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do you need to have CO2 injections??? do you need it in a medium light tank(2 watts/gallon)???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
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Hi,
No, you do not need to inject CO2 in a tank such as you
mention. Plants are limited in their growth by light,
and nutrients such as Carbon. If you "drive" the plants
to higher growth rates by adding higher wattage lights
then the plants will at first thrive, and then starve
pale, and die off as they cannot get the nutrients that
they need to grow.

If you stick with low/medium light demand plants, and
stick with around 2 watts per gallon you can have a
beautiful tank.

Frank


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

thanks

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

As Frank said, no you don't NEED it, but IMO any CO2 addition will help plants grow no matter how much light you have. I could definitely tell the difference in my tank when it only had 2wpg, especially with the plants that usually would like a little more light.

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Another alternative to CO2 for lower light tanks (<=2wpg) is Flourish Excel.

-P

what is flourish excel???

kj fishy-finn <*)))><
20 Gallon Album
5 Gallon Album

A product made by the company Seachem. The line if fertilizers is Flourish and Excel is the name of the source of carbon. Not CO2, but carbon, which will be an ok substitute in low light tanks.

Flourish Excel is a source of bioavailable organic carbon. All plants require a source of carbon. This is typically obtained from CO2, but, may also be derived from simple organic compounds (such as photosynthetic intermediates). Therefore, one can derive a substantial benefit with the use of Flourish Excel either alone or in conjunction with CO2 injection. Flourish Excel also has iron reducing properties which promote the ferrous state of iron (Fe+2), which is more easily utilized by plants than ferric iron (Fe+3). Flourish Excel is an integral component of Seachem’s plant products and is recommended for use with the entire Flourish line as well as our Flourite and Onyx Sand substrates. Contains no phosphate or nitrate.

From the Seachem website. http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/FlourishExcel.html

*Kristin*