# I have a list of plants I'm interested in. Do these work without CO2?



## randallkai18 (Jul 5, 2018)

Hi there!

I know in general, CO2 isn't required for a lot of plants, but is extremely beneficial for all plants. However, I'm not running it on my tank because the tank is at my parents house and will remain here even though I'll be at school downstate (university) a majority of the year. I don't trust my younger brother to keep an eye on the CO2 to make sure it doesn't go wonky, and I'm nervous about him trying to mess with it as well. So no CO2 on this tank until I'm finished with college 

Anyways, the tank is 37 gallons. The tank will be dosed EI (NilocG) and I'm purchasing a new light instead of the built-into-the-hood light. I'll be getting a timer as well to help moderate how much lighting the plants get throughout the day. The plants I'm looking at are:

A.R Mini
Anubias Barteri
Aridarum Narrow Leaf
Blyxa Alternifolia
Fissidens Nobilis
Stargrass
Cameroon moss
Trithuria lanterna
Azolla caroliniana
Amazon frogbit
Red root floater
Bacopa sp. japan
Pearlweed
Crystalwort

Some of these I feel confident on doing well in my tank, such as the A.R. Mini, Anubias, Pearlweed, etc. Others I have no idea. For example, the blyxa or dissidens. I haven't heard much about these plants but am super enthralled with them. The azolla is another one I'm unsure of. 

Side question- will the "red" plants be red in the tank? I've always worried about this, and it might seem like a stupid question. But I've seen people say that red plants won't develop their full color without CO2 so I've got to ask!

Thanks again, just a newbie coming through with a general question or two.


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

Red plants get the red coloration with various nutrients parameters. But generally, the lower your nitrates the redder the plant. 
Co2 addition to red plants I have not the knowledge on. But im sure thats a yes (it benefits). 
As for plants in your list that need additional Co2 imo:
Blyxa Alternifolia
Fissidens Nobilis
Trithuria lanterna
Bacopa sp. japan

As for the AR mini- I have seen this done in NPT's so theres that. But the addition of Co2 Definitely helps with it.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Here are my recommendations for Low tech tanks:
https://tropica.com/en/plants/search/?mode=search&sew=&dif=Easy&pgr=&ori=&use=

Any floating plants will work.


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## randallkai18 (Jul 5, 2018)

Thank you for this list! I appreciate it!


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Whoa, I just found out LiveAquaria sells Tropica plants now.


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## adkaqua (Apr 27, 2018)

mistergreen said:


> Whoa, I just found out LiveAquaria sells Tropica plants now.


They needed something to hold them over till all mine are available lol

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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

adkaqua said:


> They needed something to hold them over till all mine are available lol
> 
> Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


Lol, your next step is to get a greenhouse the size of a football field.


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## adkaqua (Apr 27, 2018)

mistergreen said:


> Lol, your next step is to get a greenhouse the size of a football field.


I'm going to have at least 4 full 4ft racks in the next 2 months. And it about doubles every 6 weeks. So it won't be long until yes. .. hopefully I DO have a facility that size. That's been my dream. I want half of it to be Adk Aquascaping plants. The other half I want people making tens of thousands of the most incredible cannabis clones you can imagine. A lab where people are making gourami immune to iridiovirus and gloplants and other tinkering with Aquatic plant and cannabis genetics. On the front of the building I want my actual aquascaping facility building custom freshwater tanks for people.

Then on an adjacent site I have research projects drafted up to do biofuel research, turfgrass genetic modification, remedies for invasive plants and animals, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I want to incorporate Adirondack Aquascaping into the umbrella corporation of Adirondack Molecular Research as a subsidiary company. AMR doesn't exist yet. That parent corporation is part of the vision

The football field greenhouse will be for hardening off cannabis clones, and cultivating the largest collection of begonia species in a single location ever amassed. My TC growing facility will be more... Warehouse in styling. Fully controlled environment, no external light messing with my plant growth.

I've got big plans.

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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

ok where do attach my resume?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Oh man, getting a cannabis license is pretty tough. Depending on the state, they only give a limited number of licenses. 

watch for the expense of R&D. It's really expensive without guarantee of application.

Tropica has a diverse path for their aquatic plants. They don't only sell tc plants in containers but full grown plants too. They move the clones out to the greenhouse to grow. I guess they make more money that way. I noticed they also grow the plants in a nutrient liquid instead of a gel.


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

Tropica is a dream workplace 
maybe one day...


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## adkaqua (Apr 27, 2018)

Liquid culture is great. When I have more room I'm doing that too. I do it now but not for majority of stuff. Short term, specific applications. 

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## adkaqua (Apr 27, 2018)

Cannabis license is why I don't already do it. But doing genetic work with cannabis is why I went to college for plant biotech in 09. It's been my dream for almost a decade. Aquatic plants just fell on me and I knew that would be the best route to get my lab. Make my dream of being a botanist come true. And I have kept aquariums for 20 years so it was a perfect fit. 


R&d is stupid money too. Yeah. It's not gonna be primary goal. Maybe. Idk. Maybe never get done. But I've got projects and proposals I just need a lab and $ for. If other things are successful enough..... I wanna add that In too. 


Imagine glowing white ludwigia in your glofish tank. Or blue Anubias. 

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## adkaqua (Apr 27, 2018)

Or blue Anubias that ALSO glowed in glofish tank under uv light. 

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## Sherryazure (Jun 20, 2003)

All plants, land or aquatic need CO2. I suspect you mean an overload of plants with additional CO2 and other nutritional (soil) needs. All I can say is unless high light specific plants, where processes are sped up, I - since the late 50's never had what most today took for granted. Plants grew lushly, basic old fashioned over the back filter and water changes (always from the bottom and only a bit - water let to adjust then trickled in slowly over hours so fish were not shocked).

Dr. Innes a must read - what some claim as new was already written about.


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