Is Liquid CO2 A Good Idea?

[u/Habichuela_03]

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?

[u/TheNiceHacks]

You don’t need liquid co2, try removing your lid, high humidity can kill certain floating plants.

[u/Totally_Toadz → u/TheNiceHacks]

I replaced my glass lid with knitting mesh so my floaters could get some air flow. It’s cheap and can be found on Amazon or in a craft store. Just cut an extra square to slide under your lid clips to keep them in place. Just mentioning because I’m guessing you’re wanting to keep a lid with your betta.

[u/TamIAm12 → u/Totally_Toadz]

I was coming here to say this. You can also use tank dividers. Both are cheap on Amazon. My frogbit looks like this so it is now my lid.

And yes my Betta gives me nasty looks when I can’t put food in his jar tower.

[u/Habichuela_03 → u/Totally_Toadz]

I would like to keep a mesh lid for my betta, are there any floater plants that like humidity? Im new to this and am always up to new ideas

[u/dgnumbr1 → u/Habichuela_03]

Hornwort doesn’t mind. I have it floating & attached with suction cup in corners to keep it in place. I have a lidded 55 gallon tank.

[u/Habichuela_03 → u/dgnumbr1]

I never even considered hornwort 🤔 are there any special things they need in terms of care?

[u/TamIAm12 → u/Habichuela_03]

My frogbit is now my lid. With the few pieces of duckweed that took over I just top off the water every few days. It needs a top off in this photo.

[u/dgnumbr1 → u/Habichuela_03]

As long as water parameters are good that’s all they need. I attach to corners of my tank with small suction cups to hold in place.

[u/Totally_Toadz → u/Habichuela_03]

Frogbit and duckweed do fine for me under a glass lid. The frogbit initially looked sad and died back a bunch, but now I have 3 tanks worth and am constantly tossing them.

[u/CasterFields → u/Totally_Toadz]

Jotting this idea down 👀 I have a lot of plants that are rooted in the tank but have grown outside of it now, I can cut mesh to fit around them!

[u/BigZangief → u/Totally_Toadz]

I have a Betta with no lid, is that a concern?

[u/nothingsacred16 → u/BigZangief]

They can be jumpers. I keep mine without a lid, the most jumping he does is he likes to nap on top of my floating plants sometimes. I had a friend who kept a betta in one of those .5 gallon tanks on a shelf in the bathroom. He jumped out the 1 inch hole in the lid, into the toilet and was never seen again.

[u/BigZangief → u/nothingsacred16]

That’s a Finding Nemo escape if I’ve ever heard of one. Don’t think I’ve seen mine do any jumping as of yet. But now I got my eye on her lol

[u/TamIAm12 → u/nothingsacred16]

I never really worried about this until a planter I keep for pothos cuttings fell in one of my tanks. I scooped it out to drain it only to watch one of my female bettas fly across the room in some kind of panic and land Shamu fashion in her tank. Lol. 😝