Lighting. When it comes to a planted tank a little bit of information can hurt you alot!!! For some reason the first thing people hear is.... You can't grow plants without massive lighting. This is true for some plants but certainly not all. Then people seem to think I'll get the lighting first and worry about the CO2 later.
So people go out and invest in fixtures of more than 2 wpg without any understanding of the water chemistry required to balance the effect of that much lighting. Complex plants (the plants we want grow), require carbon, nitrogen, potassium, and a host of trace elements for health and photosynthesis. Simpler plants (algae), can proliferate without all of the building blocks mentioned above being in balance. Expecially carbon.
When you throw alot of light at your tank, and are missing CO2, the algae will steal that light from your plants. You soon realize that what you've accomplished is growing magnificent algae to the detriment of your plants.
Conclusion: High light and no CO2 will be a disaster.
(This thread is for information and resources only. Post questions in new threads. -- czcz, 9/06)
So people go out and invest in fixtures of more than 2 wpg without any understanding of the water chemistry required to balance the effect of that much lighting. Complex plants (the plants we want grow), require carbon, nitrogen, potassium, and a host of trace elements for health and photosynthesis. Simpler plants (algae), can proliferate without all of the building blocks mentioned above being in balance. Expecially carbon.
When you throw alot of light at your tank, and are missing CO2, the algae will steal that light from your plants. You soon realize that what you've accomplished is growing magnificent algae to the detriment of your plants.
Conclusion: High light and no CO2 will be a disaster.
(This thread is for information and resources only. Post questions in new threads. -- czcz, 9/06)