Lighting CO2 Which one first.

[brendokae]

Hi Gurus

I want to upgrade my 4 foot Aquarium to CO2. I have to do it slowly or my wife will kill me. I plan to buy a better light. I currently have 2 x t8 I want to buy 3 x t5 light. then a couple of months later buy a the required gear to dose CO2. Can I do This or should I be going CO2 before the light or do I have to install them together.

[Veloth]

On my 55 gal I just used a diy co2 setup after I but in better lights. I've been using it for about 2 months and its doing OK. So I think it would be fine to get the lights first. I have a co2 system on order that I'll switch to later.

[duke33]

i'd go with the lights first.

[KarlTh]

Lights first. No point pumping CO2 in there if there's not enough light to make use of it.

[jmhart]

It's a tough call. Depends on how long it'll take you to get both. I built some new lights and and added DIY CO2 at the same time, adding pressurized later on. If it's only going to be 1-3 months, go this route(lights then pressurized co2). Any longer and DIY starts to be a pain.

[Hurley]

I'm with jmhart. Upgrade the lights but do DIY co2. If you just upgrade the light and then wait a couple months you will most likely have algae problems. But, there have been times when I have run my high light tank without co2 and I could go a couple months without algae problems so long as I cut back on the fertilizers. But, I can tell you it is much easier to prevent algae then to try and get rid of it.

[wesleydnunder]

I agree with bunny13. Adding more light without a carbon source could be flirting with algae. Like was mentioned before, it all depends on how much light you're going to add. I have a non-fert, non-carbon tank with 2wpg that I have no algae issues in. The plants are slower growing than in my carbon/fert. tanks but I don't mind not having to trim the stem plants once or twice a week.

Mark

[Riiz]

I would go with lighting first, but not run all the bulbs together until I could provide a Carbon source. DIY or Excel or both excellent options for a bit.

[247Plants]

CO2 is fine in low light tanks and can actually help

Do CO2 first and then you wont have to worry about diy CO2 and algae.

[Ozymandias]

i too would go with the CO2 because it cant hurt the plants and will really help later on when you add higher lighting. i actually kick my self for not doing CO2 first, and after a while i found that DIY CO2 was a PITA

[Mgamer20o0]

just cuz you buy it doesnt mean you have to use it. diy is a pain but a co2 is easy to hide. i going to side with co2.

[Draal5]

I am in the get the co2 first because it will be easier to balance the take to the increased light.
IE you are less likely to get into an algae problem.

[phanmc]

CO2 first. CO2 will help plant growth in even low light settings, there is no risk there. The same cannot be said about high light without CO2.

[KarlTh]

CO2 can only benefit growth if there's sufficient light so that it's CO2, not light, which is the limiting factor. In most standard aquaria, there is nothing like enough light. Adding CO2 won't help until there is enough light to make use of it.

I'm not sure where the idea comes from that high light (depending on your definition of high) and no CO2 automatically means algae. I have 140 watts over 55 gallons, no added CO2, and no algae issues. In fact, it's the quarantine and kids' tanks, with low light, which have the algae issues. My experience is actually tending me towards the view that CO2 injection is overrated. The continental europeans notoriously did excellent planted tanks before it was thought of - the classic "Dutch Aquarium".

[247Plants]

In any planted tank, light should be the limiting factor and nothing else. Tom Barr has said this many times.

Dutch style tanks are algae free because they pack the tanks with fast growing stems and use med. light so algae cant gain a foothold.

140 watts over a 55 equals 2.5 watts per gallon and would be considered medium light and even then it depends on what type of light you are using be it t12 down to t5.

Plants use CO2 during photosynthesis no matter what the light may set at, its a basic function of plant respiration.

[DAVIDFBT]

Think of CO2 as a fertilizer, if there is not enough light to produce photsynthesis, then the CO2 can't speed it up, making the CO2 useless. I'd go with lights first.

[247Plants]

Only one problem with that.....

CO2 isnt a fertilizer, so it really shouldnt be thought of as one.

If a plant is photosynthesizing, it is using a carbon source. No photosynthesis = death.

Some plants are better able to be grown with CO2, some plants wont grow with out it, and some plants can get by with a bare minimum.

Just based off of my experience, High light, NO CO2 situations inevitably lead to algae blooms, low to medium light WITH CO2 will lead to better plant growth and no algae and will probably let you grow some plants you couldnt grow without CO2.

High light and no CO2 is a ticking algae time bomb, that is a simple fact known to be true and proven over and over in the planted tank community and backed by many advanced aquarists.

Please learn from others and make life a little easier.

[Mgamer20o0]

Think of CO2 as a fertilizer, if there is not enough light to produce photsynthesis, then the CO2 can't speed it up, making the CO2 useless. I'd go with lights first.

its not co2 is useless its ofter the pro vs cons. yes the $150-$200 is going to help a low light tank but really do most people going to spend the money to do it?

I have long been saying that low light CO2 enriched tanks are very stable and easy to care for, they demand less nutrients and CO2, they are easier to keep with pruning etc. Less algae. Anyone ever killed a fish with too little light?
Probably not......

Here's a simple 1.5 watt/gal light over this 70 gal tank.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u312/plantbrain/resized70galADAwith1.5wgal.jpg

Dwarf hairgrass etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Draal5]

I'm not sure where the idea comes from that high light (depending on your definition of high) and no CO2 automatically means algae. I have 140 watts over 55 gallons, no added CO2, and no algae issues. In fact, it's the quarantine and kids' tanks, with low light, which have the algae issues. My experience is actually tending me towards the view that CO2 injection is overrated. The continental europeans notoriously did excellent planted tanks before it was thought of - the classic "Dutch Aquarium".

No one is saying that, But it is very unlikely that someone new to this can add 2-3 watts of light and not get an algae bloom that will lead to a lot of frustration.

Its not an easy thing to get your tank balanced with that amount of light with or without co2.

[KarlTh]

In any planted tank, light should be the limiting factor and nothing else. Tom Barr has said this many times.

But if light is already the limiting factor there's no point adding CO2.

Dutch style tanks are algae free because they pack the tanks with fast growing stems and use med. light so algae cant gain a foothold.

140 watts over a 55 equals 2.5 watts per gallon and would be considered medium light and even then it depends on what type of light you are using be it t12 down to t5.

Where did you get those figures from? No wattages have been quoted by the OP.

Plants use CO2 during photosynthesis no matter what the light may set at, its a basic function of plant respiration.

Of course they do. The question is whether there is enough light for the plants to need CO2 over and above what's dissolved in the water anyway. In most off the shelf tanks, with around 0.75WPG or so, there isn't.