is it safe to use flourish excel?

[not so master reefer]

im planning to add some plants in my tank. i heard that you need co2 equipment to make them grow and survive. i also heard that flourish excel will also work. is it true that too much co2 in tank is bad for fish?why ?


thanks

[KDodds]

CO2 and Excel are two different things. CO2 is "bad" for fish in the same way it's "bad" for any oxygen breathing organisms, it's waste to them. Excel you have to be careful with with respect to certain plants like Vals and Egeria. Depending on what you're doing with respect to lighting and ferts, you may or may not need the extra carbon. What do you plan on doing otherwise?

[not so master reefer]

are you saying that fish and plants is not a good cimbination?i have a 20g long with 34 watts lighting.im not planning to get plenty of plants, i just want to add some green color in my tank. im looking at the dwarf hairgrass and microsword. i went to a pet store last week and the guy told me that i need co2 so i googled it and i found out that too much co2 is bad for fish. is it possible to have healthy fish and healthy plants?

[captain morgan]

Having fish and plants is absolutely safe. No you don't have to have Co2 for your plants to grow and survive, but co2 will make them grow much faster with the right amount of light and fertilizer. You might want to try some anubias plants or some java fern both are very easy to grow and they will add the green you want to your tank. If you want to try co2 for a small tank such as yours try the DIY method with a pop bottle.

[not so master reefer]

thanks for the info captain!do you have plants in your tank?do you use co2?im planning to get plants that look like grass, what else do i need?fertilizer?if my plants are going to survive without co2, i would not bother to make a diy co2.are you sure my plants are going to be fine without co2?

[waters10]

I don't dose excel (yet), but if you search around, it's safe but you should dilute before dosing it. If a fish thinks you're feeding them and swim through concentrated excel, it can be very damaging to the fish.

Somebody that knows more, feel free to correct me, if my research is not right! :D

[rickztahone]

thanks for the info captain!do you have plants in your tank?do you use co2?im planning to get plants that look like grass, what else do i need?fertilizer?if my plants are going to survive without co2, i would not bother to make a diy co2.are you sure my plants are going to be fine without co2?

trust me, there are many people out there that have great planted tanks that are low-tech (non-co2). it can be done but the plants do not grow as fast. with such a small tank it shouldn't be a problem to go low-tech

[KDodds]

Fish and plants are perfectly safe and, indeed, provide for a more complete, and often more stable system. Yes, CO2 is "bad" for fish, but only when concentrations become higher than tolerable. There are lots of things that are "bad" for fish, or bad for us, that are tolerated well at low levels. CO2 is one of the least things to worry about unless you're dosing it full on in a high tech tank, then it's something that should be measured. But otherwise usually not a worry, especially in FW aquariums. The hairgrass and microswords you're looking at are not really good choices for beginners. The require higher light levels, and more ferts and carbon than some less demanding plants. I've heard mixed reports when using them in low tech tanks, mostly toward the bad/failure end of the spectrum though. You might consider Sagittaria subulata, though, if you can get it from your source. Valisneria will also work, but will likely need to be trimmed very frequently due to the low tank. Cryptocorynes are good choices, Hyygrophila difformis is another nice choice. I'd stay away from Java Moss, Anubias spp. and Java Fern at first if you're not comfortable with tying them up to driftwood or rocks, but they are good choices as well.

[not so master reefer]

ok, if i can have plants without co2 , i will not bother to get one. how about fertilizer?is that bad to fish?if not, what fertilizer is good for my plant and will not harm my fish. im looking for plants that look like grass,any suggestion .can my low tech tank handle grass? :D


btw how do plants survive in low ligh plant?and this may sound stupid but how can light be beneficial to plants?what does it produce?

[KDodds]

Again, anything can become toxic/detrimental at high levels. I'd recommend NOT going the heavy fertilizer route. Simple fert pellets once per season should suffice for low-light, low-tech lightly planted tanks. All of the real "lawn-like" plants are medium to high light plants. Many of them are not true aquatics either. For instance, Eleocharis is used heavily as an "accent plant" with bonsai.

If you're familiar with reefkeeping, you should already be familiar with photosynthesis and photosynthetic organisms (symbiotic or not). Light is required for photosynthesis, the nutrient byproducts of which are used by the photosynthetic organism (and/or host) at night (mostly) when they respire.

You really may want to pick up a good beginner's book on planted aquaria before you commit to anything.

[MickYoumans]

I use both Excel (carbon) and Tropica Aquacare (fertilizer) in my planted tank. I do not have CO2 injection. In low light tanks you really don't have to have it. Keep in mind that every time you do water changes you are diluting your liquid additives. If you are doing large daily water changes you might be better off getting a fertilizer that you bury in the substrate. Here is a link to the place where I ordered my plants. They are also very good about giving you the necessary advice to keep them healthy after the sale. They also have good information on their site for you to study about plant care before you order them. Good luck with your planted tank.

http://www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/

[not so master reefer]

yup i should get a book!. for my last question whats the difference of the 10000k and 6700k?i heard that its better to use 6700k for planted. why ?can i still use my 10k?whats the cons in using 10k?

[KDodds]

The K ratings refers to the Kelvin color spectrum range for the bulb. 10000K bulbs are more blue, 6500K bulbs, or thereabouts, are closer to daylight. Depending on the type of photosynthetic organism, different spectral wavelengths are used or tolerated differently, more or less effectively. For FW aquatic plants, closer to daylight is better than closer to "deep" ocean. ;)

[not so master reefer]

big help kdodds!!!:angel: i have 30inch coralife 2x18w 10k bulb. im trying to get a 6700 bulb but i cant find any.do you think the 10k bulb is fine?i went to pet smart this morning and i found a bulb that could fit but its 24watts. can i use that?

[KDodds]

Yes, you'll probably be fine with the 10000K.