Are my plants sick

[VOZIE]

Just reading the thread. Would no co2 in the tank limit the amount of plants or the type of plants u can have.

 

[fort384]

The biggest factor will be lighting, but short answer: Yes, lack of CO2 injection can limit your plant choices in most traditional setups.

 

[VOZIE]

I was told that plants with colour other then green will need co2 to grow. Is there any truth in that.

 

[mommytron]

H2O2 is H2O2 if you buy it at a drug store (well, H2O2 and DI water). It will tell you like 3% solution or whatever on the bottle, but any of it should be fine.

I think your recipe sounds about right, and I always had better luck activating the yeast first like you are doing. Are you measuring the CO2 in your tank?

A couple other things to consider (YMMV): Add an 1/8 to a 1/4 tsp of baking soda to the mix. It will neutralize some of the acid that is produced in the anaerobic environment, and the mix will last longer. And, buy champagne yeast online. It is only slightly more expensive than buying regular bakers yeast at the grocery store, and I found the production to be much higher (at least in my mind ). The thinking is, it is a strain of yeast specifically engineered to survive in higher acidic environments, similar to your CO2 generator. It lives longer, so it produces more CO2, and the mix stays stronger longer.

The key though I think is figuring out how much you have in the tank. If it is less than 20, you would be better off just not running CO2 and leaving the tank at equilibrium.

for like 3 days after i change over a bottle, it will stay ~30ppm (in my eyes, i go by my drop checker). but after that it goes blue until i switch out the next bottle. when i switch out a bottle on sunday i will try adding some baking soda to see if the reaction lasts longer. i must say it is a little discouraging, i already bought a gorgeous new light and new plants (now running 48w of T5 HO over my 20g) so i kinda am locked into this whole CO2 thing. but i'm trying not to beat myself up for it, i figured i would need to do some tweaking and adjusting before everything balanced out. i think i may have a phosphate deficiency as well (not positive, it's hard to tell when the problems i have in my tank are symptomatic of like 4 different deficiencies)

 

[mommytron]

I was told that plants with colour other then green will need co2 to grow. Is there any truth in that.

i don't think that's true... i've got a red wendtii that did wonderfully with <1wpg and no CO2/ferts.


also, my apologies, VOZIE. i hijacked a little there... hopefully the info i get will be helpful to you as well, though

 

[fort384]

Red does not = CO2 requirement, like Rachel said.

You can pick up a PO4 test kit to be sure, but if you are running 48W of T5HO over a 20, I can almost guarantee you have a P deficiency if you aren't dosing it.

 

[VOZIE]

Cool thanks. Mommytron no problem all info is useful.

 

[fort384]

Let me throw this out there too Rachel--if it is fluctuating between 30ppm and less than 15ppm or so (if it is straight blue) over the course of a few days, the BBA will love that...

Also, just to check you are using a 4dKH standard in the drop checker right?

 

[mommytron]

Red does not = CO2 requirement, like Rachel said.

You can pick up a PO4 test kit to be sure, but if you are running 48W of T5HO over a 20, I can almost guarantee you have a P deficiency if you aren't dosing it.

that's what i figured...i plan to pick some up. i am dosing nitrogen, potassium, and trace right now. pretty sure phosphorous is the only one i'm missing that Seachem makes. i'd like to eventually switch to dry ferts, but am a little overwhelmed when it comes to shopping for and figuring out proper dosing. i've been referred to a couple of places to buy them, but no where i would feel comfortable purchasing from online.

 

[mommytron]

Let me throw this out there too Rachel--if it is fluctuating between 30ppm and less than 15ppm or so (if it is straight blue) over the course of a few days, the BBA will love that...

Also, just to check you are using a 4dKH standard in the drop checker right?

yes, it's the solution that came with the drop checker. is there a way to keep it a little more consistent? i'm hoping the baking soda will help there. should i maybe try switching out a bottle every 3 or 4 days instead? omg my husband is gonna kill me we are already going through sugar like crazy

 

[fort384]

Every 3 or 4 days would be good, if that is what it is taking to keep it consistent.

How are you diffusing the CO2? It is definitely possible to keep it above 30ppm in a 20gal tank if you are using a 2 bottle system.

 

[mommytron]

a mini glass diffuser.

i don't get it, i did everything like you told me, fort!!! it's all your fault!!!! joking, of course. you were a HUGE help in setting it up.

 

[fort384]

Keep playing with the mixture. Try a little more yeast maybe. Try some different types of yeast. I remember tinkering a lot with mine before I found the perfect combo (which I found to be the champagne yeast... but even with bakers yeast I got more than 3-4 days).

By the time I got my DIY tweaked, I had to run an airstone at night or my tank would go to 100+ppm CO2 by morning... and the drop checker was always pale green, bordering on yellow .

 

[mommytron]

so I'm realizing now I may not have the right yeast at all. it's just what I found at my grocery store. I'll be looking for some champagne yeast soon...

this is my yeast

 

[Demonknight]

slightly going back on track, has anyone tried letting the tank get colder to fight BBA? not saying chill it but let it slide back towards room temp? (in my room thats high 60's, low 70's)

 

[mommytron]

slightly going back on track, has anyone tried letting the tank get colder to fight BBA? not saying chill it but let it slide back towards room temp? (in my room thats high 60's, low 70's)

i wouldn't bring my tank temp down that low. my cardinals would not be impressed

 

[fort384]

slightly going back on track, has anyone tried letting the tank get colder to fight BBA? not saying chill it but let it slide back towards room temp? (in my room thats high 60's, low 70's)

I don't think we are too far off track... CO2 is a great way to remedy BBA...

That is interesting demon... I haven't tried or heard that before. Do you know the theory/thinking behind it?

 

[Demonknight]

*LOL* yeah would depend on the fish...

Fort.. just that most of my tanks have been kept at room temps until lately and like the poster have issues with a couple of types of algae, and no one has posted anything about tank temps. My tank now is running in the high 70's to 80 with just a few shrimp, bristle nose and 3 female betas in a heavily planted tank (no co2)..was toying with unplugging the heater and transferring the fish out to see what happens.

 

[fort384]

I can't really think of a reason for there being a big correlation (at least not between a variance of just 15F (65-80F) or so), but if you are going to do a test with it, let us know how it turns out.

 

[Demonknight]

yeah, not sure mines BBA as its real small atm and kinda of grey(ish)...I also have a nice green water explosion going on *LOL* at least the plants seem to like it all as they are all sending out roots everywhere.

just a few plants