Do You Think Java Fern Would Attach To Limestone?

[pica_nuttalli]

I've got this giant chunk of holey limestone in my 20 that looks awesome but seems to be killing off all of my plants. the pH is only buffered to about 7.0-7.2 and the hardness isn't that high, but *shrug* i think there's a problem with it that i just can't fix with water changes.

anyways, i also have a small ton of java fern plantlets in my 60 that aren't attached to anything. i'm thinking that i'd have an easier time selling the limestone back to the LFS if it had java fern attached to it, b/c they're always trying to get java fern started on this, that and the other decoration. do you think it would work?

 

[Jen]

As far as I know, limestone is made of calcium... which directly increases the kh of the water....
or am I thinking of something else???


edit. Looks like limestone affects the ph. i think its marble that messes with the kh

edit again. If you know that the limestone is killing your plants, then I think the best bet would be to pull it out. No point keeping something in there if it is doing more harm than good.

 

[IovaykInD]

HAHA..it just so happens that I am taking earth science. Limestone has calcite in it, which bubbles with acid. If you have slightly acidic water, then the limestone will slowly dissolve. I believe that it would affect your pH, but it might also affect kH readings. I didn't go that deep into limestone so I don't know

 

[Ptarmigan]

.

 

[oldwhitewood]

It will deffo raise PH, so I presume KH and GH too but I'm not too sure.

 

[lucky62]

If it's one of those orange and white colored rocks they sell in aquarium shops , like the one I have java should grow on it .

 

[IovaykInD]

>_< How come I didn't learn the stuff PtarmiganUK learned when he was in school? AHHH..education is on a low this generation isn't it?

 

[Ptarmigan]

.

 

[Waterloo Kid]

I nearly blew up both my GCSE lab and A level lab.
GCSE's I was messing about. Added loads of stuff together and suddenly there was an almighty whooosh and the room was full of purple smoke. Oops
A level time was a little more innocent. Got the decimal place in the wrong position when doing a calorimeter test and ended up with 10 times too much magnesium sat in a bath of acid. End product was a lot of hydrogen gas and too much heat. Bang!

Damn, I loved chemistry in school (but not as much as physics so I became an engineer).

WK