Do all live tanks require CO2?

[Chino1130]

I have a new theme tank in mind for another build. It will only be a ten gallon. I would really like to have live plants in this one, seeing as my first was as artificial as you could get. (http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f70/my-pandora-under-the-sea-140935.html)

I have seen some really elaborate CO2 setups on some larger tanks, and have seen smaller tanks with no CO2. Are there certain plants that do not require added CO2? I would like to coat the entire floor of my tank in something that will look like short grass, basically an empty field. Any suggestions?

 

[Mr. Limpet]

Go to http://www.plantgeek.net/ and see if you find what you're looking for. Easy plants don't really need co2 or ferts, beyond that you need to "feed them".

Great idea on the rolling fields of grass. Wish I could do that!

Sent from my Epic 4G

 

[BigJim]

Whether or not your tank will require CO2 depends on how much light you have. Ideally you'd provide your plants balanced levels of nutrients. CO2 provides carbon and light counts as a nutrient. Nutrient imbalances lead to algae problems among other things. Lots of light and fertilizers without CO2 usually leads to algae.

Generally, if you keep the tank below 2Wpg of fluorescent light, you don't need to inject CO2. A 10g doesn't follow the Wpg rule very well because it's a small tank. You'll need more Wpg to achieve a specific level of light.

A carpet of plants usually requires high light levels, ferts, and CO2 injection. Dwarf hairgrass is probably the best plant to replicate an empty field look.

 

[Gillie]

If you're going to use a dwarf hairgrass species in a 10 gallon you should try to get your hands on elocharis sp Belem it stays low only growing to 1" compared to E.parvula which will grow to about 6" so quite a bit of trimming is required to keep it short.

 

[TropicalAquariumExpert]

CO2 systems come in all shapes and sizes(prices) but basic principles are
the same so you just pay for the convenience not for the final effect.
There's no substitute for testing introduce CO2 and monitor the effects, CO2 is recommended but no always necessary.

 

[Gillie]

A ten gallon should do fine just dosed with Excel, or look around for Cidex which is a popular alternative here. It's about 12 bucks a gallon compared to 30 for 2 ltrs of Excel.