How Many Plants In 65gal Before Needing Co2?

[jeej]

Hey, I have a 65gal tank and I want to add some Amazon Swords, Java Fern and Anubias. My lighting is a 30w T8 tube in an Aqua One AL-30 reflector.

Basically I'd like to have as many "easy to maintain" plants as possible without having to inject my tank with CO2. How many plants do you reckon I can have without exceeding this aim?

Thanks.

 

[lljdma06]

Hey, I have a 65gal tank and I want to add some Amazon Swords, Java Fern and Anubias. My lighting is a 30w T8 tube in an Aqua One AL-30 reflector.

Basically I'd like to have as many "easy to maintain" plants as possible without having to inject my tank with CO2. How many plants do you reckon I can have without exceeding this aim?

Thanks.

With 30W over 65g, you could probably keep anubias, java fern, mosses, and some cryptocorynes alive. Granted, growth is going to be super slow, and you may not have very vibrant growth, but I think it's possible. Not ideal, but possible. I'd try with a few specimens first, and see where it goes. I've grown these plants pretty well with standard tank lighting, way before, when I was breeding kribs. The fry liked the cover.

I personally feel more comfortable keeping Amazon swords in at least 1WPG. Many of the species are mislabeled and you never know what you are going to get, especially from a LPS. Some have higher lighting demands than others, and a rotting Amazon is not a pretty picture. You would have a lot more options with 1WPG too, or with at least 2, 30W bulbs.

 

[jeej]

Thanks for the response. So if I got a more powerful light, I would still be able to keep a few of each type WITHOUT the need to add CO2 to my water?

 

[aaronnorth]

you can have as many plants as you want without co2 aslong as they don't need it. If you have over 2WPG which you have, because there is a small trace of co2 from youyour fish then your asking for algae, so keeping the co2 up to 20pp - 35pp is quite essential.

Why don't you have a co2 machine, you could make your own - http/www.aquatic-eden.com/2006/10/build-...-generator.html i used a DIY system but i then got a hagen natural plant system which is virtually the same, it cost £20. You can also buy co2 tablets that you drop in.

Your plants will benefit greatly, use liquid and root tab fertilisers to make sure your plants get all they need

 

[jeej]

Hey Aaron, thanks for the reply. How do you figure I have over 2WPG? My tank is 65 US gallons and my light is one tube of T8 @ 30w.

 

[aaronnorth]

Hey Aaron, thanks for the reply. How do you figure I have over 2WPG? My tank is 65 US gallons and my light is one tube of T8 @ 30w.

30 / 65 = 0.46 WPG - Sorry, i had divided the no's the wrong way round, have you read the link, would you use a Cheap or DIY yeast based system? just put an air pump on at night to break surface tension to release the co2 (because plants give out co2 at night) so may get a bit high for fish.

 

[jeej]

I have an air pump feeding a long (28") airstone at the back of the tank and I also have my spray bar under the water, but facing upwards, to agitate the surface.

Because I can be a bit lazy, I was thinking bout getting one of those Hagen units, although they say they are for up to 20 gallons, so will I need to fit like 3 of these things in my tank?!

 

[Dave Spencer]

The key to CO2 is stability, and maintaining sufficient levels, up to a max of 30ppm.

With a tank your size, you will struggle to achieve either of these goals using DIY. Pressurised would be the best solution for you.

I personally wouldn`t bother with the airstone, either. Some people add CO2 24/7 without any problems.

Of course, having said that, at 0.46WPG, you neeedn`t really bother with CO2. This is a very low light level at which an awful lot of plants will struggle. For your plants` requirements, it is light first, and then CO2.

Dave.

 

[jeej]

Hmmm, and so I move back to square one.

So basically, for plants I need more powerful lights and then I will need to inject my tank with pressurised CO2.

At a push I will improve my lights, but I really don't want to start messing around with a pressurised CO2 unit.

Perhaps 'real' plants just isn't for me.

Thanks for the info.

 

[aaronnorth]

I have an air pump feeding a long (28") airstone at the back of the tank and I also have my spray bar under the water, but facing upwards, to agitate the surface.

Because I can be a bit lazy, I was thinking bout getting one of those Hagen units, although they say they are for up to 20 gallons, so will I need to fit like 3 of these things in my tank?!

i have just bought one and my co2 levels are 21ppm which is ok, and my pH is 7, if you want, you could by 2 and connect the arirlines together with a t piece, unless you want a heavily planted tank, then just get 1, theco2 lowers the pH and the lower the pH the higher co2 levels are,( it only lowers it a small amount, it lowered mine 0.5) mine is a 45gallon.

lighting is the most important aspect of the 3 (co2, lighting & fertilisers) so if you can, try and boost it up to 1.5 WPG

 

[Dave Spencer]

If you follow Llj`s advice, and double the lighting, you will be doing your plants a big favour. At 1WPG CO2 should not be a necessity.

Light is the single greatest trigger for plant growth, followed by CO2. Your plants must have a certain level of light to survive, but this level does not mean that you have to add CO2. You may find your plants surviving at 0.46WPG, but doubling the lighting may promote noticeable growth. I must admit though, I don`t know a great deal about running tanks at low light levels, because I always tend to go for high light and high growth. I am in the process of setting up a similar sized tank as yours, and will be using 3 x 38W and pressurised CO2. If this doesn`t work the way I want, I shall upgrade the lighting to 4 x 54W T5 lighting.

There are lots of ways to run a planted tank, and the advanges of the methods you are choosing are low maintenance, low cost and the setting up process is simpler. Don`t give up, just upgrade your lighting to twice what you have now. You may even prefer the brighter look it gives the tank; it`s what draws me to high light tanks in the first place because I don`t generally like the look of dull, gloomy tanks.

Dave.

 

[jeej]

Thanks Dave, that is very encouraging. My only other trouble is that my reflector only accepts one bulb. So, would I be ok to just put say a single 100w T8 bulb in it... would that be ok?

 

[Themuleous]

You cant run a 100w tube from a 30w ballast. If you want more light, you'll have to either replace the whole existing lighting unit with a higher power one, say a power compact or add a second tube that runs off a second ballast. I've yet to see a tank that you cant add more light too

Sam