# co2 on low light tanks?



## clay (Jul 3, 2004)

i have a 20g long, and it has a basic strip giving off about 1.5 wpg. i have crypts and anubias in the tank. can i dose with a diy co2? is it worth it? there are barely any fish in the tank, and i want to keep it that way.

thanks

clay


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Dosing CO2 will be benificial even in a low light tank. It will definately help maximize the usage of your light byCO2 not being the limiting factor in growth.


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

I agree with Tony. I think it would be beneficial to your plants. You can read more about the interaction of CO2 and light and their impact on growth here.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Don't dose too high with CO2. I tried CO2 dosing on a 29 gallon cryptocoryne tank with one 20 watt T12 flourescent light and had a huge meltdown. The plants were doing all right with no CO2 dosing, and when I stopped the CO2 dosing (30 to 40 ppm) the plants recovered in a few months. Then I increased the light level to three 20 watt flourescents and started the CO2 dosing again. This time, there was a very slight meltdown of a few of the oldest leaves, and then the plants took off and filled the tank.

I know that Ole Pedersen wrote an article saying that CO2 was good for plants even in low light, but that meltdown was so bad and so prolonged, that I am convinced that crypts in very low light are an exception.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

I haven't had that problem with crypts in low light, co2 injected tanks. IMO, those are the easiest to maintain but still have pretty nice growth. If I have something really touchy or want to get the absolute best out of something, it will go into my high light (PCF), co2 controlled 30. Everything else will be fine in my 1.1 wpg T8 44 gallon tank.


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