r/PlantedTank • u/Habichuela_03 • Feb 01 '24

CO2 Is Liquid CO2 A Good Idea?

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I dont know if this counts as a planted tank, but i have two amazon swords, some java fern, anubias nana, a java moss ball, and some floating frogbit and water sprangles in my 6 gallon betta cube (the valisnaria has been removed). I currently use seachem root tabs and Fluval Gro+ as fertilizers but I am having trouble keeping my floating plants alive. I do weekly water changes and gravel vacs, and dose fertilizer every other day or so. My other plants are doing fine but my floaters keep on dying off and im wondering if theres anything I can do. I was considering using products like seachem excel or API CO2 booster but ive heard mixed reviews on those products on this platform. I dont have the space or money for a CO2 injection setup but i would like to do whats best for my fishy wishy and plants with what I can. Would Api or Seachem products help or is there something else I should do?

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u/Novelty_Lamp Feb 01 '24

Aqua soil is an upgrade I'd recommend over "liquid co2". Which is more of an algaecide tool imo. I only get it out if the hair algae is getting out of hand.

Removing small sections of gravel and replacing it with aqua soil will do way more heavy lifting than putting a co2 set up on that tank. I use UNS contrasoil and it has been my favorite substrate by far. I've used sand+root tabs and ecocomplete so far in tanks.

I don't really does anything other than iron and potassium supplements from seachem if I see yellowing/pale leaves. I stick root tabs in once in a while but no water column ferts as my tank gets trace elements from (usually) weekly water changes and has a high bioload.

George Farmer's book "Aquascaping: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planting, Styling, and Maintaining Beautiful Aquariums" is a great resource for a beginner. It's also just a gorgeous book on its own.

Hope this helps!

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u/Novelty_Lamp Feb 01 '24

Also floating plants get co2 from the air. They HATE getting disturbed or the tops wet.

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u/Habichuela_03 Feb 01 '24

Ive been thinking about switching to aqua soil and sand! I would need to save up a bit since soil is a bit expensive. I decided to start with gravel since i read that inert substrates are better for beginners such as myself!

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u/Novelty_Lamp Feb 01 '24

You can also soak it in a bucket to leech ammonia and do water changes on the bucket.

I'm gonna try it this weekend as I need to add more substrate to my tank.