C02 algae question
- Thread starter captmicha
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Well I kept reading that co2 helps plants use up and out competes algae for other nutrients nitrates/phosphates/potassium. I tried googling why plants are better at using co2 but couldn't find why, so I just assumed it was because since plants are a higher/more complex life form than algae they are better at using up co2. Thats just an guess though but seems logical.
tanker
Josh Holloway--Be mine!!!
CO2 and high lights makes the plants take up nutrients faster to grow.
Plants (and most other living things) are made up of carbon. With the high lights the plants "want" to grow faster==need a carbon source (CO2). As they grow they need more vitamins (nutrients). Higher-order plants can utilize these nutrients more efficiently then low-order one-cell plants (algae). So the algae starve.
Plants (and most other living things) are made up of carbon. With the high lights the plants "want" to grow faster==need a carbon source (CO2). As they grow they need more vitamins (nutrients). Higher-order plants can utilize these nutrients more efficiently then low-order one-cell plants (algae). So the algae starve.
From what i understand algae doesn't really need co2 and can grow in almost any condition because in some ways it's a much more evolved in my opinion because it doesn't mind change. All algae really needs is light.
Plants can only grow better than algae when conditions are just right. I've never believed that plants out compete algae for nutrients because the opposite is true. When people start limiting their nutrients to combat algae what happens is the algae stays the same and the plants are the ones that starve. I've found if you just focus on the needs or your plants and encourage good growth with the right conditions then you won't have any algae.
Co2 is an important nutrient for plants and many people find that when you supplement with co2 you're supposedly high light plants can thrive in low light conditions. Yes growth might be slower but you can still form a lush jungle in no time.
Plants can only grow better than algae when conditions are just right. I've never believed that plants out compete algae for nutrients because the opposite is true. When people start limiting their nutrients to combat algae what happens is the algae stays the same and the plants are the ones that starve. I've found if you just focus on the needs or your plants and encourage good growth with the right conditions then you won't have any algae.
Co2 is an important nutrient for plants and many people find that when you supplement with co2 you're supposedly high light plants can thrive in low light conditions. Yes growth might be slower but you can still form a lush jungle in no time.
tanker
Josh Holloway--Be mine!!!
This is not true. I use to always had some algae in my tanks. I spoke to Tom Barr (Plantbrain) and listened to a few of his lectures on the importance of CO2, ect.
My two jungle tanks now have high light, CO2 and added nutrients. Aside from the weekly glass scrape, I have NO algae!! Occationally when my CO2 tank runs out, I can see the algae start to take hold. I re-add CO2 and a week or two later----No more algae again.
![IMG00001[1].jpg](https://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/data/attachments/137/137879-fc15f269b6765a97a5f93d562f4f699d.jpg?hash=_BXyabZ2Wp "IMG00001[1].jpg")
I agree co2 is important as well as nutrients for plant success and to beat algae. However, i don't believe the mechanism of action is that plants are taking away all the nutrients from the algae. Most people do the EI dosing of planted tanks with excess of all the macro's and micro's so there is never any limit to nutrients. People are able to do this and have zero algae. Since there is no limit to nutrients algae can always utilize these nutrients (this is why i don't believe taking away nutrients is the mechanism for why algae no longer exists). Also try experimenting with stopping to fertilize and what will you notice? at least what i have found is that algae doesn't really get affected but your plants will and as they start to die your algae will get worse and worse.
co2 is extremely important, well carbon anyway. injecting co2 into the aquarium is just a means to get it into the water, since our aquariums are just a tank of water, not very good at mimicking nature so to speak. Yes, there is a little put out by our fish respiration, but not enough for lush growth. Since plants contain carbon, they need it produced in our aquaria. If you keep the tank turnover down to just a couple times of aquaria volume per hour, you will lose less co2 to the atmosphere...I personally believe it to be important to dose co2 in planted aquaria. You will have less problems, at least I have in my experience...and I have had tanks with and without co2 which were planted. Algae was a lot tougher to keep under control in tanks without co2.
Algae are fine with CO2 levels in the ppb ranges, 1-2 orders of magnitude less than plants.
There's just not much biomass in terms of algae even in highly infested tanks, relative to the plant biomass.
Plants are more complex structures/transport systems and need a lot more Carbon to make these structures.
It's like making a 1 level home vs a 100 story high rise that covers 2 city blocks.
It has little to do with competition. Much more to do with simply supplying the plants with good conditions to grow.
If the plants are not growing, then all they are is surface area for algae to cover.
Algae are very very complex as well, merely because they are small or single cells in no way implied they are less of anything or "simple". Plants are virtually 100% clonal reproduction, cuttings etc.
Algae? Only a few are clonal, most are sexual and asexual gametes stages, often with 4 or more stages in their life cycles, and each stage responds to different germinating singles.
They are hardly simple and easy to understand.
Better to simply focus on good plant growth, then algae are less of an issue.
When the plants grow well, really well.....then algae are not much of an issue.
Regards,
Tom Barr
There's just not much biomass in terms of algae even in highly infested tanks, relative to the plant biomass.
Plants are more complex structures/transport systems and need a lot more Carbon to make these structures.
It's like making a 1 level home vs a 100 story high rise that covers 2 city blocks.
It has little to do with competition. Much more to do with simply supplying the plants with good conditions to grow.
If the plants are not growing, then all they are is surface area for algae to cover.
Algae are very very complex as well, merely because they are small or single cells in no way implied they are less of anything or "simple". Plants are virtually 100% clonal reproduction, cuttings etc.
Algae? Only a few are clonal, most are sexual and asexual gametes stages, often with 4 or more stages in their life cycles, and each stage responds to different germinating singles.
They are hardly simple and easy to understand.
Better to simply focus on good plant growth, then algae are less of an issue.
When the plants grow well, really well.....then algae are not much of an issue.
Regards,
Tom Barr