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Originally Posted by Jane in Upton  I have a question for those of you adding some CO2. I don't mean to hijack your thread racialfish, but it's part of the answer for your question, too.
CO2 addition will obviously increase the growth rate of the plants (and therefore the accumulation of allelochemicals in the soil will be faster, and more likely to outstrip the rate that bacteria would break them down). Do you folks who supplement CO2 also dose fertilizers to the water column? And if so, is the water column dosing more or less in proportion to your CO2 addition? Bpimm says they don't add large amounts of CO2, but what about fertilization rates? It seems to me, being a casual observer of the high-tech method, that the trend is for ever increasing levels of CO2 and Ferts (they usually seem to go hand in hand). |
Jane, I have pressure CO2 on 3 tanks and none on 2 tanks and no dosing of anything else. if I have a decency I try to add the element into the soil.
The trend for ever increasing levels is something you see in every aspect of hobbies, there is always someone who tries to push it farther than everyone else, I guess it is just the competitive human nature.
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Also, those of you adding CO2 to a soil substrate tank, are you using a DIY, or pressurized system? My thought is this - with DIY, it seems that the CO2 levels are more variable as the yeast concoction ages, and I'm wondering if the levels of CO2 addition are on the low side anyhow, I'd imagine that the tank might be more resiliant to these fluctuations. Or, is it the opposite - at lower levels of CO2 addition, consistency is paramount in order to see the results?
I recall its been brought up that the soil substrate could possibly become exhausted faster if everything was ramped up (ie, CO2 addition, fert addition, etc.). Have any of you adding CO2 experienced this?
Thanks in advance for your input.
-Jane
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I have never tried DIY CO2 it just seems like a hassle. I have to belive that the substrate will have a shorter life if you add CO2, that is one of the reasons I add a smaller amount of CO2 than most. I am trying to just keep CO2 available and stable not deplete it. In nature there is alot more water volume and surface area per plant than in the aquarium therefore I think the CO2 levels in nature would be more stable, as a general rule, I'm sure there are cases that wouldn't follow this theory.
as for the allelochemicals I don't have a tank that has been running long enough to test this theory, and how would we know if it was allelochemicals or just the substrate being exhausted? without a lab to test the substrate I'm not sure we can answer this question.
About 10 years ago I had a soil tank with CO2 and after about 1.5-2 years the growth slowed and the tank fell apart. I had to start over with new substrate. I have to believe that the substrate has a finite life with added CO2 but I don't know the definite cause.
I look at it as incentive to try a new tank layout.
Brian