# CO2 or No CO2 that is the question??



## gatorsaver (Jan 3, 2010)

So I was looking around on craigslist and found this. http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/for/1643129066.html 
I do have some live plants in my tank now. Java Fern and Some Nana's. I would like to add more but Don't want a tank with all plants. I know that CO2 is good for the plants but that it can also drop your pH. This tank in the add has been up for sale for a week. He wanted to sell everything together. I shot him an email and he said that he would sell the full 20lb CO2 tank and Regulator for $160. My boss lady was not overly joyed with the thought of me doing the DIY Yeast thing in the livingroom every few weeks. I found the info from Hoa G. Nguyen in the articles section very helpful and that I would need about 15 to 20 bubbles per minute. The 20lb tank could last a year+. 
I also found this and almost wounder if this is a better deal. http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/p ... 3747+9935& pcatid=9935. Then just find a cheap CO2 tank later?
So I guess the questions are=

1) Is this a good deal? 
2) Do I need it if I'm not going to have "A full planted tank"? 
any other thoughts are welcome.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

In my experience there are two ways to go if you want to set up a planted tank:

1. High Tech: CO2, high wattage lighting, regular dosing of fertilizers and trace elements.

2. Low Tech: no CO2, about 1-1.5wpg lighting, plants rely on fish poop for growth.

With method 1 you can grow virtually any plant you choose and expect vigorous growth. Plants need pruning every few days to achieve optimal look and balancing the system with the fertilizers and such requires a bit of experience to get it just right.

Method 2 limits you to plants like Java moss, Java fern, valisneria, anubias, echinodorus and cryptocoryne. Plant growth is comparatively slow, but as long as you don't over-clean the tank depriving the plants of nutrients, it is virtually fool proof. A tank can be set up in this way to require minimal maintenance.

Combining some high tech elements with an otherwise low tech setup, for example using CO2 in a tank that does not also use high tech lighting and fertilizers, is usually a recipe for disaster, leading to a very unstable system that is prone to algae blooms and such.

I am a huge fan of Takashi Amano, who has made a great contribution to popularize high tech planted tanks. You can google his name for lots of photos of his spectacular setups. However, I have never tried my hand on a high tech planted tank, because I simply don't have the time at this stage of my life to maintain it. Below are a couple of photos of my low tech planted tanks:



















At any rate, I would recommend going either high tech or low tech. Don't mix and match!


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## MightyM (May 15, 2004)

gatorsaver said:


> I do have some live plants in my tank now. Java Fern and Some Nana's.


java fern and nana does not required additional co2


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## gatorsaver (Jan 3, 2010)

I would like to go with more plants later, other then the nana and java. Takashi Amano has some very good reading. thanks for the tip on that. fmueller what plants do you have in each of the tanks those look great. I could save my money and go low tech.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

With the exception of a small group of cryptocoryne in the front, left-hand corner, the Frontosa tank has only plants that are not rooted in the substrate. Those are regular Java fern, Windelov Java fern, Java moss, and two types of Anubias. Don't know exactly what species they are. You can click on the photo to get a larger version that should show you more details. The Tropheus tank has Valisneria and Anubias - again, don't know which species. Lots of info on those tanks is on my site www.fmueller.com, but the plant sections of the tanks are in some need of updating. There should still be some hours of good reading in there for you :thumb:


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## Vadimshevchuk (May 23, 2009)

I wouldnt get it if i was you. Co2 is really needed only if you have a ton of plants and you have high light. If your only gonna grow java fern then just stick to excel. I keep 2 planted tanks right now and im more into them then cichlid tanks but cichlid is cheaper and still looks nice =D. I also wouldnt want it to lower my ph if i had co2 running in a cichlid tank. I would buy it off of him for 125 if u can knock it down that low and use it in the future fora planted tank if you want to explore that part of the hobby. That tank is ncie and he/she didnt cheap out on equipment. If you could score that for 300 then u would get an awsome deal. 8)


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## barst00lprophet (Jan 24, 2010)

I am going to give the low tech a shot first...need a good light first thou.


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