Impulse buy, sort of!

[SchizotypalVamp]

So, my fiance just set up a 2.5 gallon with flourite and some high-light red plants. His lighting is 5 watts per gallon. My question is does he need to dose ferts/use C02? Obviously we don't want the plant growth to be too fast, so it is more a case of whether or not it is crucial to their well being.

 

[Bk718]

For high light red plants it would probably be necessary to dose ferts + iron +co2. Not only that but 5wpg is alot for a 2.5g tank and if no co2 balance is done, you would be harvesting some great algae.

 

[SchizotypalVamp]

So the plants will die without it? :/.

 

[SchizotypalVamp]

Apparently the plants are not all red

 

[KarlTh]

So the plants will die without it? :/.

Not directly, but the algae will do a lot better and may well smother them.

 

[BoredAgain]

For a tank that small just stick with the Seachem line of ferts.

 

[Bk718]

A few months back i went gaga over a red plant i saw at my lfs, it was red nesea which is really really red. I had it in my tank for a month under 2.8wpg. It was at a stand still, there was no algae growing on it but compared to growth of green plants in the tank, the red one wasnt growing at all. Then about a month and half later i noticed new growth, but it was green. So the plant didnt die and didnt get smothered in algae, it just gets stunted and tries to adapt.

 

[KarlTh]

I've given up on red plants. Only tiger lotuses seem to grow without tropical sunlight intensity.

 

[jmhart]

So you've got what, a 13w bulb on there? That's a nice amount of light, but you'll definitely want to add co2 and ferts. Flourite doesn't leech nutrients quite like aquasoil, so while it is a nice substrate, many stem plants(including your reds) will also need nutrients added to the water column.

DIY CO2 will be perfect for that tank. Seachem ferts won't cost a lot on a tank like that, and they are pretty easy, but to go even cheaper you can dose dry ferts from www.aquariumfertilizers.com.

I myself have problems with red plants. I have tried decresing nitrate, increasing phosphate, increasing iron in both the substrate and water column, adding light...none of these have worked. However, on the recommendation of Tom Barr, I am increasing my GH. Currenly, my water is very very very soft(GH and KH under 4). I haven't had any ill effects due to my low KH and CO2 injection(pH is at 6.4) but it may be that my plants are able to utilize the nutrients to the fullest extent due to my low GH.

Getting red plants isn't as easy as it seems.

 

[SchizotypalVamp]

How about the non-red plants? Will they be in as dire need of C02/ferts? Sorry, I'm not a high-light planted tank person...