Lets talk co2 without injections....

[Whitecloud09]

Hi, I have seen stuff saying co2 is a MUST for planted tanks. And I am going to be upfront, I used to be an all-in-one ferts guy who did not know anything about micros and macros, and co2 and this and that and blah blah blah. I am JUST NOW seing the light on plants, and what they need to grow. I am kinda a newbie to this detailed plant thing.. lemme read word that, this micro macro thing. It is not a new conspiracy or something like that lol, but I just did not even know, like ever. Boy I need some help with my plants. I used to have robust growth, and the tank was great. Now I cannot find my old groove. Why? Wrong ratios, imbalanced, etc.

Back to topic. I am wondering about if co2 is important for low tech planted tanks? What about tablets? DIY? Is this all a waste of my time, dumb Q, why I am I even bringing this up type of thing?

I am using an all-in-one fert, but I am going to switch over to the Green Leaf aquariums stuff. Make my own mixes. But again, still learning.

What are y'all's thoughts on Co2??? I want to learn from real keepers, not google AI. lol

 

[ElleDee]

All plants need CO2 to survive, but injecting CO2 is not, strictly speaking, mandatory. I never have used it, but that puts me in the minority here. Most serious hobbyists inject CO2 on at least some of their setups.

In the simplest terms, it's a trade off between plant growth and simplicity. Many people would rather invest the money and put in the time and work to get the plants they want, which I totally get! But I know myself - I'm patient and busy. I give my tanks years to develop, putting in the time I can spare and not worrying too much if I can't get to it this week. So going with non-injected tanks is just a better match for my lifestyle right now.

(Also there's nothing wrong with a reasonable all-in-one fertilizer. It's more expensive, but can save you a lot of hassle when you're getting started.)

 

[Unexpected]

CO2 will make all plant growth better and I 100 percent recommend it. But you can't deny people like @JuJuFish growing amazing tanks without injection. Injection comes with a new learning curve but is very forgiving and mistakes can be corrected quickly.

 

[Kwyet]

You will have faster growth with CO2, and more colorful plants because with CO2 you can have higher light levels. Some plants won’t survive without supplemental CO2. You can still have a beautiful low-tech tank without supplemental CO2 though. You just have to choose suitable plants and accept that you won’t get vibrant reds in most cases.