Starting off with CO2 then switch?

[beviking]

Thanks Dopey for the "signigicant" fert thread. One question that jumped out at me from Toms advice is...

Can one start off with CO2, get things grown in, and then remove CO2? I'm sure you could start high CO2 then back it off and maybe the whole idea is asking for a disaster, but is it possible?

[Timmain42]

Seems a shame to get your plants used to CO2 and then take it away. IMO.

[djlen]

Anything is possible. Depends on the lighting you're supplying, how much of a 'disaster' it might create.

Len

[beviking]

I'm thinking of backing off the CO2 first. Then if the "weeds" are still growing too fast*, cutting them off. It'll be a month or so b4 it all happens.

too fast* = needing too much attention relevant to screaming children (and wife) demanding my attention!

[daveedka]

I would be very interested in knowing how well this works, I have had every intention of backing down to low tech as soon as my plants grow in and start filling the gaps. I only intend to keep a couple of tanks on the high growth, high maintenance plan long term. Please keep us posted.
Dave

[RockysDad]

I did this on one of my 10G tanks and it didn't do too well in the begining. For example, I had some H. deformis (?) that was growing wild with CO2. Then when I stopped, it started to loose its lower leaves and the tips weren't as big as before. After a few more weeks more leaves would fall off, the stems would start to rot and algae started to grow. Nothing else changed that I could think of. Lights were 2.6WPG of CF, lowered the ferts and did the same water changes. The tank has now stablized but I only have some Java fern, Anubias and some Cryps. Algae is there but at a minimum.

You might want to think twice about what plants you have and how much light there is before stopping CO2. Be ready for some die-off and algae problems due to the balance of the tank getting all messed up. But, one thing nice is that its much easier to enjoy the tank now due to its lower maintanance :p .

[beviking]

Definitely things to consider...thanks. My big decision maker will probably be the glosso. It has been doing well with the current lighting (just over 2wpg) and CO2 but I don't think it will like me removing the CO2 altogether. Once it grows back in, as long as it holds up, I'll be happy. The more I think about it(and write about it) the more I think it may not work...at least with glosso. :(

[djlen]

I think you are correct on the last assumption.

Len

[RTR]

I have dropped CO2 from a number of tanks through the years - it always involves changing out some plants, as along with CO2 I back off lighting and ferts comparably - dropping one factor and keeping the others up is algae invitation in my tanks.

[beviking]

...dropping one factor and keeping the others up is algae invitation in my tanks.

I think that applies to all tanks. At least, I'll make that assumption in my case.