To CO2 or not to CO2

[black udder]

I have a 40G tank with quite a few plants in it and, as expected, they don't do very well. I really care about the fish - I'm not a plant 'lover' so going out and picking up a new plant every couple months isn't a big deal..sort of change of pace in the tank.

Question is: Is it worth putting in a DIY CO2 hookup?

The tank is located in the living room and I don't know if a CO2 tank could be inconspicous (not to mention the cost in something other than DIY).

In addition, I'm more than a bit wary after reading the FAQs. Not necessarily of harm - there's just no way I want to take much of a change of spewing anything "fermenting" on the carpet.

thoughts appreciated.

 

[frog girl]

I use DIY CO2 and have never had a problem. I think the key is to not overfill the bottle & to make sure you have a good seal. Soda bottles have a plastic gasket on the inside of the lid that allows them to keep in the pressure. When you make the hole in the lid you have to also make a hole in the gasket and put in back in place in order to get a good seal. I used a hot glue gun to seal the aquarium tubing into the 2 bottles I have made.

The thing is if you don't have enough lighting CO2 won't help your plants. I have 4 19 watt daylight spiral compact flourescents ($8 apiece at the HD) and a deep tank & my plants produce little bubbles of oxygen like crazy. It will actually make your fish happier too because they get more oxygen. If you have soft water though you have to add some CACO3 (coral or liimestone in the filter will do this) so the CO2 doesn't cause to much pH swinging.

What kind of plants are you getting??

 

[malkore]

first question - how much light do you have over this tank? If you're not at or above 1.5 watts per gallon, then I wouldn't waste my time with any CO2 setups. you could add a little Flourish Excel to ensure there was enough carbon in the water for your plants.

Since it sounds like you're having to replace plants every couple months, you either don't have sufficient light, or you're being sold non-aquatic plants (which is more common than you might think).

p.s. I moved this to the planted forum as you'll get more replies there.

 

[black udder]

Malkore - thanks for moving the post - i wasn't sure where to put the question.

It appears I have a 40w light system. Just two big fluerescent bulbs. Nothing much information-wise on the bulbs themselves. The 40W is on the back of the enclosure. Don't know if it's 40w per bulb, 20w per bulb or what. Will have to research.

The plants I've had (so bits of what's left of them) moneywart, amazon spear, java fern, and anacharis.

Right now, all the leaves are falling off the anacharis and the sword leaves are full of holes (like a worn pair of jeans - frayed).

I have 3 pleco's in the tank (3-7 inches), 3 mystery snails and an annoying group of small snails I'm trying to rid myself of.

I also have some banana plants which seem to be doing quite well now.

 

[malkore]

I'd bet it's a 40watt hood, so 2 20watt bulbs. However it's pretty easy to tell for sure, as normal fluorescent bulbs are 10watts for every 12" of length. So 24" long bulbs are 20watts.

Java fern, moneywort and anachris should survive at 1watt per gallon (your light level), but the swords won't do well.
and when i hear 'mystery snail' that makes me suspect those snails are munching on your plants. Snails and plants are always a bit of a gamble, unless you're getting something slightly exotic like nerite snails.

I've never heard of an amazon spear. Are you sure it's not an amazon sword?

 

[black udder]

yes, you are correct - if it's a sword, it's amazon sword.

Considering the dismal state of the plants, I'd say that now, it's not snails only. I've had plants do well before, but at this time, I'm sure they're lacking something. Not sure what. The Anachris used to grow like crazy, but the last few bunches I've purchased have just had all the leaves fall off.

On the bright side, the banana plants are doing pretty good...

Could I sub in different lights in the hood? Or would I need to change the hood to increase the light?

I found what appears to be a detailed DIY CO2 setup (http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html#2) so I might try that for educational purposes.

I'd like to see the plants grow - just not at the expense of the fish

 

[BeerBotia]

Any chance your fishes include Clown Loaches? Mine have done a nice job of munching on the snails I've had in my tank in the past.

 

[black udder]

No clown loaches. I may reconsider though. I love my pleco's, but with them and the cats that I have, I may have to swap some fish for a loach.

I'm going to give the lettuce a shot first...dunno if the pleco's will let the snails get to it

I've also been given the advice of removing the pleco's altogether since they might be eating the plants too.

 

[malkore]

You'd either have to replace the ballast in your light fixture with a larger one, thus over-driving your bulbs to a higher wattage (which decreases their lifespan).
Otherwise, you can get a different fixture, build your own canopy and install lighting kits, or put a retrofit kit into your old fixture (new ballast, new bulb).

You have some options, just a matter of deciding how much light (and therefore maintenance) you want, your budget, and then going with the best fit.