hey quick question

[tonythediscus]

if i have a 100gal planted tank with 26 discus do i need CO2
75% of the tank is heavily planted
2 mid size draft wood & 1 small
1 hig-mid size ADA wood

[tacks]

Hi that seems like a lot of discus for a 100 gal. To answer your question about co2 it would depend on how much lighting you have. Ed

[tonythediscus]

i think the light is like 265
8 tubes

[White Worm]

yep

[tonythediscus]

i got a co2 bottle from a paintball gun i think its a 12oz do you think it would work,(on the) co2 gauge or regulator i seen at the fish store it was going for $139.99 also do you think it's worth it for that price

[1077]

With 26 discus in 100 gal I would be more concerned with having enough filtration for said tank. These fish will hopefully grow and thus require more food which = more waste. While the plants may use some of the waste I would still be concerned as to having enough filtration. Is co2 needed? thisI think would depend on the types of plants you are attempting to grow and as mentioned Lighting will also play a significant role. I am not sure I would expieriment with setting up co2 and getting it dialed in with fish in the tank. PH swings are not uncommon when setting up co2 until it is properly controlled. PH regulators I hear are helpful in this respect. Plants that require low to moderate lighting may not need co2 but nearly all plants grow better with it.

[White Worm]

Since we are talking CO2 here in this thread and not how many discus you have in the tank.....You are better off doing it right which will give you a better outcome, healthy plants, no algae problems and less hastle. Go get yourself a 5lb CO2 tank filled at your local CO2 store for 50-70$. Invest in a decent regulator which will run you around 200$. make your own reactor for 10$. Depending on your filtration, you can hook up the reactor inline or get a diffuser. With a tank that size, a 12oz can will not last long or keep your levels where you need them. If it all sounds expensive, save your pennies and do it right. Most times, using all the shortcuts ends up costing more in the long run. Go to Rexgrigg.com and it is all explained for you, including ferts. With the proper setup, you also have less worry and maintenance involved. i just set it and forget it. Everything including the lights are on timers so all i have to do is feed, do a water change once a week and dump in some dry ferts when i feed.

[1077]

IMHO you can have co2 with all the bells and whistles and UV sterilization which OP has also expressed interest in in another thread. It is worthless in my view if Discus are dying due to lack of proper filtration. The number of fish in the tank in this respect will always dictate the health or survival of said fish. I believe most would rather have healthy fish as well as plants with fish being the primary concern. Plants are much cheaper to replace.;)

[White Worm]

Filtration and dying discus have not been discussed here. For all we know, he could have great filtration and a good wc schedule. I think 10 discus is minimal for that tank, 20 might be nice and 26 (as they get older) might be a little crammed depending on their size at this time. 26 very young discus would be nothing for a 100g tank. We dont even know the size of the discus. Maybe we can just answer the OP question instead of beating up on a question not asked? If he asked if 26 discus in a 100g tank was too many...then we could give advice. Have you seen Hans tanks of discus? He obviously has excellent filtration/wc's but that is crammed.