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Ok so I am planning on boosting my 55 gallon up to around 2 watts per gallon. Would I need a cO2 injection for this amount of lighting? Also what kind of plants could I get now with this amount of lighting? Thanks for the help.

Hi,
No, you would not "need" CO2 injection with 2wpg.
Go to this site: http://www.tropica.com/default.asp Do a search on low/medium light plants.

Another site is this: http://www.azgardens.com/newhabts2.php and look at
their "packages." Many purchase the plants as packages
designed for their capacity tank (yours is 55G) or others
simply write down the plants' names that are in the
desired package, and then look for them locally or else
where.

At 2 - 3 wpg you can grow very nearly any plant offered
at your LFS and most of those offered at any site.
IMO, at 3+ wpg is when you should be injecting CO2.
At a lower light level 1-1.5wpg you are only growing
"Low Light" plants and they grow so slowly, and make
such efficient use of the nutrients within the tank
that you don't need to add CO2, and may not need to
add any fertilizer.
You just won't see any obvious difference in a
short period of time. Over a very long period
you would, but the expense might not be worth the gain.

Medium and high light plants will respond, vigorously,
to CO2 injection, but it is not "required" till you reach
the point where you are "driving" the plants with increased
light. Then they need the CO2 to provide the Carbon for
growth, and will need to add additional fertilizer as well.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I would always recommend getting CO2 for a medium to high light tank. The plants at this point will respond with better growth, and that means less algae or less chance for algae. The algae/no algae line is a thin one to walk, moreso with more light, and any help is worth it IMO.

With 2wpg you can grow any low and medium light plants well. I would head over to tropica and do an advanced search for those parameters and select from that list. Try to go with some stem plants, and plant the tank from the getgo to get that headstart on algae.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients