received 27 Jan 2012, Accepted 09 Apr 2012, Published online: 10 Sep 2012 Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Volume 13, Issue 5, July 2006, Pages 446-450 Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Ultrasonic frequency effects on the removal of Microcystis aeruginosa 2005.09.012 Effects of ultrasound irradiation on the growth of Japanese radish sprouts. Marie Tabaru[1], Ryusuke Fujino and Kentaro Nakamuray Electrical Stimulation and Effects on Plant Growth in Hydroponics Bonghwan Kim and Kyunghan Chun University of Daegu Solar-Powered Electroculture Technique For Backyard Farming Elenor M. Reyes, GlennJordan M. Achico Accelerated Plant Growth--https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/plant-growth-zmaz84mjzloeck/ Molecular strategies for improving waterlogging tolerance in plants E.S. Dennis, R. Dolferus, M. Ellis, M. Rahman, Y. Wu, F.U. Hoeren, A. Grover, K.P. Ismond, A.G. Good, W.J. Peacock Journal of Experimental Botany, Volume 51, Issue 342, January 2000, Pages 89–97 Determination of elements in algae by different atomic spectroscopic methods. Chlorophyll Destruction by the Bisulfite-Oxygen System' 1977-PEISER/YANG Department of Vegetable Crops, University of California, Davis, California Professor Johnjoe McFadden's Presentation "Does Biology Need Quantum Mechanics?" at Imperial College London's Festival of Science 2014

Hi all! A couple of fellow Nerms have been asking ' Since you keep on talking about your fish breeding why not do a journal?'. I have and this is it! I've called my journal @TheSwissAquarist Journal 2.0 because I'm super bad at doing journals, but this time I might as well give it a shot, but don't be surprised if journal number 3 turns up! The fish: I've bred a decent amount of fish (not for me to say!) and in the last year it has been my main fixation: keep 'em, breed 'em, and have fun! I've spawned angels, BN plecos, bettas, and currently working on some other stuff (I'm writing this off the top of my head 😜). For starters I'll just post a nice pic and update it 'à fur et à mesure' (French for as it goes on!). Need to find a good one... This is a pic of my Pseudomugil Luminatus. Fun fish to keep, and I'm very pleased with catching them like this! I fed them with some BBS, small water change and a day later they spawned! Pic from ≈ 4 months ago. I understand that some of my claims of breeding fish have been met with (understandable!) scepticism, and I shall try my best to find any pics of fry I have taken and keep this journal up dated with my current projects. Have a nice day!

Fishkeeping, a hobby I once enjoyed as a child and young adult that gave way to adulting, being a father and well...life. Now that my only child has grown, graduated university and started her adult life, I have found more time(AND MONEY) on my hands. Saving, of course, is always a thing for later in life, but what about my mad money?(Yes, I am lucky enough to have some in this crazy economical world we are living in believe it or not!) Well, during COVID I got into watching A LOT of YouTube to kill the time as I was at the end of my 23 year career as a chef in New Orleans, back home on the Gulf Coast of Alabama and doing nothing but walking beach line collecting driftwood(reselling). One of the channels I got into was Cory and Dean on Aquarium Co Op, amongst a couple other channels I adore like MD Fish Tanks & Dan's Fish. In watching these Youtubers I learned a lot with the interest of getting back into it once I had the time and money. Fast forward 3 years and a complete 180 in my career choices as I joined the United States Postal Service, needless to say I have worked and saved a ton. I decided besides a couple vacations I have wanted to take, I would begin fishkeeping again. My first tank purchase was a Lifegard 10g Rimless, of course my plan was to go planted and have a nice tank to enjoy. Here's the breakdown so far of what is in the tank... Substrate: Fluval Stratum(in 4 small media bags...regretting this as its hard AF to plant into...think they aren't the right bags) with top layer light aquarium sand and small pebble mix. Feature pieces: Dragon Stone and Lava Rock purchased raw, cleaned heavily before adding. Plants(so far...): Alternanthera Reineckii "Variegated", Bacopa caroliniana 'Yellow flame', Dwarf Chain Sword (Echinodorus tenellus), Valisnaria Spiralis Italian and Java Moss. (ON WAY to still be planted): Hornwart Coontail for the top of my tanks(for the holding tank(s) for fry) and Rotala Rotundifolia "Red" Hardy Aquarium Plant. Filter: Fluval Aquaclear 30 with Ammonia Reduction and Crushed Coral(some crushed coral in substrate) plus a sponge filter I am seeding for holding tank for pregnant ladies. Lighting: Fluval Aquasky with personalized settings based on my sleep schedule lol Livestock: (Currently)3x Albino Yellow King Cobra Guppies(2 females/1 male...both females pregnant currently est 7 days gestation), 10 fire red neocaridinas & 5 purple mystery snails. (On way) 3x Blue Dragon Guppies(2 females, 1 male...thinking I might get some cool hybrids from the two types until I separate them in a few weeks to their own tank), 10 more Blue Dream shrimp & 4x Gold Laser Corys(unsexed & very young...holding them for another tank later on). Results so far have been pH drop, thanks to advice in here I realized even though my tap water runs a pH of 7.4ish the Fluval Stratum substrate dropped pH to 6.6 range...added crushed coral and wonder shell to help with that, minerals needed for livestock. As so surprise since the tank is cycling, I have had daily spikes in ammonia but not much really at all in nitrites/nitrates. I have combatted this by doing daily water changes of 20% which keeps it minimal at best. Anyways, hope you all enjoy my progress. Will update as I go along! 🙂 P.S. Sorry for photo quality on guppies...they are nonstop little buggers lol. If you have any advice or suggestions, feel free to drop em! I am documenting this on video some as well to put on YouTube eventually, although I am nervous lol. Thanks!! Check this out to help me which my parameters, any help would be appreciated!>> Low pH in new planted tank

I've been posting my photo updates on the Facebook group, so I figured I would use the forum to do journaling. It will also be nice to have my photos centralized so I can look back on them. I currently have 5 tanks: #1 10g with ember tetras, guppies, cherry shrimp and ramshorn snails. -I recently moved over some of the colorful guppy fry from my brackish tank to act as dither fish for my shy ember tetras. -I'm working on growing out some of my ludwigia rubin cuttings for the background plants. I also sorta don't like how the melon sword doesn't go all the way to the top of the tank, so I am trying to grow some hygrophila behind it. I may just go back to suction cupping a floating plant back there. -I swapped the kedagang that was on the center rock with the black pearl that was on the right log so it is more symmetrical with the left log that also has kedagang. -I've been struggling to deal with planaria in this tank, that I think is preventing my shrimp for repopulating. I've tried expel-p a few times, and am currently finishing a dose of prazicleanse, which also doesn't seem to be doing the trick. Going to try "no planaria" next week. #2 16.9g + penn-plax trutle topper brackish paludarium with guppies, gold claw fiddler crabs, indonesian batik fiddler crabs, a red claw crab, nerite snails, amano shrimp and ghost shrimp. -These pictures are a bit dated because I didn't have a chance to take photos today. -Figuring out what plants will work in a brackish tank has been a process. Most of my anubias has rotted and died, and most of my crypts melted all the way back. Some of the crypt parva is hanging in there. Some of bolbitas fern seems to be doing well. Val, hornwort and maybe even my rubin sword and hygrophila are thriving. I'm going to try micro sword for the foreground, since it is supposedly one of the most brackish tolerant plants. "King" "Crabby" #3 29g with an angelfish, german blue rams, platies, honey gourami, ottos, kuhli loaches. -This tank is my closest to being "complete." My water sprite died off when I raised my temperature in preparation for my blue rams, so I have been working on replacing them. Currently trying a green rotala on the left and hygrophila pinnatifida on the right. Other than that, I am happy with where the tank is "Derp" (my partner painted this for me for my birthday) #4 40g breeder with a fancy goldfish, bristelnose plecos, zebra danios, swordtails, peppered corys, mystery snails, and apisto borelli. -My orange and black goldfish Jasper recently died of dropsy, which was heartbreaking, so am moving away from keeping goldfish for the foreseeable future. -I recently added a black mystery snail "chocolate chip", so now I just need a chestnut mystery snail and I will have one of every color combination. -No particular goals for this tank. I have a lot of slow growing plants, that I am curious to see how they will shape up. "Jasper" (RIP 😭) and "Ruby" "Phantom" "Chocolate Chip" #5 75g with pearl gourami, roseline sharks, siamese algae eaters, flagfish, reticulated hillstream loaches, bolivian rams, a rainbow shark, indian lilac crabs, CPO crayfish, a blue kong zebra crayfish and amano shrimp. -Recently moved the log on the right in front of the dwarf sag because it was being completely blocked. I decided to add repens in front of the log, because I saw some nice ones at my LFS. -Decided to use larger anubias species for the top of the center cave instead of the nana petite that was there. "Mortimer"

I have had this tank for a couple years now. Have randomly put in plants and deco over time. The wood piece is nice but it just didn’t look right where it was at. I also wanted to increase the amount of hiding spots smaller animals could go, like shrimp. So, I came up with this. Still a work in progress, aren’t they all. I took 2” PVC and cut a small section in half, sanded the edges so it wouldn’t damage any fins and created hideouts for the smaller ones. Also, took some rocks in the back yard and built up an area for the lava rock, creating another hiding spot. I do have shrimp in the tank but they are using the heater suction cups as hiding spots. As they get bigger,🤞, I wanted them to have other areas to go. For plants, in the back are Amazon sword, pogostemon stellatus octopus, water sprite and moneywort. The rest are Java ferns, Anubias barteri and a couple crypts that I hope will take hold. PS—trying to add photos but it keeps putting them upside down🤔

It appears to me that my nerite snails decided to lay eggs on one of my potted plants. Anyone have thoughts on these?

Here is the pictures of my snails breeding! Hope you enjoy! Sorry, my videos are too big, so I cannot upload them.

Hi everyone. I've tried journaling in general several times but failed to be consistent. This time I'm doing a fish tank journal, so hopefully it being my hobby will keep me consistent, lol. Anyway. August 2023. My cousin gifted my little sister a 1 litre fishbowl with a guppy pair. Really beautiful pair. Female was a grey belly with mosaic tail, and the male was a dragon head. The male died in September 2023 and mom asked me to get another one, so I got a leopard guppy. Mom and sister flew away for vacation for 2 weeks in November 2023. Initially, I wanted to give a gift to my sister to make up for skipping many festivals and occasions. So I started planning out a bigger tank. With a very tight budget that was my entire savings, I decided to go with a 8g cube. I got it with fluorescent gravel as substrate and an internal filter. That was it for the beginning. I cleaned it, added water, dechlorinated it and immediately put my fishes in. I didn't know about cycling until 2 days later. I started a fish-in cycle from then. Here's a pic from that day. Yes you're also seeing an Albino Corydora because I was told to get it for bottom clean-up. 2 days later, I DIY'd a lid using sunboard, old CPU fan and a 3W blue spotlight laying from a festival decor. A week later, I thought my tank looks like the horrible fluorescent gravel overstocked glofish tanks. I decided to remove all gravel and switched to white sand. I also got an Anubias trimming, and a good bracket light for a full spectrum lighting. (At this point I had studied a decent bit about PAR and aquarium lighting) A couple of days after, I was told on many Discord communities that keeping the albino cory alone is a bad idea and the tank is also too small for him. So I exchanged it for 2 cherry shrimps. What happens next is actually kind of funny. I add my shrimp and one of them immediately disappears. I spend hours trying to find it but I can't. The next day, I see this. I asked around, experts confirmed my suspicion that the guppy had consumed a cherry shrimp and passed away the next day because of being unable to digest it. I quickly removed the other single shrimp remaining in my tank and gave it back to my local fish store. To replace the leopard guppy, I got this beautiful double swordtail guppy. I also wanted to maintain a 2f:1m ratio so I got another female guppy. At this point my tank was finally how I planned it to be. Although, this female was very pregnant and I had to do something about it. I quickly got a 20 litre water bottle from a grocery store and cut it in half. I also bought some chicken screen and zip ties and put together this. The female guppy somehow passed through the net the next day so I had to make it double layered to make the holes harder to pass, since both layers were offset and would cause the holes to be unaligned and smaller. Meanwhile, the tank got 2 nerite snails. I wish I knew about their bioload before getting TWO of them, haha. Enjoy a pic of them eating a slice of blanched cucumber. I decided to get two plants for better nitrate processing. Here's the weird part. A week after the leopard guppy died from presumably eating the cherry shrimp...... A CHERRY SHRIMP SHOWS UP IN THE TANK! I had already given away the other so there were supposed to be none! So the guppy did not die of eating a shrimp, because he never ate one! I immediately gave this shrimp back to the LFS. Fastforward to 10th December 2023. The grey female guppy (oldest one in the tank) passed away from Nitrite poisoning. I forgot to mention, I've been doing the cycle without a test kit because I can't afford one and it's too overpriced here. Worry not, it's coming in the next month or two before I get my next tank! By now, the pregnant fancy female had given birth at noon! I assume there to be around 25-30 fry. I got an air pump, tubing, air stone, T joint, knobs, and a sponge filter. Aimed to sell these fry so I wanted them to grow real healthy! Here are two pictures from 12th of December. The guppies look blurry, but this is the last time you'll see them....

I have a single Nerite snail in my 20-gallon tank. She has laid eggs on the driftwood, heater, and some plants. I would love to avoid manually going in and picking them off of everything. Is there a fish that enjoys eating the eggs? Any other ideas? My Mystery snail happens to be on top of the wood in this picture.

I have seen youtube videos that recommend crushing/grinding up egg shells to add to the tank for keeping snails and shrimp healthy. Does this work?

Hey guys! Hope you are all doing well😊. As the title says, I need some help from experienced snail keepers regarding the rabbit snail diet as my lil guys (4 Poso Orange Rabbits) seem to be not super interested in the many food options I provide. I have read so many forum posts and articles and watched so many videos about rabbit snail care and snail food requirements in general both prior to getting them and afterwards to make sure I give them the best care. But I really need opinions of you guys at this point. I have a separate rabbit snail tank for them. My water parameters actually meet their requirements, a ph of 8.2 with hard water. I keep them at 27 Celcius. And the tank is cycled for sure. I don't wanna go into details to make the post even longer to read. But in my main tank, I have 4 nerite snails and so many MTS that all have perfect shells. I have had them for almost 2 weeks now and overall they seem to be happy and are quite active. As of now, I've tried to feed them blanched collard greens, spinach, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, pumpkin, brussel sprouts, green beans, sweet potato and peas. We buy our stuff from the organic farmers market and keep the extra frozen food in our freezer from their original season, so all these foods are ready to be blanced any time! From all the veggies I've mentioned, they really seemed to be eating green beans and collard greens but not always as if they eat collard greens one day they don't eat it again 2 days later. For others, like pumpkin or carrot, all I can see is really small nibs taken from it over the night. I feed either once or twice a day with different food each meal. From fish food options, I've tried Hikari Algae wafers, crab cuisine, NLS Algaemax and Omega1 freshwater flakes. NLS has been nibbed a lil bit once, but others were ignored. I made 2 different snellos with the mix of the abovementioned veggies, fish food with the addition of crushed&powedered eggshell of our own chickens' egg for calcium and agar-agar as a replacement of gelatin. They do not seem interested at all even when left in the tank overnight. I have a couple shrimp with them and they seem to be more interested in the snello but not the snails :( Btw, I keep a small piece of natural cuttlebone in their tank just in case they wanna nib. I see people have their snails swarming all over the food directly so I feel worried that mine are not:( Could you guys help me or give me any suggestions regarding their diet? Am I doing anything wrong? Considering they are active and looking healthy at the end of 2 weeks, maybe the really small amount of random nibs they have on the food I provide is enough? I'm just worried that they rarely nib on blanched veggies I provide and directly ignore any fish food so they lack protein in their diet. I feed my other tanks frozen spiriluna bloodworms and brine shrimp and freeze dried tubifex worms once a week. Maybe I should give them a try? Thanks for the help in advance 🤍 🐌

I recently came back from a trip and I noticed these little white worms crawling all over the glass. I bought this tank used and it came with two snails plants rocks, gravel and filter, media. I rinsed out the gravel under tap water and the rocks with plants superglue on them.I also cleaned out all the filter media under tapwater, including the tank. and wipe every service down with rubbing alcohol when it was dry. I put some cycled media from my African Cichlid tank into the back filter compartment to kickstart the cycle.I’m wondering if they are harmful or not. Any advice would be appreciated.

How do you get rid of your pesty trumpet snails? In the tank there are yo-yo loaches, chain loaches but they ignore these snails. whenever the tank is cleaned we syphon as much as we can out of the gravel but they are thriving.

I splurged and purchased Pagoda Snails even though it was difficult finding reliable information about their care. One of the few sources I found, recommended a large tank with a fast water flow, high oxygen levels, and low light levels. This simulates their native habitat, the Thoungyin River in Thailand. That said, I cannot tell if this source has successfully raised the snails or simply posted information gleaned from research. E.g., the photos look like they were taken from different tanks. E.g., the group shot looks like the snails were placed together or even perhaps Photoshop-added. Since my tanks are small, a powerhead or current generator seemed like it would cause more problems than solutions. So, I opted for highly oxygenated conditions and put them in the tank with an under-gravel filter (UGF). The UGF flow is powered by 2 air stones running at full volume. I run a split lighting schedule—8a-1p/6p-11p lights on, 1p-6p/11p-8a lights off. The UGF tank is lit by one 30W LED floodlight and one 8-inch red/blue LED grow light strip (that’s very small). It also contains floating water sprite a few inches thick, making for low-light conditions. I have had these horned beauties for a week. They are said to be shy and indeed, they usually spend the lighted periods lounging on the substrate. I am building a couple of terra cotta hides so they can hang out in the shade. Occasionally I have seen them moving around on the substrate and glass. I have seen each of them eating at some point. Every morning I find objects—Anubias on lava rock, spruce cones, spring-clip leaf holder—have been pushed around. Check out this adorable face!

So I’m new to the fish keeping hobby, so excuse me if this is a dumb question. I picked up a new golden Inca snail today from a shop that I trust, when I got home I placed it in my tank like I’ve done all my other stock. Tonight I noticed it hadn’t moved from where it has been sitting all day. When I took a closer look at it I saw a hard dark brown “thing” covering the opening that reminds me of a thin finger nail. My question is did I get a dead snail or is this normal… or should I try to remove the “thing”?

Hi all - hoping for some advice on the best way to deal with a planaria invasion. I think they hitchhiked in with some guppies I recently added to my heavily planted neocaradina tank. I have tried cutting feeding way back and glass traps to no avail, so I’m starting to look at chemical treatments. My complication is that I have three snails (two nerite and a Japanese trap door) in the tank that I adore and no other tanks to move them to. Unfortunately I can’t set up a second tank without violating my condo bylaws. Since it is just the three of them, taking them out of the tank for a few days and popping them in a bucket while I treat it shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve heard mixed things about when a tank would be safe to put snails back into after dosing with No Planaria (or a different alternative). Does anyone have recommendations for how I can treat the tank and keep my snail-buddies alive and well? You’ll have my eternal gratitude.

I'm excited to join my very first forum. Most of you are probably too young to remember "Flipper" the Bottlenose Dolphin from TV, but I chose her for my forum name. I have a 20 gallon with Blue, my female betta, 4 Harlequin Rasboras, 3 Rummy-Nose Tetras and Bashful, my dwarf Clown Pleco. My 8 gallon is under construction after losing my male Betta to disease. I started from scratch and the tank is now cycling. I'm a middle-aged lady, retired and loving life. I've been in the hobby about 5 years and look forward to sharing with all of you. I love my fish and this hobby. Happy to be here!

After trying to keep the bladder snail population under control in my tank, I gave up and bought two assassin snails last weekend. My lfs said they will eat leftover food once all bladder snails are gone. What else should I be feeding them?

Hi! Happy to be here from KY (for the moment). Forgive my poor-quality pictures and my poor-quality glass! My wife & I have recently gotten back into the hobby with a small collection of nano fish, cherry shrimp, and snails. Pictured here is our newest tank, a 55 gallon planted tank with small groups of harlequin rasboras, neon tetras (not pictured), and kuhli loaches, plus a handful of assassin snails (not pictured) and several (dozen, hundred?) bladder snails. It's a good little group, soon to be joined by a group of cardinal tetras in my 20 gallon. They have been moved in slowly over the last few weeks after having set up the tank in January, and we just saw our first fry this morning! My eventual plan for this one is increasing the planting, building out the schools/shoals so that they each have about a dozen, and adding a single or pair of bristlenose plecos. The plants seem to be doing well for the most part: Rotala are just about ready for some cuttings, the hornwort is on its third round of cuttings, the banana plant grew its floating leaf last week, the java fern is struggling a bit but paradoxically propagating like crazy, and there's a java fern, java moss, and a couple other plants and grasses. Bonus - I bought this plant (below) locally and have no idea what it is. Anyone? The kuhlis have been predictable elusive since adding them to this tank, so here's a shot from before they moved: Loaches gonna loach. Second tank is a 20 long that holds some skrimps, mystery snails, and a small school of cardinal tetras that will eventually be moved over to the 55 gallon. The cardinals were an accidental buy - I got one lumped in with my first batch of neons, and of course the only answer was to buy him a school. The shrimps are majority neos of different colors and grades, with two amanos that were part of a group that tagged along with some plants. I also have two quarantine tanks going - a 5 gallon with a small group of red cherry shrimps and some stowaway ramshorns, and a 10 gallon with two short fin snow white bristlenose plecos (and a mystery snail who avoided the evacuation to the 20 long). Anyways, glad to be here and glad to be back in the hobby. Ultimately we would like to breed neos and plecos, but will be moving out of state in the next 3 months so we are switching gears to prepping what we have for the move and are done buying new fish (unless I can get my hands on a group of longfin green dragon plecos) until they are settled back in. Thanks!

I have a nice bucket load of used crush coral & I hate to buy more to replace what I have to put in my 75 gal so I was wondering IF I could use it for the extra layer of substrate to feed the plant's. I could put it in B-tween layers of gravel or over the roots of the plant's being it holds the muck from the feed & waste that builds up over time, I'm fixing to start working on the tank this wk-end. Here is a article I found about the subject what's your thoughts ? Crushed Coral < article Thank you for your response ❤

I've been trying to figure out what is the best algae eaters to put in a 75 gal Aquarium that won't destroy plant's or get too big. I have 6 albino Cory's but they are more into breeding than keeping the tank clean, so I'm wondering what algae eaters will work. I don't want something that's going to over take the aquarium like guppies or shrimp I've had guppies & they are prolific in breeding, I'm not really into shrimp for the job but more into some kind of fish that won't eat or destroy my plants, that's the main thing. So what would you suggest me getting? I've been watching videos on this subject but the more I watch the more confused it makes me, so I thought you could help me with what your thoughts & experience has or is with algae eaters, Thank You for your help ❤

what aquatic animals do you have on your bucketlist, that you really want to keep, but haven't yet, here's mine: Dwarf Chain Loaches Amano Shrimp Hillstream Loach Pygmy Corydora Mystery Snail Kuhli Loach Bolivian Ram Honey Gouarmi what is yours?

Following my last post, I would like some advice on which live animals to keep in a 10 gallon. I have many options, and I would prefer to get a little of all, but I also know that a 10 gallon might be too small for so many. Which ones should I get rid of, if they can't all live together? I'm aware of the snails reproductive issues, and I'm still on the fence about even getting any snails. These are our choices for a 10 gallon community tank. Any advice is appreciated! FISH Tetra Fancy Molly Danios Angels Opaline Gourami Freshwater frogs Freshwater shrimp Freshwater Snails

I picked up some pest snails (presumably on plants I stupidly skipped dipping). I bought the Dennerle snail catcher sold here at the Coop and it works great. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/products/dennerle-snail-catcher So far I've been using it during the day and it doesn't seem to bother the fish. But tonight when I went to bed at 11 I noticed that there were snails all over the inside walls of the aquarium. My tank lights are on a timer that gradually shuts down between 6 and 7 PM. There was a desk lamp on in the office, so lights were pretty low. So I turned on the tank lights, opened the lid, and went to town with the snail catcher. I was catching tons. But my fish FREAKED. The betta (female half-moon) went and hid in the coconut shell cave, which caused the corydoras hanging out in there to flee. The female puppy started seriously zooming all over the place with the male guppy in fast pursuit. (BTW, I know guppies and bettas aren't supposed to make good tank mates but my female betta is really mellow and after a few days just ignored the guppies.) The honey gourami went and hid in the java ferns. Head first. It was actually kind of funny. The green neon tetras disappeared somewhere. So lights plus catcher seem to be a major stressor. Let's not do that again. Do you think doing a midnight snail expedition without tank lights also would be too stressful? I've tried other traps and none worked. The Dennerle works but I'm learning that I catch a lot more snails and much bigger snails after the tank lights have been out for an hour or, even better, two hours, than I do during the day. So night seems the time to hunt. Which might stress sleeping fish. Alternatives I'm considering are natural and chemical. The more aggressive chemical approach would be dosing with SOBAKEN Genchem No Planaria which is supposedly shrimp safe and supposedly kills snails. The natural approach would be getting a small shoal of dwarf chain loaches (maybe 4 o5 5?). Reommendations, condolences, advice, constructive criticism, alternatives would all be welcome. Tank: 29 gallon Visio. Acquaclear 50 HOB filter. No activated charcoal. Smooth rounded gravel substrate. Aquarium coop air-stone and USB air pump. Lots of live plants. Parameters Ammonia: 0 ppm--Spiked recently when I killed some snails in the tank (a mistake). Got I bak down with regular water changes, treatment with Seachem Prime, and Seachem Nitrite: 0 ppm Nitrate: 10 ppm pH 7.3 - jumped after a water change and removal of several deteriorating catalpa leaves temp: 77 GH: 7degrees KH: 3 degrees

Hi all, I just noticed this morning that my female mystery/apple snail has some white fuzz growing on her shell. We know she's female because she's been laying eggs on and off since early August. My water parameters are where they should be and I have live plants. My temperature stays between 76-78 degrees F. I also have a betta fish in the tank (it's 5 gallons) and added a whole almond leaf last week for preventative measures. I do have a tiny bit of an ammonia spike since I'm currently also trying to revive some dead Christmas Moss that I purchased from my local fish store a week ago. I did a water change two days ago since measuring this spike. I have been using crushed coral in my tank since May, when I got my snail. She also primarily eats Kat's Aquatics Calcium + Nutrition and Fluval Bug Bites Algae Crisps. I'm worried if she's getting enough calcium, despite my efforts with the crushed coral and snail food. The medications I have on hand right now are: API Aquarium Salt, Kordon Ich Attack, Seachem Kanaplex, Seachem Focus, and Seachem Equilibrium. I appreciate any help and advice in advance.