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 L# Technical Tinkering
  L# co2?????
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Subscribeco2?????
fish1
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male usa
do you have to have co2 to have plant?? or is it just reccomended! btw my plants are doing fine i was just wundering!
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:40Profile PM Edit Report 
Arianwen
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Fingerling
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female usa
If you have a decent size tank (at least 20g+) and more than ~2 watts of light per gallon, co2 can be helpful to increase plant growth and reduce algae. If you have lighting less than 1.5wpg you likely won't notice a difference.

You do not need co2 to plant your tank. However, if you start getting up to a high light tank (3+wpg) you are advised to invest in it. In the mid range co2 may be helpful but isn't "required".
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:40Profile AIM PM Edit Report 
fish1
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male usa
ya well i guess it wouldnt help much thanks for the replies and also welcome to fp
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:40Profile PM Edit Report 
FRANK
 
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male usa us-colorado
Hi,
The short answer is no, you don't need CO2 for a lush
green jungle. But, there are "qualifications" to that
statement.

Plants absolutely have to have Carbon to live and grow.
They can get it from breaking down the organic compounds
in the gravel (the bacteria make it by in turn breaking
down fish waste, excess food, and dying plants.) However
plants have to "work" to breakdown many of the compounds
and it is simply too hard for them to do it, hence they
wither and die. Injected CO2 is the easiest way for
plants to get the carbon that they need. Injected CO2,
is like giving a kid candy, the sugar drives them nutz.
In this case the CO2 puts plants into overdrive. Instead
of just eeking out an existance on the existing carbon,
they suddenly have a constant banquet of carbon and couldn't be happier.

If you keep low light plants in a low light tank with
at least a normal fish load for that tank, your plants
will thrive and grow to the extent of the available
carbon. If you increase something, such as lighting
from low light to medium or high light, then their
rate of photosynthsis increases, and their demand for
cabon increases. If you don't supply it, then the plants
will use all the available carbon from within the tank,
and then start to wither and die back to something that
the system can support.

Keep a "normal" amount of plants, all within the same
"light demand" group, and stock the tank with fish to
the "normal" load, and you should have a beautiful green
tank.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:40Profile PM Edit Report 
FMZ
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male usa
I wish I had a digital camera, I would post picture of my planted aquarium. I am using CO2 (which doesn't make a difference since it DIY on 75 gallon w/ 2 Gatorade Gallon bottles). I am pumping about 3.5 watts per gallon.


Its not necessary but probably makes a difference (not in my case)



[span class="edited"][Edited by FMZ 2004-07-01 19:55][/span]
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:40Profile PM Edit Report 
fish1
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male usa
well i have heard that it is a good thing to have im just not sure i want/need to get into it!
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:40Profile PM Edit Report 
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