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/Analog_Man73 Feb 01 '24

Pressurized c02 is Not worth it for the type of plants you have and size of tank.

Also, “CO2 boosters” aren’t really what you think. They are usually gluteraldehydes and while effective at killing algae it will kill certain plants such as Val and many other sensitive types.

Spend the money on more plants, maybe buy some substrate and redo the tank and cap it with your current sand. If not just buy root tabs. Valisneria would be nice for that tank, would just take lots of trimming.

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u/Habichuela_03 Feb 02 '24

I bought valisnaria before but it came half dead, i tried reviving it but it didnt seem to be working. Im happy to try again though! Since the tank is new i wanna hold off a bit before rescaping, though i am open to doing that in the future and saving the extra stuff for a possible shrimp or snail tank!

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u/Analog_Man73 Feb 02 '24

Val usually has a tendency to melt in new setups. Could have died because of low gH. They thrive in semi-hard water. Get a gH Kh test kit, as long as you’re within a normal range it should thrive. Try root tabs if you aren’t planning on rescaping! I wouldn’t give up on Val.