Is Co2 really needed?

[Sarah E]

Hello, I'm reading this fish book (VERY good book week by week on how to set up and raise a fish tank/fish) and it's talking about having a Co2 generator.... is this needed? Would an air rock be good enough even if I have live plants? They seem to be doing fantastic without it...

 

[jlk]

Im not a plant expert by any means, but my low-tech plants seem to do fine with just a fertilizer & co2 booster. I believe the more high need/sensitive/difficult plants have more demanding needs for lighting & co2 but im still learning!

 

[Sarah E]

What type of Co2 booster do you use?

 

[jlk]

I use Seachem flourish (fertilizer) & excel (co2 booster). I really dont know if they work (or im just wasting my money on them) but my plants seem to be doing fine so i have no plans on changing anything except for an upgrade on the lighting (which im still researching).

 

[TheFishBoss97]

flourish is the best and cheapest for low-med light plants

high light plants need Co2 systems which range from $200-$1000

 

[BHead707]

flourish is the best and cheapest for low-med light plants

high light plants need Co2 systems which range from $200-$1000

ive seen some DIY Co2 setups are those not as effective?

 

[jetajockey]

flourish is the best and cheapest for low-med light plants

high light plants need Co2 systems which range from $200-$1000

Dry ferts are the cheapest, and the same thing. Learning how to work with dry ferts pays off tenfold.

And no, high light plants don't necessarily need co2 systems. Pressurized co2 definitely makes a huge difference when the situation is right, but it's not an absolute requirement to sustain high light plants.

A moderate amount of light is really all it takes for most plants, unless the goal is to have explosive growth, I'd leave pressurized co2 out of the equation until you start looking at the tank and wanting more.

ive seen some DIY Co2 setups are those not as effective?

DIY Co2 can be very hit and miss because output fluctuates with temperature and also based on the mixture itself. The fluctuation can bring about beard algae, but there are still quite a few people who have success with this method.