Re: CO2 DIffusion Tech question

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: CO2 DIffusion Tech question
From: George Booth <booth at hpmtlgb1_lvld.hp.com>
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 1996 08:49:39 -0700
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 26 Nov 1996 03:39:02 EST." <199611260839.DAA20781 at looney_actwin.com>

From: Michael Lee Burgess, mburgess at novia_net
Date: Monday, November 25, 1996

> This is going to be a great plant tank, that is if I ever figure out
> the "rich substrate vs. laterite and Under Gravel Heat coils thing. 
> Do I realy need to give my plants a hot foot?

No, you don't need Under Gravel Heating coils. Or laterite. Or a rich
substrate.  The type of filter you use is also not very important to
the plants.

You've obviously taken the "how much substrate can dance on the head
of a pin" discussions too seriously :-).

If you are providing for the needs of the plants with good light,
appropriate CO2 levels and good nutrients, they will do just fine
without all the gimmicks.  

We had an 85 gallon tank with a canister filter and an undergravel
filter (of all things :-) and it produced great plant growth.  When we
maintained it properly, it was the lushest of our four tanks.  The
only drawback to the UGF was it took more maintenance to keep the
correct level of detritus (and thus nutrients) in the substrate.

IMHO, the only filter consideration is what YOU want - less
maintenance, more features to give you a "warm fuzzy", a spinning
bio-wheel to astound the neighborhood kids, etc.

The system you describe sounds like it will be great.  Don't worry too
much about the substrate.  I, of course, would suggest laterite and
heating coils but that's just me :-).

> My Question for the technically experience is; would this be a good
> place to inject the CO2?  The skimmer overflows back into the sump and
> from there most of the water is pumped back into the tank (though some
> is rediverted into the skimmer).

Yes, what you decribed sounds like a very good CO2 injector.  Just
make sure that you adjust it (water and/or CO2 flow) so that the CO2
bubbles stay mostly in the skimmer.  It may be very efficient, so be
careful when you start it up - monitor the pH carefully unitl you get
a feel for how much CO2 is getting dissolved.   

George