# C02 or no Co2



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

Hey, I was wondering. Whats the deal with C02? Ive got a 55g tank that I just order a T5 HO light (2 tube, 108 watts) for. Im wanting to put 6 or 8 plants in it. Will I need C02? How will I know, and if so, what a good system to get? Thanks


----------



## igot2gats (Aug 12, 2010)

Yes, in order to have plants survive in an aquarium, you'll need to have some way of providing co2 for them.

The 2 main ways of going about it: get a pressurized co2...it'll run you a few hundred.

Or, you can make your own: YouTube - DIY CO2 Reactor

Everything included will run you no more than $20.00...prob a little less.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Not exactly true, plants will survive fine without you adding anything to the tank.

If you would like them to thrive more then CO2 is an option. Even if your light is considered in the high-medium area (which is roughly where most people say you need CO2) you don't need it. But, it does make it easier to control algae if your lighting is pretty high. The "need" for CO2 is driven by the plants you want and the amount of light you have.

A DIY system would not be very effective for a tank that size unless you had quite a few mixtures going. Pressurized system is your best option. Systems are not cheap and personally, I don't like trusting used materials for CO2, unless it is the bottle. You can find a decent regulator for about $100. From there you'll need about a 5lb tank and diffuser. Bubble counter may be necessary.


----------



## Guest (Feb 20, 2011)

Hey driftwood. I also have a 55g and have had planted tanks before. I know from experiance that CO2 really helps plants to thrive and grow. There is plenty of info on the subject via the net. If you decide to buy a CO2 system I suggest the "Red Sea CO2 Pro System 500". Right around $150.00. It has all you need to get going except the bottle. I use paint ball bottles so I bought the one made to use them. You get the regulator, needle valve, reactor, bubble counter and hose. I just set up this deal on my new 55g. Good luck.


----------



## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

I've been using "CO2 booster" from API and my plants are doing better. Possibly a 3rd solution. You dont need it outright but you may want to do something.


----------



## roacan (Dec 25, 2010)

phys said:


> I've been using "CO2 booster" from API and my plants are doing better. Possibly a 3rd solution. You dont need it outright but you may want to do something.


How long would the CO2 booster last? Do you need to dose everyday?


----------



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

Hey, great input, thank you all. Still dont know what to do though, guess Ill wait and see how my plants do without it and go from there.


----------



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

billeboy7071 said:


> Hey driftwood. I also have a 55g and have had planted tanks before. I know from experiance that CO2 really helps plants to thrive and grow. There is plenty of info on the subject via the net. If you decide to buy a CO2 system I suggest the "Red Sea CO2 Pro System 500". Right around $150.00. It has all you need to get going except the bottle. I use paint ball bottles so I bought the one made to use them. You get the regulator, needle valve, reactor, bubble counter and hose. I just set up this deal on my new 55g. Good luck.


If you dont mind me asking, were did you get yours, and how long do the cylinders last?


----------



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> Not exactly true, plants will survive fine without you adding anything to the tank.
> 
> If you would like them to thrive more then CO2 is an option. Even if your light is considered in the high-medium area (which is roughly where most people say you need CO2) you don't need it. But, it does make it easier to control algae if your lighting is pretty high. The "need" for CO2 is driven by the plants you want and the amount of light you have.
> 
> A DIY system would not be very effective for a tank that size unless you had quite a few mixtures going. Pressurized system is your best option. Systems are not cheap and personally, I don't like trusting used materials for CO2, unless it is the bottle. You can find a decent regulator for about $100. From there you'll need about a 5lb tank and diffuser. Bubble counter may be necessary.


I dont think my light is going to be very high, Id say medium,


----------



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

Can somebody recommend some hardy easy to grow plants?


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Wisteria, anacharis, swords (they'll outgorw your tank maybe, but they take quite a while to get there), vals, crypts, ludwiga, ...a lot of them.


----------



## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

the booster will last about two months for a 50 gallon tank with a daily dose. Less for bigger tanks, more for smaller. Its only an 8 oz bottle that i'm using right now so thats where the numbers come from. Adding some "Flourish" will help also and that's a weekly dosing.


----------



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

phys said:


> the booster will last about two months for a 50 gallon tank with a daily dose. Less for bigger tanks, more for smaller. Its only an 8 oz bottle that i'm using right now so thats where the numbers come from. Adding some "Flourish" will help also and that's a weekly dosing.


Will the booster or Flourish harm the fish?


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Neither would harm the fish.


----------



## Guest (Feb 20, 2011)

driftwood said:


> If you dont mind me asking, were did you get yours, and how long do the cylinders last?


I got mine on line at MarineandReef.com. I am using 20oz paintball bottles. Don't know how long they last yet as this is my first time using them. Just a guess would be 2 or 3 months. Bottles cost around $30.00 and around $4 to $5 to fill. I am really happy with this system......


----------



## danilykins (Dec 22, 2010)

A couple weeks ago I complained about my plants dieing on me. I started with fertilizer, but it didn't quite do it.. added a new light.. it helped a little... last week I bought a really cheap CO2 system(jungle brand) to see if it would help. Today I was looking at my plants and was amazed at how much they have grown in the past week. I have to say at LEAST an inch probably 2-3inches. That is the most growth I have seen since I started the tank back in December.


----------



## Guest (Feb 20, 2011)

danilykins said:


> A couple weeks ago I complained about my plants dieing on me. I started with fertilizer, but it didn't quite do it.. added a new light.. it helped a little... last week I bought a really cheap CO2 system(jungle brand) to see if it would help. Today I was looking at my plants and was amazed at how much they have grown in the past week. I have to say at LEAST an inch probably 2-3inches. That is the most growth I have seen since I started the tank back in December.


IMO.CO2 is the best thing you can do for a planted aquarium. Other than lighting. But lighting and CO2 go hand in hand from all that I have read on the subject. I have read that the stronger the lighting the more CO2 is needed to allow photosynthesis to happen. But you can over do the CO2 also like anything else. When properly administered it will make your plants happy, happy, happy..........Again the net is a wonderful tool to find out about this stuff. I would read up on what the real experts say about CO2....Most people on here mean well but most are not experts and can give bad advice occasionally. Including myself. So driftwood, I'd type in "co2 in planted aquariums" and hit enter........... happy learning........


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

driftwood said:


> I dont think my light is going to be very high, Id say medium,


Medium is better. Less potential for annoying problems like too much algae. Easier to obtain a balance. I struggle with the tank I have that is in the high-medium area.


----------



## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

neither are supposed to and neither have so far.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I just barely decommissioned my pressurized CO2 until I have the money to afford a better bubble counter and a solenoid. Too much of a hassle otherwise.

CO2 is great for plants but the truth is they will get all or close to all of their CO2 naturally from the water. CO2 and O2 are exchanged at the surface of the water via gas exchange. As plants deplete the CO2 in the water, the water itself absorbs some of the CO2 from the surrounding air.

You could add a bubble column (air pump, airline tubing and some sort of air stone in the water) which would help aerate the water and break the surface tension, promoting said gas exchange, as a way to keep your CO2 levels as high as possible without CO2 injection. Or, as mentioned above, you can inject yeast-fermented or pressurized CO2. Cost, of course, is the limiting factor here.

The objective of a yeast fermentation or pressurized CO2 system is to boost the levels of CO2 in your tank higher than what would normally be supplied by gas exchange. This is a highly technical and potentially deadly process, as too much CO2 in the tank will asphyxiate your fish. However, the whole idea of injected CO2 is to use it in conjunction with added fertilizers and high-powered lights to turn your tank into an aquatic garden or jungle. It's fun, but very intensive. I have such a tank, but I just decommissioned the CO2 and am running two other tanks without CO2 or boosted light. I just don't have the time between school and work to devote to such a system anymore. Maybe over the summer I'll bring it back.

A great article to read about the science behind aquatic plants is below. Let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.hallman.org/plant/huebert.html


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

CO2 or not CO2 depends on the plants you want to grow. Assuming everything else were where it needed to be (lighting, substrate, ferts,..) then yes, maybe CO2 wouldn't be needed and the plants would get enough from the water. Hard to get all the rest of the pieces where they need to be though, especially the lighting.

I got a bubble counter for you - cheap (I don't use them anymore). With the size of your tank you could do DIY easily.


----------



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

GTM.
right know Im running a 2 bulb T5 HO (108 Watt) light. I have a 20 in. bubble wall, and I use fertilizer additive and my plants seem to be doing fine. Maybe there not going to grow as fast as others with co2, but hey, how fast do thet need to grow. Im in no hurry to trim them.


----------



## driftwood (Feb 13, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> CO2 or not CO2 depends on the plants you want to grow. Assuming everything else were where it needed to be (lighting, substrate, ferts,..) then yes, maybe CO2 wouldn't be needed and the plants would get enough from the water. Hard to get all the rest of the pieces where they need to be though, especially the lighting.
> 
> I got a bubble counter for you - cheap (I don't use them anymore). With the size of your tank you could do DIY easily.


right now Ive just got some Java Ferns, Java Moss, and Amazon Swords. Gona try to keep it simple and low maintance, but still look decent. Looking for some small plants for the front


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Those plants will definitely do fine without CO2, but if you want accelerated growth it's the way to go. 

Since I own the recommended system mentioned above, personally I'd stay away from it. It is great from the sense that it all comes together in one pkg, but the solenoid and needle valve used in the system are crap and they are parts you can't afford to have trouble with. I have 3 different systems on my tanks and it is the only one I have trouble with. Just recently had to replace the solenoid and now the needle valve is giving me problems. Regulator and bubble counter appear to be solid pieces.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

driftwood said:


> GTM.
> right know Im running a 2 bulb T5 HO (108 Watt) light. I have a 20 in. bubble wall, and I use fertilizer additive and my plants seem to be doing fine. Maybe there not going to grow as fast as others with co2, but hey, how fast do thet need to grow. Im in no hurry to trim them.


Right now you are running low-medium light, and what fertilizer are you using? If you're going to go with injected CO2, I would look at doubling your current light's power while keeping the same type (T5HO) and look at buying some dry chemical fertilizers.

However, I would say at the moment your tank is set up ideally for most plants, albeit as you said your plant growth will be average instead of Herculean.


----------

