Does Co2 Kill My Fish?

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wowsee

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I recently decided that it would be best to start gradually planting my tank, looking towards having it heavily planted in the future. I feel that my fish might enjoy a planted tank, and it is also quite pleasing to look at. So I was going to start with some dwarf baby tears to spread along the base of my tank, but I heard yo grow them you need a CO2 cartridge. I really do want more plants in my tank, but is a cartridge really necessary? I thought that the byproduct CO2 from the nitrogen cycle would be enough, that and the byproduct of respiration, but I have been browsing and in most cases, I have heard CO2 cartridges are a must. The reason, although I am so opposed to it is the many "CO2 fish death" posts and pictures around the internet. I am scared all of my fish will die as a result of the cartridge. The main cause of death, I have seen on many forums, is a sudden decrease in ph. Now I think the Co2 might actually be okay, because my tank normally has a ph of 7.7. A lowering wouldn't be a problem, right? So, will the CO2 cartridges kill my fish, or can I just get by with no cartridge for a planted tank? Also, my tank is using a gravel substrate, so the fish waste does add plenty of fertilizer, i don't know if this will compensate for anything, though.....
 
Co2 can reek havoc in a tank (mainly for shrimp) as the pH gets affected usually at night once the co2 is turned off. For the well being of your fish it really depends on what type of fish they are and what pH ranges they can tolerate. It is also important to have the Co2 difuser set to the right amount of release in a set amount of time. Unfortunately that is as far as my Co2 knowledge goes. All of my tanks are low tech and I grow quite a few plants with no Co2 injections or added fertilizers.
 
Done sensibly, no, CO2 won't kill your fish. Done badly, yes, it can.

In reality, it's not that common a problem, there's plenty of people running high tech tanks on here with no trouble at all from CO2 and fairly sensitive livestock.

In answer to the second question, no you don't need a CO2 system for a planted tank, you will for some of the more complex and hard to grow plants, and you'll get better growth with the CO2 than without.

As for fertiliser, the more extras you put in, the more the other things need to keep up, so the more you'll need the fertilisers adding to. Fish waste sadly is rarely enough for a high tech system.
 

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