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Old 21-07-2003, 09:26 PM
~Vicki ~
 
Posts: n/a
Default CO2 - Here's the straight sh*(

Wow - Feel like I've been run over by a truck. I've tried to balance
everything for months. OK - it works for everyone else - I'll keep
trying. Guess I'll go with different bulbs or something this time. CYA



Let me qualify my statement. I have two garden centers and a landscape
whole sale lot that the landscape department of my business works out
of. So it is reasonable to say that I know a thing or two about plants.
Plants are basically the same whether they grow on land or water and
need the same things to thrive. mainly water, light, nutrients, CO2 and
oxygen.

If your lawn is full of weeds than it is reasonable to think that the
dirt is of poor quality, meaning that it is low in organic material
needed to promote good grass growth. Algae is like a weed then and it
is growing very happily in your tank. Now saying that you still don't
know how to fix the problem and are very frustrated since you have
followed everyones' advice and still are left with an unsightly tank.

Well then let me explain my own tank set up to you and see if it can
help you a little bit. I have a 55 g tank which I have placed next to a
north-eastern window in my home. It gets filtered light all day and I
also use a full spectrum light in the hood.(nothing special, just the
hood that came with the tank. The bulb which come with the hood is no
good for plants tho. Just get one at your local pet store which is full
spectrum.) My tank is also fully stocked with fish which produce plenty
of CO2 and other stuff which make my plants grow happily. I change 50%
of my water every week and add a little aquatic plant food for the trace
elements that the plants need to be healthy in the tank. I also do not
have hundreds of plants in it, but about 15. I have several diff types
of amazon sword, several Ceratopteris thalictroides ( oriental water
fern) sagittaria (dwarf variety ) and several Nymphaea lotus ( Egyptian
water lilly) all of which do not need intense lighting. They are not
crowded together but have enough space for the water to move around.
(crowding is the number one killer of plants in the landscape. They
will not thrive if there is not adequate air movement and disease will
set in) Also I have a basic over the side filter which I use carbon in
the filter. I change the filter media every 3 weeks. Besides filtering
the water it oxygenates both fish and plants.

In the 20 + years that I have been keeping fish I have never had algae
grow more than a few little spots here and there in my tanks.

Now having said that, do you have the lighting needed for your type of
plants? Just like land plants, aquatic ones have there own lighting
requirements. Take Marigolds for instance. If planted in the sun they
take off and grow beautifully, but take the same plant and place it in
shade it will not do well. It will also not be able to hold its own
against say "Ivy" and is soon taken over. The same can be said of your
aquatic plants. They are having some trouble holding there own against
the algae. Re-evaluate your plants lighting needs and this should help.

Do you have fish in your tank? If so how many? Having fish provide CO2
and nitrates which the plants need to grow. Without fish you have to
add CO2 and nitrates to the tank in the proper dosages. This can be a
little tricky because to much or not enough will harm your plants. Fish
also eat algae. (have you ever seen an over fertilized lawn? dead and
dyeing grass is not a pretty sight)

How often do you do water changes? how much? I have found that 50%
weekly not only keeps my fish very happy, but my plants too. Fish waist
and other dirt does not have a chance to clog up the plants so they can
photosynthasize (sp?) properly. And a properly running plant competes
with weeds.


Hope this was a little help for you. You can e-mail me and try to work
this out if you would like.

Vicki