planted tank without additional CO2 supplementary, possible?

[angmoh]

Tank Size: 4ft - 1.5 ft - 1.5ft tank

Lightning: Sakura T4-PL 55 R/W (2 tube) , White+pink

Fishes: neon tetra (29) , blue eyes tetra (20+) , rummy nose ( , algae cleaners (4)

Filtration system: sump

Plants:

1. amazon sword species
2. anubias bartari (maybe)
3. Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
4. java fern
5. Cabomba species
6. Mayaca
7. not a clue - but doesn't look very healthy.

More info regarding the plants/tank can be found (with pics) at http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=50537
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Question:

1) Is it possible for them to survive without buying additional CO2 ? will my fishes can provide enough CO2 for the plants?

2) Is the lightning sufficient?

Thanks

[frog girl]

Angmoh,

Whether or not you need CO2 to balance out your tank will depend on the number of wpg you run. I don't know anything about the bulb your using (what you want is a daylight bulb). If you have more than 2 wpg you will probably see an algae buildup which CO2 may help with. I run a marginal light system 1.5 wpg & my sword, lileopsis, & java fern all are happy without CO2. I do run some DIY CO2 because I like to see my plants pearling but they do fine without it.

In general the CO2 which diffuses into the tank from the air plus what your fish produce should be fine for the plants you have that I know about which all are adapted for low light conditions. So the answer to your 1st question is yes they can survive.

I can't tell from your post if the lighting is sufficient or not (because its not clear to me what the wpg are & I am not super experienced with bulbs).

Malkore one of the advisors here is good with this sort of thing so if he doesn't show up on his own you might PM him.

Best of luck.

[angmoh]

if i'm not wrong, i'm using PL lights , 55w x 2 = 110 w , is it sufficient for a 4 feet tank ?

[Jchillin]

I'm not familiar with the PL term but if you do have 110w, you are right at the 2wpg mark. That is quite sufficient for your tank. You mention that you have one white and one pink. I would love to know what manufacturer this light set up is from. It sounds like it looks very cool.

[angmoh]

Jchillin, the brand is sakura... and it's pretty cheap.. i bought it at the price of ... RM120 (Ringgit Malaysia) , and convert to US is about 30+ bucks.

i'll take a pic of it tomorrow and post it here... it's too late now :> goin to sleep.

ta.

[Jchillin]

Thanks angmoh...that sounds like a great deal. Can't wait to see it.

[angmoh]

here's some pics of my light ...

[malkore]

we call that Power Compact or Compact Fluorescent lighting over here.
67gallon tank with 110watts of power compacts.

CO2 injection isn't necessary as you're under 2 watts per gallon. CO2 would have some benefits for the plants, and would help reduce nuisance algae, but again, isn't 100% necessary.
If you could find Flourish Excel, that'd provide all the carbon your plants would need. However anachris and vallisneria species can die off if Excel is used.

[Jchillin]

Thanks for the pics...cleared up what the lights actually were. Very nice indeed. As mentioned...you are good to go with your plants.