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  L# My article #1 - CO2 and 1wpg can be done - disproving the myth.
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SubscribeMy article #1 - CO2 and 1wpg can be done - disproving the myth.
DaMossMan
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male canada ca-ontario
This is just to day that I've read time and time again that CO2 will not make a difference in under 2wpg tanks.
THIS IS NOT TRUE.

I know in my 1 wpg tank, it definately helped alot.

I started my first planted tank a couple years ago,
and had much advise from certain members here, the main ones being Crazygar, and Frank.
I had a 29 gal with a 24 inch double strip light giving me 30 watts, and regular ugly red gravel.

Before co2 addition, my plants seemed weak and pale, grew slowly, and the 'fancier' plants wouldn't last long.. It was frustrating to pay $8. to $15. for a plant to watch them die, even some of the 'easiest' plants could have done alot better as they were not growing. Algae was also a problem.

Then I added a hagen co2 unit to the tank, and
IT CHANGED THINGS COMPLETELY !

Within 3 weeks of adding CO2, my plants started looking healthier, more lush and faster growth. Also I found it allowed me to keep a few higher requirement plants that woulda died otherwise.. Algea no longer a problem but would resurface occasionally due to other factors.

Bottom line is CO2 has allowed me to keep 14 types of plants and there's at least 10 more types I know would work, not to mention you could have a jungle of just the various types of crypts, anubias, java fern and mosses.. Not that co2 is required for those species, but it will still make them healthier if you notice they need a 'boost'.
If you don't have alot of light, you could still pull something like this off...

My tank 2 weeks ago...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v427/DaFishMan/29gal.jpg

Twice I had complete jungles in my tank, the first with Asian Ambulia, the 2nd with Hygrophila polysperma. Now with as many types as I could fit since I trade cuttings with local fishkeepers as well as sell them.. For a plant beginner with 1wpg and a small tank, I don't consider this too shabby.

This does not mean I recommend plant beginners (I'm including myself in this category still) to all start 1wpg tanks with regular gravel and co2. I'm leaning toward if you have a 1wpg tank and your plants are suffering, and they're low light plants, buy a hagen unit or better yet try a DIY co2 setup which you'll find in the TECHNICAL TINKERING section of this site. There are also recipes to make your CO2 instead of buying the expensive packets..

Doing a low light setup with various plants has been a good learning ground for me and very rewarding. I'll be upgrading my setup using what I've learned in 1wpg school.
What I mostly learned was what limitations I had, and how to work around a couple, and what ones I couldn't change.

1. In a low light tank, tank height can really make a difference. The better the light gets down to the substrate, the less 'leggy' your growth will be. Low profile or 'breeder' tanks will achieve better results then tanks 18 inches or taller. My 29 is 18' height.
Growth is leggy in most stem plants.. And 'carpet' plants exist but do not flourish. They are pale-ish as need a bit better light penetration, and other factors such as I'm guessing iron and potassium. I'm convinced with flourite, a lower tank, and attention to micronutrients, they will flourish..

2. Know your plants requirements.
Really research your plants before you select them..
My plants are mostly low requirement plants, with more and more mediums making their way in.

Article 2 will be using all I've learned in my 1wpg 29gal as I upgrade to a 40 gal breeder tank (36Lx18Wx14H) with 100% flourite (bought tank and flourite used), housing German Blue Rams, and PLANTS ! Will be a small lighting upgrade too. More South American plants will be sneaking their way in too ! In light of that, I traded a clown loach for plant 06 this week and crammed it into the 29 for now. (I just edited my complete plant list and separated by origin, I appear to have a South Americasian Biotope LOL !!)

My current plant list in 1wpg, CO2, and pea gravel.
I know the aquascapers in here will say it's a 'mixed salad' and they're right..

South American
01. Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) global plant
02. Corkscrew Val - (Vallisneria americana v. biwaensis) (Venezuela)
03. Dwarf Sag (Sagittaria Subulata)
04. Sagittaria Pusilla (Sagittaria subulata var. pusilla)
05 Brazilian Ivy / Pennywort - Hydrocotyle leucocephala
06. Amazon Sword (Echinodorus amazonicus)

Asian
07. Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana)
08. Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus)
09. Java Fern ‘Wendelov’ (Microsorium pteropus v. "Wendelov"
10. Java Fern ‘Lace’ (Microsorum pteropus v. 'Tropica')
11. Asian Ambulia (Limnophila Sessiliflora)
12. Cryptocoryne x willisii
13. Crypt - reddish brown
14. Wisteria (Hygrophila Difformis)
15. Vallisneria spiralis 'Tiger'
16. Crypt Wendti brown ?

Some of these will be phased out after the upgrade but will all remain at first. E tenellus, erect moss, and cardamine lyarta are on my hit list to be added so far.
Also have a few new stem plant cuttings from a friend today, still to identify...

Wow, that was a long rant, sorry bout that ! Guess I'm just excited about the tank changes and wanted to share that too.












Last edited by DaFishMan at 24-Jul-2005 14:38

The Amazon Nut...
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile Homepage PM Edit Report 
Untitled No. 4
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Big Fish
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male uk
There's no reason why CO2 wouldn't help for a low light tank. Have read somewhere on the net a while ago about CO2/light issues in low-light tanks and an experiment showed that adding CO2 is more beneficial for the plants than upgrading the lights. I think it was an excerpt taken from the Diana Walstad book, but I'm not 100% sure. I guess your tank is a living proof as you see lots of tanks with stronger lights than yours and with poor growth on plants.

Anyway, good for you that you've not listened to what people told and tried it yourself. It seems that there are lots of myths in the hobby that are passed on as facts and a simplet experiment would show that they're just that -- myths.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
mattyboombatty
 
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I'd rather make my first attempt at plants with low - low medium light (less than 2wpg) and with DIY CO2 than try to go crazy with light even with CO2. I'm glad I started in the middle with things because it allows for a greater room for error.


I think 1wpg can be done with/without CO2, while higher wpg setups are much harder without CO2. I think this is generally what is meant when people say CO2 doesn't make a big difference in low light setups. It's still beneficial for plants, but it's just not as important. I think you'll notice a bigger difference when you bump up the lights with CO2 though.




Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
plantbrain
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male usa
I said that CO2 realyl helps a lower light tank about a decade ago.

That's all folks had back then, 2 w/gal was a lot at the time.

Adding CO2 will maximize plant health and reduce the amount of light needed to grow plants.

So adding CO2 will allow the plants to use the light more efficencly since the plant can allocate more resources to gathering light rather than CO2.

This is basic plant physiology
Further evidence can be found in old APD post, See George Booth's, Steve Dixon and my own comments on low light.

Tropic's Claus did a decent study on it I believe using Riccia.

Adding CO2 maximizes the light usage and also conserves energy and cost for lighting.

It also allows the aquarist more wiggle room with fdosing errors and neglect than higher light systems.

More light is not better, I would argue it's worse.

Regards,
Tom Barr





Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
trystianity
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female canada
Looking good DFM.... I personally don't use CO2 on my low light tanks just mostly because I'm lazy and don't want to take the time to set it up, but I do recognize the benefits! I like the simplicity of a lower light tank without CO2 personally, growth is slow but I find it really easier to take care of because a setup like that needs almost no upkeep IME. Most of the time I go for the simplest setup possible, low light, no CO2, undemanding plants, etc. One thing I like about a lower light setup is that it usually isn't fussy, I can choose to go with or without CO2 and dose really rarely and still have a decent planted tank. I think the freedom of a low maintenance low-tech tank is really underrated especially in online communities, everybody has to have the newest high tech gadgetry! I am and always have been a big fan of keeping my tanks as fuss free as possible, they are a lot easier to maintain that way and most of the time I don't have the energy to do much with them anyway.

There are good arguments on both sides for supplemental CO2, most aquarists are one side or the other I think. I just go without most of the time in the interest of keeping things as simple as possible and requiring as little work from me as possible as well. KISS method suits me very well. I might try something like that on my 29 though, I have about 1.5 wpg on it, right now there's no added CO2 and it is doing well but it won't hurt to set a bottle up and test it out. I have grown most of the plants you listed @ about 1.5 wpg and no CO2, some others like aponogetons, hygrophila sp, etc. but I tend to rely really heavily on a rich substrate and higher stocking of fish to keep it balanced. Thanks for the article though, gives me something new to try on the 29.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:42Profile Homepage ICQ AIM MSN Yahoo PM Edit Delete Report 
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