# Co2



## pullins125 (Mar 17, 2008)

i have all the supplies i need for my planted tank besides the plants. i just wanna be sure i have everything. i have a high power light which i getting high light plants. i have a filter high enough to retotate water bout 8 times per hour. i have the decor and some flourite gravel. i think that evrything i need but i keep seeing stuff bout a CO2 oxidizer. do i need one or will the filter do enough. a want to get everything right so my new tank is a sucess.


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2008)

How many watts of light will you have? High light needs co2 injection to make the plants healthy and keep algae to minimal, but people have different thoughts of what high light is.


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## pullins125 (Mar 17, 2008)

2 96 watt light bulbs but ill probably only haveone on at a time. most the plants i want need 1.89 watss per gallon.


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

Most of us have varying opinions on this subject.

I run 3.49 wpg on my heavily planted tank. Same bulbs as you, 2 96 watt bulbs over a 55 gallon tank. I've never used CO2, and the plants in the tank are amazing. I never have had any wilt, die, or go brown. Many of them spread and grow so fast that I have to do significant grooming once a week. 

I personally say skip the CO2.


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2008)

Its only a 46g, so just use one bulb or get a pressurized co2 system.


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## pullins125 (Mar 17, 2008)

ok. thanks for the advice. i wouldnt use the co2 unless plants start dying. is it ok to add the plants with the water or should i run the filter to get water clean before the plants?


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## Guest (Aug 20, 2008)

Either way works.  Fast growing stem plants are good for cycling, if you don't have an established filter to move over.


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## akangelfood (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm curious, Kristin, and you might be just the person to answer it because you've always seemed to be rather experienced with high-light tanks. At what point (wpg) do you generally suggest that someone use CO2?


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## pullins125 (Mar 17, 2008)

so you suggesting to cycle the tank or not? i confused with your previous answer.


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2008)

akangelfood said:


> I'm curious, Kristin, and you might be just the person to answer it because you've always seemed to be rather experienced with high-light tanks. At what point (wpg) do you generally suggest that someone use CO2?


Usually around 3wpg is when you want to have co2 injection on a tank. Its at that point that the carbon need of the plant is elevated from the higher lighting. Some people have successful tanks around 3wpg without co2 though, but others either have not so healthy plants or algae issues (both of which are reasons you want co2 at that level).

At 4wpg I'd say you definitely need co2 or you'll have an algae farm. This is for tanks above 20g. Smaller tanks need more wattage to be considered high light, so you could have 4wpg on a 5g and not need co2 injection.



pullins125 said:


> so you suggesting to cycle the tank or not? i confused with your previous answer.


Yeah, I'm saying to cycle it, unless you pack the tank with faster growing plants like stem plants. They will take in ammonia, but you want to start with alot of stem plants (like Rotala, Bacopa, Wisteria, Hornwort for example) and start with just a few fish. You can do whats called a silent cycle that way.


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## pullins125 (Mar 17, 2008)

ok thanks now i just gotta wait for the gravel to come then ill be set. it should be here today hopefully. i ordering the plants today so they should be ikn soon the by fish with a guatantee first just incase then buy the apisto i wanna buy. yippie


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