Does this tank need DIY CO2 or is it fine alone??? Lots of questions/Pics

[Mantis_22]

Hey everyone, today I just started my first Lightly planted tank. And when I say lightly I mean it lol. The tank has been running for a month and all nitrites are gone so i thought I'd get to adding some goodies. I'm very fond of plants, especially looking at you pros on here and in the world who have heavily planted tanks gives me a inspiration lol. Here are to questions...

The tank itself...
http://www.imahosting.com/sigs/jun0103.jpg

1 Ulvaceus as shown.
http://www.imahosting.com/sigs/jun0102.jpg

The term "Lightly Planted" means how many plants as a limit?

Does CO2 need to be used on a lightly planted tank such as mine. I will only have a maximum of 3-6 plants...

I can make DIY CO2. I make it for my aquatic greenhouse and all the plants seem to be going well and green. Should I use DIY CO2 in this puppy?

How much wattage will I need for about 3-6 plants? Right now im using a Flouresant 15 watt...

If I run DIY CO2 I dont have any extra cash for now to buy any equipment, neverless a reactor. So can I just run the plastic Piping from the bottle into the Intake Pipe of my power filter and have it shoot out to CO2 broken up?

And last of all to make sure, when running the plastic piping into the tank is this idea correct by what I have shown here in the pic? Running the pipe right into where the intake will suck the bubbles?
http://www.imahosting.com/sigs/jun0101.jpg

Thanks alot guys, wish me luck!! lol

[Brandon]

read thread 11473 ( good info). I lived in somerset for 22 years, is there and good lfs there now?

[Mantis_22]

Pet max on South Highway 27 just opened and have trained workers from what I hear. So thats a start, other than that we have Wal-Mart and Just for pets which are a good LFS.

[Brandon]

if you are ever in Florence, Ky you should stop by World of Pets on Turfway rd.

[jdwyz]

hi all ky folk:)i dont think your co2 injection method is gonna help raise your levels up at all.you see the bubbles may get churned up when they are sucked in but your problem will be when your power filter trickles the water flow back into the tank.this is where all of your co2 will be lost.inject the co2 instead into a powerhead gravel tube method which is disscussed everywhere on the net.or use a hagen diffuser,cheap and works good.


good luck

[Mantis_22]

any links to a hagen diffuseR?

[Beth]

Don't really have anything constructive to say, I was just feeling left out of the KY loop:D Hi, Bluegrass buddies!

[Ranger]

Yes

Do some CO2 if you have the resources, even if your tank is barely planted it will help those plants grow faster and fuller so you will be able to prune them and re-plant them better. Then pretty soon you will have a moderately plated tank. Add more light when you can. A few cheep florescent fixtures from a hardware store will do great, the kind with a cord that are designed to go under cabinets or shelves, use a plant or full spectrum daylight bulb in them. The "general rule" is a minimum of two watts of light per gallon. Try for at least that because even one plant needs that much. Light isn't like fertilizer that floats around in the water till used; if it’s not strong enough the plant won't photosynthesize.

Good luck and what is an Aquatic greenhouse? Got Pics?

[jdwyz]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=8981

buy only the diffuser, and mix your own co2.go here for this info on how i mix the ingrediants for my hagen setup.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11003&highlight=jdwyz


one more thing.i also have a power filter on my 29 gal.but i never run it when the lights are on.the surface disturbance really causes the co2 level to drop considerably.i have a timer that kicks the filter on after the lights go out and again back off before they come on.i have no probs with this setup for now but i eventually will buy a good canister type filter.which can be left on continuosly.

[djlen]

Mantis, unless I missed it you don't say what size your tank is. If it's a 29 gal. or less a DIY CO2 will work fine. Any larger than that and it gets a little iffy. Then you're talking about multiple bottles. Also the tank size would help to determine what amount of wattage you'll need to be successful.
I use a Hagen 402 power head to diffuse CO2 in my 55's, but they make a smaller power head for smaller tanks. You can buy any of them at: www.bigalsonline.com
Most of us use anywhere from 1.5 - 4.0 watts/gal. So if your tank is a 10, with 15 watts you have 1.5 watts/gal. If it's a 20 you're going to need more light, just to maintain a 'low light' planted tank.
CO2 will make plant growing much more rewarding no matter what your lighting is.
Len

[Mantis_22]

10gl