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Thread: The Aquaria Scene in Italy

  1. #1
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    Hi, Fabrizio,

    Thanks for showing us the link. I never knew there were so many types of Toninas. But they are all certainly very beautiful.

    You sound like someone who knows his plants. Welcome to the forum. We're glad to have someone like you on board. How is the aquaria scene like in Italy?

    Loh K L

  2. #2
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    Hi Loh, thanks for your warm welcome.
    It is a pleasure for me to participate to this beautiful forum.

    Growing aquarium plants has been my principal interest/hobby since I was 9-10 years old (more or less 25 years ago).
    Few years ago I also managed for a while a small firm cultivating and selling aquarium plants to local shops/wholesalers.

    The aquaria scene in Italy is not that good, in comparison to Singapore, but it is going better in the last few years.
    The main problem in my opinion is (besides ignorance about plant needs) water quality.
    For what concerns ignorance a great help has been given by the increasing diffusion of internet (and forums).
    For what concerns water quality I give as an example some parameters of the tap water in my area:

    Conductivity: 800-1000 microSiemens
    Alcalinity: 35° dKH
    Total Hardness: 25° dGH

    As you can imagine growing plants in such conditions is not easy at all.
    Even if there are areas blessed with soft water most of Italy has hard-very hard water.
    Most of the people are not available to buy and use reverse osmosis or mixed bed resins filters.
    The major problem for plants in hard water is iron availability and the fertilizers on the market (except probably just one) use iron poorly chelated (with EDTA or even worse gluconate)and are not suitable for this type of water.

    What happens hence is that most of the people that want to keep an aquarium have to buy demineralized water (not always of a great quality) from the shops.
    Consider the troubles you face if you have to go and buy 100 l of water to the shop (for about 25 Sing. dollars) and trasport it home when you want to do a water change.
    Consider also that you have usually to reserve the water few days before.
    In this situation keeping a thank is so troublesome that usually people (unless they are really enthusiastic/motivated) ends up with having tanks with only fishes and few anubias.
    Shops also usually keep only plants that in their experience are more resistent (die later than others).
    The next step will usually be dismounting everything to put the tank in the closet/garage or giving it as a present to someone.

    Luckily in the last few years the reverse osmosis filters have become cheaper and cheaper and so I hope that, with their increased diffusion also in the families for drinking water, the situation will get constantly better.
    Of course the availability of good water is fundamental for being successful and success motivates to go on.

    Lucky you that live in Singapore and that have access to good water straight from the tap.
    Last time I was in Singapore I stayed in a residence in Hougang area where the conductivity of tap water was 70 microSiemens; in this conditions was very easy to keep the plants I bought alive for more than one months until my return home .


    Best regards and bye.

  3. #3
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    Fabrizio,

    Thanks for the very comprehensive write-up on the aquaria scene in your country. Your post deserves a thread on its own so I've moved it here.

    I'm glad I live in Singapore where I do not have to deal with the liquid rock that you get from your taps We're delighted that you like this forum and we hope you will become a regular here. If there's anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask. Would you like to try growing the various mosses? If you let me have your mailing address, I can send you some.

    Loh K L

  4. #4
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    Loh,

    Thanks A LOT for your offer.
    I am extremely interested in mosses and I am already growing Taiwan, Christmas, Singapore, Java and Weeping.
    I also have what I believe is Glossadelphus (Ectropothecium) Zollingeri, Amblystegium varium (a nice type of small stringy moss) and a couple of other types of mosses that I am trying to identify.

    I am actively searching Fissidens (Octodiceras) Fontanus because I know it is diffused also in Italy, but until now with no results.
    I would like also to have Vesicularia Montagnei (erect moss) and Stringy moss (Leptodictyon riparium)

    Your offer is very generous and much likely there will be no need for you to mail me the mosses.
    I will probably be back to Singapore soon trying to bring, of course, some mosses with me for sharing them with you.
    If you do not have the mosses I am looking for do not worry; it is O.K the same

    Regards

  5. #5
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    great to know im not alone here fabrizio...
    in israel if i would like to check my GH from the tap water - i have to finish a full bottle of GH test kit before the color changes , thats way i make my own fertilizers and use r/o .

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by baruch mor
    thats way i make my own fertilizers and use r/o .
    That's interesting. How do you make your own fertilizers?

  7. #7
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    i use the basic chemicals n compounds - if i need Fe , i use FERROUS GLUCONATE, for more K i add KCL etc.
    i think we should discuss it in another thread ...

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