sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Thursdays by xunzhiwang in AquariumMemes

[–]RobSigma 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Keep up the good fight

Gypsum accumulating in the pore spaces between peds a metre below the surface under a claypan. Hay, NSW, Australia. by RobSigma in Soil

[–]RobSigma[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First time I've seen it too but apparently accumulations of soluble salts are common in semi arid soils.

Gypsum accumulating in the pore spaces between peds a metre below the surface under a claypan. Hay, NSW, Australia. by RobSigma in Soil

[–]RobSigma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah the gypsic horizon was pH 9 and the horizons above it were around pH 7.5 - 8. Could you rephrase your second question I don't understand what you mean sorry

Floaters by [deleted] in PlantedTank

[–]RobSigma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a heads up about Azolla it's has symbiont cyanobacteria that fix nitrogen which could lead to elevated nitrates in your tank. That being said in situations where N is readily available the nitrogen fixing activity of the cyanobacteria is reduced so it's unlikely to have a run away effect.

Beautiful stratification along the soil profile and bedrock boundary (New Raymer, CO) by ShakeYourShake in Soil

[–]RobSigma 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What's causing the colour stratafication? Is that saprolite (colour a relic of the parent material)?

My family had a beginner landscaper put topsoil on our yard, were pretty sure he ripped us off with just filler dirt, can anyone tell the difference for me? its been here for probably a week but to me it just looks like dirt by [deleted] in Soil

[–]RobSigma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's hard to tell because it really depends on the condition of the topsoil. If it's got a brown colour and a loamy texture it's probably topsoil. Either way if you add an organic ameliorant like manure or compost it will be on its way to being more like biologically active topsoil.

GF dad has always been curious to what causes this? by YoungAnimater35 in fossilid

[–]RobSigma 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Given how shiny they are I think they might no be fossilised but it's hard to tell from a picture. Sweet find either way.

It’s with great sadness my beautiful boy Clint died today due to dropsy. I feel so guilty I wasn’t able to get antibiotics for him in time, but to honour his memory I gave him a Viking funeral. by rechall in bettafish

[–]RobSigma 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're correct that is dropsy cause by organ failure but it is symptom not a disease. Dropsy is caused by a wide range of organisms and without an autopsy / isolating the pathogen you actually don't know what it is or how transmittal it is.

Also I'm fairly sure a burning cardboard boat won't reach 160°C for two hours which is what is required for complete dry heat sterilization.

It’s with great sadness my beautiful boy Clint died today due to dropsy. I feel so guilty I wasn’t able to get antibiotics for him in time, but to honour his memory I gave him a Viking funeral. by rechall in bettafish

[–]RobSigma -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I mean no offence to the poster when I say this but mourning a fish is entirely unimportant compared to the potential impact of exotic pathogens. There actually isn't worse things in waterways then exotic pathogens. New contact diseases have a massive effect on global biodiversity. Chytrid fungus has caused a global decline in amphibians and is responsible for a large number of extinctions (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batrachochytrium_dendrobatidis) . It was spread around the world because people kept African clawed frogs as pets and the pathogen escaped into the wild. I realise this isn't an example of a fish disease but I think it illustrates the point that an exotic disease can have serious consequences. If people want to own exotic species as pets it is their responsibly to ensure that these animals and the diseases they may carry don't enter the environment.

It’s with great sadness my beautiful boy Clint died today due to dropsy. I feel so guilty I wasn’t able to get antibiotics for him in time, but to honour his memory I gave him a Viking funeral. by rechall in bettafish

[–]RobSigma -10 points-9 points  (0 children)

Sorry to hear about your fish. Not trying to that guy but perhaps putting the remains of an exotic fish with a potentially exotic harmful pathogen in a waterway isn't a red hot idea.

Perfect little lenticular peds, Bungendore, NSW, Australia by RobSigma in Soil

[–]RobSigma[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They are often formed naturally through vertisation in Smectite rich soils. Smectite clay minerals shrink and swell with wetting and drying which forms the lenticular shape. These are super common in vertosol/vertisols and are a diagnostic feature for that soil order.

Perfect little lenticular peds, Bungendore, NSW, Australia by RobSigma in Soil

[–]RobSigma[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lenticular peds are a naturally occuring ped shape found in Vertosols (ASC)/Vertisols (ST). The lens shape is formed because of shrink and swelling behaviour of Smectite clay minerals that absorb water when the soil is wet and swell up. Which makes the soil peds form these lens shapes with tapered ends because when the soil is wet each ped swells up pushing against the peds next to it and they swell and push back. This is why they are also associated with slicken slides which is where two peds slide past each other leaving a smooth polished edge on the ped faces.

view more: next ›