From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2002.05.24 at 15:14:13(8867)
Hi, Julius
Good to hear the concern from a seeming Member of the ASPCF but no offence
intended in my chuckles. Naturally I thought that when sold both fish &
plants would have full instructions for the welfare of both fish & plant but
it seems not so.
For those who may not know the species, male bettas, (brilliantly coloured),
are so aggressive towards other males they have to be reared on their own
anyway. In my fun I had assumed that as air breathers they had access to
the water surface, that the temperature was optimum & that they would be
given a diet as befits a carnivore, that the jar was big enough & the plant
roots.maintained good water quality. With room for a female the roots
might provide haven for her from his most aggressive attacks after mating.
Like the guppies which first gave me my lasting love of tropical fishes, it
seemed to me that "Betta in a Jar" might evangelise that wonder for
others.....
For my Spathiphyllum it would be wonderful to synergise plant & fish culture
& others. Please folks can you share your experiences on which I can base
further experiments? And especial thank you for the observations so far of
wild Spathiphyllum living partly or wholly in water.
Apparently one of the few health hazards of Spathiphyllum is Cylindrocladium
causing root & basal petiole rot in seemingly waterlogged substrate which
to me is a paradox. From my reading it appears to be prevalent mostly in
hybrids especially in Florida at temperatures above 85F & maybe in Holland?
I assumed that many or most Spathiphyllum would grow well with their roots
in suitably warmed aerated water. Immersing samples of common hybrids in
various lab experiments, ALL of them rotted. So how do folks suggest they
& other "willing" potted aroids can be re-established to grow emersed in
water?
I would like to keep both fishes & plants together best in an Irish Tropical
Eden please & request all the help I can get? To me ponds, streams &
waterfalls, & fauna, bring gardens even more to life. Maybe a lot of us are
subconsciously seeking to re-create our own visions of Eden?
Sincerely
Ron
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----- Original Message -----
To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L"
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 5:10 AM
Subject: Re: aquatic spathiphyllum
----- Original Message -----
To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2002 5:58 PM
Subject: aquatic spathiphyllum
Hi Petra and Friends,
I was appaled when I saw this 'gimic' being sold at stores around here and
complained to management about them, they soon stopped selling these silly
things.. The plant AND the fish soon die, Betas are carnivores and only
live as long as their body fat will carry them, they can not and do NOT eat
roots. If there is no acess to the surface they also would drown (!) , as
they MUST breathe air every few minutes. The Spath does live for some time,
but it too will pretty soon expire in the clear water. One more silly
'gimic' to get your $$ at the poor fish`s expense (and the plant too!).
Spath. cannifolium does grow in the rich silt/compost on the side of
clear-water streams in Trinidad, VERY wet 'feet'.
Good growing all!
Julius
>>Hey Ron...there was a craze here in the USA, well, maybe just the Midwest,
with spathiphyllum plants being grown in huge glass jars...the kits were
sold by Walmart and included colored marbles for the jar, a beta fish and a
spathiphyllum...the roots of the spath grew down into the jar, kept the fish
fed and happy and the plant happy...these "arrangements" were seen in dental
offices, doctor's offices, bank lobbies, restaurants, and anywhere else you
could imagine; those who had one, loved them...
I have seen spaths offered in the water garden areas in garden
centers/nurseries and have seen them growing pretty much as emergent
aquatics.
Petra
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