# Live plants doesn't required Co2



## 2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY (Nov 1, 2005)

Hey Plants exspert,

Since there is so many question about live plants, and we have seem some awsome plants tank and what not. I would like to ask please list some plants that does not required Co2.









and what plants that need Co2....this would help other trying to ask about plants also it give some ideas about setting up plants tank. I would like to know myself. Thanks for advance!


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## nameless (Oct 17, 2006)

It really depends...

CO2 is a necessity for all kind of plants, as we all know. Low light demanding plants generally require low CO2 consequently. CO2 requirement depens on the fish population also, since fish produce CO2. Highly fish populated tanks, generally do well without an additional CO2, with an exception of high light input demanding plants. Low CO2 demanding plants are generally; Anubias types, Java moss types and onions.


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## harrykaa (Jan 10, 2005)

2PiRaNhA~2FuRrY said:


> Hey Plants exspert,
> Since there is so many question about live plants, and we have seem some awsome plants tank and what not. I would like to ask please list some plants that does not required Co2.
> 
> 
> ...


All the plants need CO2. It is a very essential component in photosynthesis. The two others are light and water. Without photosynthesis plants will not grow nor live.

Well these are the basics. Yet we know that since air contains CO2, this is also dissolved into the water, but only small amounts. If you have a lot of nutrients in the tank, which you have if you got carnivorous fishes, but only a little CO2 ans even some light,
you will soon see that primitive plants, unicellular and filamentous, are those that take the CO2 fastest and higher plants not so well. These primitive plants are algae.

I think every serious plant person need CO2 fertilization.

Harry


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

Think of it this way... all of these plants grow wild somewhere, in the wild, CO2 is not injected into any waters. They can all live without under optimal conditions, but CO2 will really help to bring out colors and increase growth.


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## DiPpY eGgS (Mar 6, 2005)

Ya, what they said.

I can tell you that low light plants do well in low light, without CO2 injection. But those same plants in a tank with higher light would need supplemented CO2 just like other high light plants, simply because of the setup they are in.
In short, I believe that lower light plants don't need CO2, as long as they are in a tank that has low light. Make sence?


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## ruddiger (Jan 4, 2007)

Is Flourish Excel a good substitute for a CO2 setup? At least temporarily at least? For those who don't know what Flourish Excel is, according to the bottle, it's a source of bioavailable organic carbon. I bought the Flourish Fundamentals and Nutrition packages from aquatraders so I have something healthy for my plants, and at the moment, a CO2 setup is a bit out of my price range, so I'm hoping this, along with adequate lighting and weekly water changes will keep my plants from dying.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

What they said X2

Some amount of CO2 is introduced to the tank via fish waste. 
for lower light tanks this is in some amount sufficent. however CO2 supplementation is always a bonus. one can use Flourish Excell as a substitute for CO2 however it really is only effective for low light tanks. once you hit the 2.5-3wpg excel really dosen't meet the needs of the tank unless you only have a couple plants in the tank. Unless you really add alot. I have to drop 2X the reccomended dosage in my 75 gallon. every other day. That makes a bottle go pretty quick. Not as quick when I was using it for my planted. 
Excel is also good if you have alot of surface agatation since unlike CO2 it does not outgas. 
In the long run however Pressurized is the cheaper way to go. And it is really cheap to set up too. 
Check around local sales from welding supplies or brewers for a used CO2 tank. And hit up ebay for a Regulator with a silenoid and preferable a bubble counter (such as the milwaukee). hit walmart or Hardware store for a heavy duty timer. A diffuser and some airline (NOT SILCONE) is all you need. Depending on where you are you could get a 5lb CO2 tank swapped out for about 10 bucks. That should last you a few months. 
And not only would it be cheaper it would have alot better impact on the plants since it is REAL co2 not something that emulates carbon. Excel is not carbon. It is 2.5% Gutahylidride (spelling wrong). Thats an industrial cleanser and use for sterilization. 
This is why it comes in handy for killing certain types of algae. The algae cannot process it and it kills them. Where higher plants are able to convert it to something useable. But this makes the plants work for it where with real CO2 it is readly taken in.

oh yeh... So anyways back to the original question.

Any plants that are considered "Low Light" you may have some success with out CO2 in a 1-2wpg tank.


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## flashover00 (Oct 19, 2006)

i just swapped out a 20 lb cylinder on tuesday for one of my setups....cost 18 dollars.

That amount will last me a really decent amount of time. Compare that with 18 dollars worth of excell and its a no brainer.


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## therizman1 (Jan 6, 2006)

You should still be dosing excel even with CO2.


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