co2 system

[SpEeDhOrN]

iv got a 3ft tank with about 6 plants in it quite large 1s. would i need a co2 system for them to survive in good condition or will they be ok without. any other methods you could recommend would be gr8

 

[Lateral Line]

Plants need...

1) Light - if you've not got enough light, no amount of CO2 or fertilisers will help, intensity, (appropriate to the plant), quality, (appropriate spectrum), and duration, (10-12 hours neither more nor less)...

2) CO2, If you got enough light for active photosynthesis, CO2 is the next limiting factor. In a tank that size, assuming you have a decent fish load, CO2 is probably adequate. Adding CO2 if there is not enough light will acheive nothing...

3) Macro and Micro nutrients - the fish usually provide enough of these in all but the lightest loaded tanks.

 

[guppymonkey]

Even with a tank full of plants CO2 is not always necessary. Some people choose to use it because it can enhance plant growth. Just as some people use plant fertilizers. Neither is truly necessary though. With six plants you will have enough CO2 to go around. As Lateral Line said, you can add as much CO2 as you want but without enough (and the right type) of light it wouldn't matter.

 

[aquamanis]

would i need a co2 system for them to survive in good condition or will they be ok without. any other methods you could recommend would be gr8

In short No. You can still get decent growth without CO2 fertilizer. But I do recommend to fertilize with an iron rich supplement. Just to add to what Lateral said about the other factors water movement is important too. Its at the roots and leaves that the nutrient uptake takes place, without enough water movement the nutrient uptake can be hammpered and also the waste from the plant will not be carried away. As far as other methods go, theres a company called seachem which claims plants can use other sources of carbon as well as CO2. They make a product called excell which is liquid carbon and iron supplement. I,ve used it myself but wether it made any difference or not is hard to say. Either way I think the $30 aud price tag is a bit rich.