Co2 systems?

[Fresh2o]

Since the plants only consume CO2 when the lights are on, there is the possibility that too much CO2 can accumulate in the tank overnight. Some folks will run an air pump and airstone on a timer that goes on when the lights go off and on before the lights come back on.

 

[ma2oo]

It should. I run a similar setup for a 20 gallon. I used to run the Coralife dual t5 NO fixture but wanted more light so went with the Finnex FugeRay. Added CO2 later and have better growth with it. Did not try CO2 with the Coralife.

You said my lighting was not enough, but I just bought this tank because it said it was for plants. I don't want to buy a complete new fixture because those are expensive and I can't afford them. Would the co2 work well with these lights? Is there another option. Basically, I wan't my plants to grow fast and lush and create a jungle environment.

 

[Fresh2o]

You said my lighting was not enough, but I just bought this tank because it said it was for plants. I don't want to buy a complete new fixture because those are expensive and I can't afford them. Would the co2 work well with these lights? Is there another option. Basically, I wan't my plants to grow fast and lush and create a jungle environment.

I got okay growth with the CoraLife but I did not use CO2 with it. It might have made a difference. Growth with the FugeRay was better but after the addition of CO2 things really took off.
I retract what I said earlier: CO2 should help regardless of the light.

What type of plants did you have in mind for this tank?

 

[ma2oo]

I currently have a ton of jungle val runners, java fern, amazon sword, cyrpt luteas and anubias. I know these are low light plants, but they don't seem to be growing.

 

[Mebbid]

You can't stop diy at night, it runs 24/7.

Therein lies the problem of DIY. You can potentially gas your fish killing them.

You said my lighting was not enough, but I just bought this tank because it said it was for plants. I don't want to buy a complete new fixture because those are expensive and I can't afford them. Would the co2 work well with these lights? Is there another option. Basically, I wan't my plants to grow fast and lush and create a jungle environment.

The light level depends on if its a HO or NO light fixture. Look at the bulbs it should be labeled which one it is.

CO2 will work well with any lighting system.

For lush plant growth, medium - high lights, co2, and daily fert dosing can make it work out. If you want to save money you CAN dose excel but it won't grow things as quickly. Very successful planted tanks have been ran on excel though.

 

[ma2oo]

Therein lies the problem of DIY. You can potentially gas your fish killing them.

The light level depends on if its a HO or NO light fixture. Look at the bulbs it should be labeled which one it is.

CO2 will work well with any lighting system.

For lush plant growth, medium - high lights, co2, and daily fert dosing can make it work out. If you want to save money you CAN dose excel but it won't grow things as quickly. Very successful planted tanks have been ran on excel though.

This is what my bulbs say:



I currently use flourish twice a week. Would the quality of the plants be important too? Not sure if I bought them from the best lfs out there (Natural Life Aquarium, SSF).

 

[ma2oo]

Pictures of tank plants

 

[Mebbid]

Those would be normal output t5 lights. Your tank looks pretty tall so they might be giving you a low light level but its hard to say.

As for their growth, it all depends on how long you've had them. I can tell the amazon sword you have is fairly new but am not sure about the others.

A word of warning, the sword will melt and lose all of those leaves to grow a new form of leaf. It will need root tabs.

 

[ma2oo]

Would you recommend a bubble ladder or ceramic disk as a co2 diffuser? The pump and expensive ones are out the question. I've had the sword and java fern for about 1.5 months and the jungle val, crypt, and anubias for like three months.

 

[Mebbid]

Would you recommend a bubble ladder or ceramic disk as a co2 diffuser? The pump and expensive ones are out the question. I've had the sword and java fern for about 1.5 months and the jungle val, crypt, and anubias for like three months.

Either would work. When I was using DIY co2 for my 10g tank I was using a fine bubble air stone and allowing that to get sucked up into my filter intake. It worked just fine.

 

[ma2oo]

I think the bubble ladder looks kinda neat. I may get that. Thanks for your help btw. What other plants would you recommend for my setup?

 

[ma2oo]

Those would be normal output t5 lights. Your tank looks pretty tall so they might be giving you a low light level but its hard to say.

As for their growth, it all depends on how long you've had them. I can tell the amazon sword you have is fairly new but am not sure about the others.

A word of warning, the sword will melt and lose all of those leaves to grow a new form of leaf. It will need root tabs.

Sorry I am getting very confused on all this lighting and co2 balancing stuff. I just want to know if I can get my jungle vals and possibly more plants to get tall and jungly with my light, one 2L bottle of diy co2 with a bubble ladder, and seachem flourish (not excel).

 

[Fresh2o]

The crypts, anubias, and fern are fine with the light you have but unfortunately are slow growers. I had some crypt parva once but removed it because it grew too slow (doing okay in a pond btw).

I picked up Bacopa caroliniana from Petsmart in one of those gel packs and it is a nice background stem plant; bright green color.

 

[ma2oo]

So would you recommend using co2 for my tank? I need a yes or no answer. Very confused....

 

[Mebbid]

CO2 is very useful and will make your plants grow very quickly. You can however have a successful planted tank without the addition of CO2. Using excel can take place of the co2 but won't grow plants as efficiently.

So in short, if you have anything over a low light tank then yes you do need a carbon source to prevent algae growth. Whether that carbon source is Excel or pressurized CO2 depends on your personal decision and the size of your wallet.

If money isn't a big issue then I wouldn't hesitate to buy a pressurized co2 system.

 

[ma2oo]

So are my lights okay? Why do they give these poor lights if you have to upgrade them?

 

[ma2oo]

So would you recommend using co2 for my tank? I need a yes or no answer. Very confused....

So are my lights okay? Why do the kits give these poor lights if you have to upgrade them?

 

[meegosh]

With your current plant list I would say no to CO2. Would it help? Sure it would but it is not necessary in the least. More importantly, are you adding any root tabs for your sword? They are cheap and will make a huge difference in growth. Swords are heavy root feeders and liquid supplements will not help them as they absorb nutrients through their massive root system, not from the water column like stems do.

I had a val jungle in my 10g low light tank. It takes a while to fill in but you do not need CO2 or ferts for vals to take off. I've never kept java fern personally but it is another slow grower and will be fine in low light.

 

[ma2oo]

With your current plant list I would say no to CO2. Would it help? Sure it would but it is not necessary in the least. More importantly, are you adding any root tabs for your sword? They are cheap and will make a huge difference in growth. Swords are heavy root feeders and liquid supplements will not help them as they absorb nutrients through their massive root system, not from the water column like stems do.

I had a val jungle in my 10g low light tank. It takes a while to fill in but you do not need CO2 or ferts for vals to take off. I've never kept java fern personally but it is another slow grower and will be fine in low light.

I the reason why I was considering co2 was because I want buy like a ton more plants and want a heavily planted tank. I do use root tabs and dose flourish twice a week. I think my coralife dual t5 no is good enough for the plants. May want to get some more vals, bacopa, swords, and some red plants. My tank dimensions are 24"L x 13"W x 19"H in case your wondering.

 

[Mebbid]

I the reason why I was considering co2 was because I want buy like a ton more plants and want a heavily planted tank. I do use root tabs and dose flourish twice a week. I think my coralife dual t5 no is good enough for the plants. May want to get some more vals, bacopa, swords, and some red plants. My tank dimensions are 24"L x 13"W x 19"H in case your wondering.

You seem to be getting pulled in a thousand different directions right now. Take a look at AquariumPlants.com and find the entire list of specific plants that you would like to have. From there on you can choose your equipment for your tank.

With a dual t5NO light over a 19" tank it MIGHT allow you to keep medium light plants. I am using a Dual t5HO on my 21" tall planted tank and it's allowing me to successfully keep medium light plants but the high light required ones are struggling.

Most red plants need a higher light level to bring out the colors successfully so there might be issues with that.