can someone explain c02 to a newbie??

[mithrius]

hellO! I am very new to this whole aquarium thing! I had some questions about co2 in an aquairum..
i have a 2 gallon nano tank which has a bunch of moss, java ferns and 2 marimo balls and some duckweed.
i am thinking of adding in some co2 as ive heard this is good for the plants!
I have a bubbler too, which i believe gets rid of co2 because of surface agitation.. (?)
does anyone know if this is a good idea? or is my setup too small? i would love to have more plants in there of course! and does this affect fish, shrimp or snails in any way?
i have also been trying to keep up a good algae growth so the snails and shrimp have something to munch on.

AND, i have been using a 20w halogen light i bought from ikea, is this sufficiant for growing? so far my plants look ok, not SUPER, but they are still growing slowly.
should i be using something else or is this halogen producing enough uv and things the plants need?

any info would be great! THANKS!

 

[Hurley]

You can try using DIY CO2. If you are going to add co2 then you will want to get rid of the bubbler because it will off-gas the co2 you are putting into your tank. Watts per gallon get tricky with small or large tanks but I think you are fine with 20watts. I've never used halogen though, maybe someone else can comment on that.

CO2 will affect your fish negatively if there is too much in the tank but, if you add it and make sure your fish aren't showing signs of distress (red gills, gasping for air at the surface, etc.) you should be fine. What fish and other inhabitant do you have?

Right now, I think your plants don't really need co2 but if you want to add it I don't think it would hurt.

Are you adding any supplemental food for the shrimp and snails. Algae alone won't be enough for them. They love cucumbers and zuchini.

 

[Star_Rider]

I have many of the plants you are talking about .. they do not need a lot of CO2. not sure about halogen lights ..it is important to get the light in the right spectrum ..daylight bulbs for instance should provide proper light spectrum.
halogens also produce quite a bit of heat. you may look into a diy light using the spiral bulbs (CFL).

your tank does not need to be high tech

 

[mithrius]

i'd like a nice planted tank
i have one shrimp and 3 smaill snails right now.
if i get rid of my bubbler, and just have the co2, i read some where that the leaves on the plants will give off streams of oxygen? would this be enough oxygen diffused into the tank to support about 8 cherry shrimps and the snails?

and if i did have the bubbler running, would it render the co2 useless??