29/10/2021
Carbon dioxide or Co2 is one gas that aquascapers frequently seek.
Normal plants growing out of the water can absorb Co2 from the atmosphere to photosynthesize, however Aquatic plants have to work extra hard to get this valuable gas.
This is why we spend money on Co2 injection to ensure our water column has sufficient levels to keep our plants healthy.
Now you're probably wondering, but there's no Co2 injection in rivers and lakes, and you're not entirely wrong.
Water can only hold so much gases, and the majority of those gases end up being oxygen. So when we want to plant something like hairgrass or carpet plants, which need high amounts of Co2 and do not carpet naturally in the wild, we inject Co2.
Won't my fish die of Co2 poisoning?
If not regulated, in excess, Co2 will kill your aquatic life, but stopping this from happening is as easy as ensure surface agitation occurs to facilitate gas exchange.
Co2 is expensive?
Compressed Co2 in cannister are indeed costly, but they can last you 5 to 7 months, so it's a small monthly price to pay for beautiful Aquatic plants.
D.I.Y Co2 systems are also available, using chemical reactions and biological ways to produce Co2, however these are alot of work, but cost almost nothing (I personally use yeast to produce my Co2)
So it's either stick with low tech plants that grow fine without Co2 or start injecting. Other than that, why not drop us a message to know more about what plants suit you best, wether it be low or high tech.
