Aquascaping Blog
With the rise in popularity of aquascaping also comes the rise of the equipment being used in the hobby. RGBW (red,green, blue and white) LED lights have surfaced. Plant fertilizers are now readily available in pet shops and small canister tanks for CO2, as well as CO2 diffusers and regulators, are now normally found in fish stores and pet shops. This would not have been the case 10 years ago. Aquascaping has made the use of CO2 in aquariums very popular. So popular in fact that a lot of methods have been formulated to provide this gas to the tank water. Is it really that necessary?
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This may seem like a really simple question to answer but the fact is the answer should be based on numerous variables that need to be discussed and understood. This is science and may get a bit complicated but one does not need to memorize pages of data. Data and its principles only need to be understood and applied. The answer also needs to be based on why CO2 is actually applied to the tank in the first place.
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Airstones and air pumps have been a staple of the aquarium trade for decades. Air Pumps have been and still are a huge help for bringing Oxygen into the water and this works wonders on aquarium water. A lot of hobbyists may be wondering: is co2 better than compressed air? Air Pumps (compressed air) have been essential for fish, especially for overstocked tanks. The question is; will it do the same for aquatic plants? Will it also dissolve CO2 into the water since CO2 is also present in the atmosphere? Let's start the fight: CO2 vs compressed air!
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A newbie in the planted tank hobby would be bombarded with terms like pH, gH, kH etc. While this may sound a little too technical, understanding what these represent would make it seem much easier. To simplify things, these are just names we call for certain measurements of certain elements in the water. These are necessary to ensure that the tank has the most favorable conditions for plant and fish growth.
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Some claim that the most effective way to control algae is to provide the tank with sufficient amounts of CO2. This will come either via CO2 injection or via chemicals like CO2 tabs and liquid CO2. This may sound a bit bold but a lot of experienced aquascapers swear by it. They know through experience that while CO2 supplementation is not an overnight miracle cure it works beautifully long term. Adequate CO2, along with sufficient filtration and good husbandry is the only thing that will prevent the algae from growing and becoming a menace to the tank. There are dozens of chemicals that can kill algae. Numerous methods have been developed to eradicate algae in the aquarium, but none apart from the things mentioned can effectively prevent them from ever coming back.
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