CO2/Plant Questions

[Hamsnacks]

For the users who run CO2 planted tanks, just had a few questions:

1) Do you move around the diffuser at all, like somedays on the left and other days maybe on the right side of the tank? If so have you seen an improvement?

2) I follow the 1 hour before the lights come on and 1 hour before the lights go off CO2 method. Do you guys run a bubble maker at night at all? If so have you seen any improvements?

3) Lastly, for plants with dark or dying/melt leaves is it better to cut them off completely or allow them to fall off on their own? Do you cut the whole leaf off or just the bad spots?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Colin_T]

CO2 diffusers are normally stuck to the side of the tank or left in place. Try to have them in the bottom half of the tank and have a small water pump or filter outlet near them to circulate the CO2 around the tank.

If you have a big tank that is full of plants then put two diffusers in the tank at opposite ends but monitor the CO2 levels and reduce the amount of CO2 coming out of each diffuser if needed.

If you have a big tank with plants at one end and wood at the other end, put the diffuser by the plants and don't worry about the area with the wood.

The diffusers don't have to be in the corner either.
eg: If you have a 6ft long tank, put the diffusers 12-18inches in from the ends so you have them supplying CO2 to a bigger area.

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Some surface turbulence should be provided at night to drive out some of the CO2 and to provide oxygen to the fish, plants and filter bacteria. Power filters will normally do this but in really heavily planted tanks, an airstone bubbling away at night can stop fish suffocating.

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If plant leaves are rotting, cut them off with a clean sharp pair of scissors well below the rotting bits.