Full Version: Do Planted Goldfish Tanks Need A Co2 Dispencer?
I read on one web site that planted goldfish tanks do not need added CO2 because goldfish give off a lot of it, but another message board that I belong said that that is not all true, and that there things that the person had not mentined when they wrote the article, stuff that didnt talk alot about gas exchange etc. what do you guys think? thanks in advanced for any info.
My plants live with it... until my snail eats them all.
I've been keeping a plant in a bowl with a bunch of snails since October... it's doing miraculously well. Who needs a carbon dioxde dispenser in their FISHTANK?!
I hope I don't.
I've been keeping a plant in a bowl with a bunch of snails since October... it's doing miraculously well. Who needs a carbon dioxde dispenser in their FISHTANK?!
I hope I don't.
Im sure the plants will do fine without it. Just take plants that yourgoldies won't end up eating.
You should check out the goldfish plants page
Heck, I just run a bubble bar or disks, mine seem ok! 
They are growing even!
They are growing even!
Some plants will do well without added C02, however some of the more challenging plants would need it to grow well. For a goldfish tank without C02, I would try things like java moss, java fern, cryptocornes, hygrophila or vallesnaria. These have done well for me in non C02 tanks.
Maybe some of the others have some suggestions.
Maybe some of the others have some suggestions.
I don't have a CO2 injector for my 55 gl planted tank, but I do add Seachem's Florish Excel, a liquid carbon.
Exactly the kind of plant will depend on the level of C02 and the lighting requirements too. Also most of the plants that need the co2 and high lighting will also need Substrate too....
If I were you and your starting out with a planted tank I would go the route that TouchofSky has said....
If I were you and your starting out with a planted tank I would go the route that TouchofSky has said....
QUOTE(touchofsky @ Mar 6 2005, 08:07 AM)
Some plants will do well without added C02, however some of the more challenging plants would need it to grow well. For a goldfish tank without C02, I would try things like java moss, java fern, cryptocornes, hygrophila or vallesnaria. These have done well for me in non C02 tanks.
Maybe some of the others have some suggestions.
Maybe some of the others have some suggestions.
In my tropical 15 gallon tank i have these plants and there growing greatwithout a Co2 Dispencer. I also have Anubius nana that is growing great
without the Co2 dispencer.
Anubis, Onion, Java's are all great plants for the goldfish. They wont eat them and they dont need Co2.
For the healthiest thriving plants, most definitely you need CO2. A definite must. CO2 is the difference between 'having' plants and 'growing' plants.
Yes, big fat goldfish do give off a lot of CO2, but they use up a lot of oxygen which requires a lot of air bubble agitation, which in turn escapes the CO2 off through the surface before the plants can use it. So you need more CO2 being injected than is being lost by your air bubble agitation, (which is why the ideal planted tanks have few or no fish at all so don't need air agitation).
My small CO2 cylinder ran out of gas a few weeks ago and I'm trying to find time to go get a larger one (the gas rental place* is a long drive away which is why I haven't been able to find the time yet). Anyhoo... in the meantime, my plants have quickly gone from a rich, thriving, dark-green jungle to sickly, pale-green spindly plants struggling to even survive now whereas before I was pruning them back once a week they were growing so lushly.
With everything else being equal (ie plant food etc), my own experience over the past few weeks means I can safely say that CO2 makes a MASSIVE difference. Yes, MASSIVE in capital letters. The difference between with and without CO2 is like chalk and cheese and I myself will be getting the largest CO2 cylinder rental as possible to ensure I never ever run out again!
But you only really need CO2 if you want a serious heavily planted tank. If you only really want just one or two plants, it's a lot cheaper and easier to just replace them every now and then when they perish.
*I just have to go there initially myself to begin with to open an account and be sure my regulator fits onto their commercial bottles of CO2, but after that the replacement cylinders are home delivered just like pizza! (which will only be about once or twice a year though at most)
Yes, big fat goldfish do give off a lot of CO2, but they use up a lot of oxygen which requires a lot of air bubble agitation, which in turn escapes the CO2 off through the surface before the plants can use it. So you need more CO2 being injected than is being lost by your air bubble agitation, (which is why the ideal planted tanks have few or no fish at all so don't need air agitation).
My small CO2 cylinder ran out of gas a few weeks ago and I'm trying to find time to go get a larger one (the gas rental place* is a long drive away which is why I haven't been able to find the time yet). Anyhoo... in the meantime, my plants have quickly gone from a rich, thriving, dark-green jungle to sickly, pale-green spindly plants struggling to even survive now whereas before I was pruning them back once a week they were growing so lushly.
With everything else being equal (ie plant food etc), my own experience over the past few weeks means I can safely say that CO2 makes a MASSIVE difference. Yes, MASSIVE in capital letters. The difference between with and without CO2 is like chalk and cheese and I myself will be getting the largest CO2 cylinder rental as possible to ensure I never ever run out again!
But you only really need CO2 if you want a serious heavily planted tank. If you only really want just one or two plants, it's a lot cheaper and easier to just replace them every now and then when they perish.
*I just have to go there initially myself to begin with to open an account and be sure my regulator fits onto their commercial bottles of CO2, but after that the replacement cylinders are home delivered just like pizza! (which will only be about once or twice a year though at most)
awrieger,
I agree that in order to grow a lot of the more challenging plants, a C02 dispenser is a must. I started my 66 gallon planted tank a few years ago, and tried DIY C02, but got tired of that. I didn't have the funds to set up a C02 system, so I switched to Flourish Excel.
I have a limited number of types of plants in my tank now. It has been trial and error, but I now have a tank full of plants that grow well without added C02, and seem to be able to use the carbon in Excel.
Here is a picture of my tank taken today. I am going to do a pruning today, since I need to give my goldfish some room! I prune about once per 10 days or so.
I agree that in order to grow a lot of the more challenging plants, a C02 dispenser is a must. I started my 66 gallon planted tank a few years ago, and tried DIY C02, but got tired of that. I didn't have the funds to set up a C02 system, so I switched to Flourish Excel.
I have a limited number of types of plants in my tank now. It has been trial and error, but I now have a tank full of plants that grow well without added C02, and seem to be able to use the carbon in Excel.
Here is a picture of my tank taken today. I am going to do a pruning today, since I need to give my goldfish some room! I prune about once per 10 days or so.
A beautiful planted tank, Touchofsky!
You certainly don't appear to need CO2, I see! Do you dose with Flourish daily?
You certainly don't appear to need CO2, I see! Do you dose with Flourish daily?
Yes, I dose with Flourish Excel (as a carbon source) daily, and I also dose with trace elements, PMDD, and potassium daily. It has taken a lot of trial and error, but I now seem to have a dosing schedule that is working for my tank.
I would like to eventually get a CO2 system, so that I could grow a larger variety of plants. However, at the moment, I will have to be satisfied with the selection that I can grow without CO2.
When I can afford to set up CO2, I'll ask your advice
I would like to eventually get a CO2 system, so that I could grow a larger variety of plants. However, at the moment, I will have to be satisfied with the selection that I can grow without CO2.
When I can afford to set up CO2, I'll ask your advice
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