Does Co2 Dosing Mean Water Changes

[Tonyb111111]

As the title suggests I have just started adding flourish excel to my 200litre planted tank, but have recently read that this will mean 50% weekly water changes. Is this true as I do not want to do this level of change on a weekly basis, I want to stick to 15% change that my fish a very happy with. The reason for adding the flourish was down to stag and thread algae, although this is at a time of 3ppm phosphate. I have two 39w T5's on for 9 hrs a day, and the tank has now been running 7 weeks. The plants are all growing well but I have still not seen pearling. Please can someone advise

 

[SO19Firearms]

As the title suggests I have just started adding flourish excel to my 200litre planted tank, but have recently read that this will mean 50% weekly water changes. Is this true as I do not want to do this level of change on a weekly basis, I want to stick to 15% change that my fish a very happy with. The reason for adding the flourish was down to stag and thread algae, although this is at a time of 3ppm phosphate. I have two 39w T5's on for 9 hrs a day, and the tank has now been running 7 weeks. The plants are all growing well but I have still not seen pearling. Please can someone advise

Added co2 means larger water changes due to the increased growth of the plants resulting in larger amounts of plant nasties being released.
To keep your small water changes you'd probably have to consider dropping your light and photoperiod, to reduce the need for carbon
3ppm phosphate doesn't seem too low so this shouldn't have been the cause of the algae

IMO

 

[richpowell1989]

Flourish excel isn't actually co2 it isn't even close I use other forums nd one I use a biologist did research and Excel is only 40% effective as pressurized co2, it should never be mistaken as co2

 

[ian]

tis true Rich i agree but it is better than nothing in a medium light tank though. The chemical glutaraldehyde works in a simalar way to C02 by providing the building blocks needed. But nothing is better than the real thing.

 

[Tonyb111111]

As the title suggests I have just started adding flourish excel to my 200litre planted tank, but have recently read that this will mean 50% weekly water changes. Is this true as I do not want to do this level of change on a weekly basis, I want to stick to 15% change that my fish a very happy with. The reason for adding the flourish was down to stag and thread algae, although this is at a time of 3ppm phosphate. I have two 39w T5's on for 9 hrs a day, and the tank has now been running 7 weeks. The plants are all growing well but I have still not seen pearling. Please can someone advise

Added co2 means larger water changes due to the increased growth of the plants resulting in larger amounts of plant nasties being released.
To keep your small water changes you'd probably have to consider dropping your light and photoperiod, to reduce the need for carbon
3ppm phosphate doesn't seem too low so this shouldn't have been the cause of the algae

IMO

Two questions, what "plant nasties" are produced, and I thought 3ppm phosphate was high and it was supposed to be about 0.2ppm

tis true Rich i agree but it is better than nothing in a medium light tank though. The chemical glutaraldehyde works in a simalar way to C02 by providing the building blocks needed. But nothing is better than the real thing.

So for a medium planted 200 litre tank, 50cm deep with twin T5 lights with reflectors, can I get away with flourish or should I be getting CO2. I have only been adding the flourish for three days and am starting to get pearling

 

[SO19Firearms]

Two questions, what "plant nasties" are produced, and I thought 3ppm phosphate was high and it was supposed to be about 0.2ppm

Plant Nasties - The things we don't want in the tank as a result of plant growth, ammonia, carbohydrates etc

1-3ppm phosphate is about the limit of uptake in a hi-tech planted tank - but even then it isn't to say it's hi or low...just what the plants need,