Inexpensive way to boost CO2?

[Fishguy134]

Flourish Comprehensive will not raise the GH at all, unless you overdose it to extreme (I guess it might, never done this) but that would kill the fish and invertebrates. Buffer solutions shouldn't increase GH, but what are you using? What is the substrate?

Also, if the test is the API, you consider the first change from orange to green even though minimal as the number. I have known some people who add more drops until it is dark green, but that is not necessary. View the colour through the tube from the open end when standing on a white surface, it is easier to see the colour than through the side.

I may have found my answer. The white rocks that dominate the aquascape are calcium based rocks (White usually indicate calcium in most rocks) I got them from my local pet store a long time ago. I will still test everything tomorrow. But that is probably my answer in this case. So would you have any suggestion for replacing those rocks? I would feel kind of bad tearing them out because they are a home to many of my burrow/hiding fish. But I cant have those rocks elevating the Gh so high. I dont think that is good for many of those fish and plants.

 

[Byron]

Agree, the rocks are probably the reason for the increased in GH. Limestone, marble, lava, dolomite, coral, shells, etc all dissolve mineral especially calcium into the water, and more than one might think. I was wondering about the Eco-Complete too, not sure how much (if any) this might contribute. If this really does what CarribSea says, that it releases plant nutrients, then it would obviously release some minerals but no idea to what degree.

As for safe rock, rounded river rock which is almost if not always going to be granite is safe. A bit more difficult perhaps to beuild caves and such, unless you silicone the rocks together when dry, in or outside of the tank, but as rock this gives a very natural appearance. You can get different sizes. I buy this from a local landscape supply, a 3-gallon pail full is just 75 cents. There is also wood, necessary if you have loricariids anyway.

If you are doing any of this work, it would be a good time to replace the substrate. This is almost certainly adding to the algae problem. And an inert sand will make life for the loaches much easier. I know my Botia loaches beehaved differently after I removed the fine gravel for play sand.

 

[Stan510]

Iron will NOT cause any plant to melt. FLOURISH is well known to do that. Especially Vallesneria...I would not use that.
Bentley Pascoe SWEARS by a new liquid product called Brightwell Razor. He says it will kill off all algae but possibly bluegreen. I haven't tried it,but he has and says it works.

 

[Byron]

Iron will NOT cause any plant to melt. FLOURISH is well known to do that. Especially Vallesneria...I would not use that.
Bentley Pascoe SWEARS by a new liquid product called Brightwell Razor. He says it will kill off all algae but possibly bluegreen. I haven't tried it,but he has and says it works.

I believe I corrected you on this a while back, lol. First, Flourish Comprehensive Supplement does not have sufficient iron to kill plants unless it is overdosed. Since you mention Vallisneria, you are likely getting Flourish Comprehensive mixed up with Flourish Excell, the so-called liquid carbon that is glutaraldehyde and it will kill Vallisneria and if overdosed a tad can kill everything in the tank--plants, fish and bacteria.

Excess iron will kill plants, and they can melt apart, or develop brown blotches that increase until the leaf and then the plant is dead. Many aquatic plants can store iron, making it impossible to accurately measure iron levels in the tank water with any assurance that they are valid. If you use Flourish Comprehensive in a low-tech or natural method planted tank, there will be sufficient iron to provide what the plants need. Any further addition of iron beyond this is likely to detrimentally affect the plants and fish. Excessive iron has been shown to reduce tissue manganese levels.

 

[Fishguy134]

I believe I corrected you on this a while back, lol. First, Flourish Comprehensive Supplement does not have sufficient iron to kill plants unless it is overdosed. Since you mention Vallisneria, you are likely getting Flourish Comprehensive mixed up with Flourish Excell, the so-called liquid carbon that is glutaraldehyde and it will kill Vallisneria and if overdosed a tad can kill everything in the tank--plants, fish and bacteria.

Excess iron will kill plants, and they can melt apart, or develop brown blotches that increase until the leaf and then the plant is dead. Many aquatic plants can store iron, making it impossible to accurately measure iron levels in the tank water with any assurance that they are valid. If you use Flourish Comprehensive in a low-tech or natural method planted tank, there will be sufficient iron to provide what the plants need. Any further addition of iron beyond this is likely to detrimentally affect the plants and fish. Excessive iron has been shown to reduce tissue manganese levels.

I got the first batch of replace stones for the Texas hole rock that is probably screwing with my GH. I also got some black humate. The list goes as Dragon Stone, crystal rock, some zebra rock. It just so happens that my house has a big rock garden full of river rocks. I went out and selected round rocks that looked to be slate or granite. I read somewhere that Lava rocks dont mess with the water chemistry though? I could definitely see the red lava rocks leeching iron and heavy metal however. That would be convenient If I did not have to replace lava rock, since they go along with the color pallet of the large Dragon stone rocks that will be my centerpiece.

 

[Stan510]

Thats right..excel and comprehensive..two different products that sound the same. I forgot!
Iron is like anything else..potassium or manganese,you name it...be careful. I have decided to go down the road of least chemicals added after my brief try with high tech dosing. I didn't like it.
So,I love my thriving Java moss..and goodbye to exotic Co2 needy mosses. Sword plants over Bolbitis ( I have Bolbitis but its never going to be the main show at 6" tall) and re love Ludwigia repens that sort of gets color for me..but no,not red. Star Grass as my imitation carpet still going well.
I think my fish are happier without the excess supplements.

 

[Fishguy134]

I believe I corrected you on this a while back, lol. First, Flourish Comprehensive Supplement does not have sufficient iron to kill plants unless it is overdosed. Since you mention Vallisneria, you are likely getting Flourish Comprehensive mixed up with Flourish Excell, the so-called liquid carbon that is glutaraldehyde and it will kill Vallisneria and if overdosed a tad can kill everything in the tank--plants, fish and bacteria.

Excess iron will kill plants, and they can melt apart, or develop brown blotches that increase until the leaf and then the plant is dead. Many aquatic plants can store iron, making it impossible to accurately measure iron levels in the tank water with any assurance that they are valid. If you use Flourish Comprehensive in a low-tech or natural method planted tank, there will be sufficient iron to provide what the plants need. Any further addition of iron beyond this is likely to detrimentally affect the plants and fish. Excessive iron has been shown to reduce tissue manganese levels.

So I stand corrected. My tap water has less than 1 dGH. Carbonates however, were up to 15 dKH. Now im reading in some places that Dwarf sagittaria likes 2-30 dKH. In my tank Carbonates were at 1 or less dKH, and GH was at 16-17 dGH. So do actually I have too little carbonates in the tank while also having too many minerals and heavy metals in the tank? Like the tank has too much fertilizer combined with the Texas holey rock leaching minerals into the water.

 

[Stan510]

Should mention- Ludwigia mini Super Red? Is 100% true. No Co2 needed. Just much smaller and dainty compared to L.repens. My advice? Order 3 bunches of mini. Save yourself a long wait

 

[Fishguy134]

Should mention- Ludwigia mini Super Red? Is 100% true. No Co2 needed. Just much smaller and dainty compared to L.repens. My advice? Order 3 bunches of mini. Save yourself a long wait

Hmmm. Fast growing would be nice, If I could get it to stay as red as it is in the pictures then that would be cool. I installed some dragon stone, redecorated to get rid of some the rocks that are affecting the GH, Need to keep a few to make sure the tank doesn't have to cycle again. Also my Yoyo loach adores the Texas holey rock so I dont want to stress it out too much and give it a chance to scout out the new hidey holes. The Super red would look good with the dragon stone and petrified wood, It would make the tank pop out. I intended the dwarf Sagittarius to be a carpet plant. But it is really struggling to get going. I figured I will focus on correcting the water parameters to reasonable values before I go ham on adding tons of new plants to the tank. I got java moss and water lettuce in the tank now and both are growing and neither seems to have crumpled under the excessive dGH. Maybe on my next run for rocks and wood to replace the last texas holey rock, I'll see if some of that is available.

 

[Byron]

So I stand corrected. My tap water has less than 1 dGH. Carbonates however, were up to 15 dKH. Now im reading in some places that Dwarf sagittaria likes 2-30 dKH. In my tank Carbonates were at 1 or less dKH, and GH was at 16-17 dGH. So do actually I have too little carbonates in the tank while also having too many minerals and heavy metals in the tank? Like the tank has too much fertilizer combined with the Texas holey rock leaching minerals into the water.

My approach is to consider the fish and provide what is best for them when it comes to water parameters. GH of the source water is low, so that will be the same in the tank once the mineral sources are out. As for plants, try the ones you like. If they thrive, fine; if they don't, get rid of them and try others, or stay with what works. I certainly would not go messing with GH/KH/pH to suit plants when this is going to have serious repercussions for the fish.

 

[Fishguy134]

My approach is to consider the fish and provide what is best for them when it comes to water parameters. GH of the source water is low, so that will be the same in the tank once the mineral sources are out. As for plants, try the ones you like. If they thrive, fine; if they don't, get rid of them and try others, or stay with what works. I certainly would not go messing with GH/KH/pH to suit plants when this is going to have serious repercussions for the fish.

Agreed, I got 3 bunches of Ludwigia s.repens. I didn't realize how much plant that was lol.. But anyways my tank went from scarcely planted to moderately planted. Now I also got an iron testing kit.. Interestingly enough, Free iron was .1 mg/l or less, while chelated iron was .1 to .25 mg/l color range. So maybe the water changes balanced out the iron levels, though free iron was kind of high according to the test kit. I removed the rest of the Texas holey rock, and Im using a bottle of tank cycler. I figured I really wouldn't have a problem with tank cycling because of the substrate and the plants in the tank but I would give the tank a bacteria shot just in case. I prioritized the removal of the water hardening rocks because with the new information on the iron levels, I think the greatest threat to the fish and the plants is the GH of the water.

PS.
Water lettuce seems to be growing rapidly so this should also help.