Re: CO2 injection on 6 gallon tank?

["David W. Webb" <dwebb at ti_com>]

> Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 08:15:34 -0600 
> From: "Beard, Kelly" <KBeard at comdata_com>
> 
> I want one of these new Eclipse 6 gallon tanks to set up at work.  Short of
> buying ADA stuff, do you think it is worth fooling with?  How can you do CO2
> in a tank that small?  I figure that you could use those little BB gun CO2
> cartridges, but is there equipment that will let you regulate output and
> all?

I have a 5.5g tank set up at work.  An Eclipse may actually be a good
solution to the "single plug" issue.  I can say my single plug is for
the light the tank adds to my desk and not have any problem with
facilities.  When I set this tank up, there were no Eclipse filters
available, and so I set up my tank with no forced water movement.

My recommendation for an office tank is: Don't inject CO2.  First, your
light is probably on the dim side for CO2 injection.  Second, do you
want to have to prune every week at the office?

My plant recommendations are as follows, but go with what works for
you.  I have Java Moss, Java Fern, and Hygrophila difformis.  If I were
to do it again, I'd probably substitute Hygrophila polysperma instead of
the difformis because I like its color and texture better, and because
it's not quite as robust as the difformis in my tanks.  However, more
likely, I'd just add a half-dozen small crypts and aquascape with some
rocks.  I didn't do this with the current setup, but who knows, I may go
back and revisit sometime soon.

Why?  The H. difformis grows like mad over the space of a few months
(and I run my water level very low, giving it direct access to
atmospheric CO2) and takes over the tank.  H. polysperma grows very fast
too, but not as fast in my tanks as does H. difformis.  Since I have
only 3" of water in my tank, I can also allow the plants to grow up out
of the water, giving them direct access to atmospheric CO2 and negating
any need for CO2 injection.  To control evaporation, I cover the tank
with a nearly airtight lid, opening it only to add food every few days
and add distilled water every 6 months or so.  This setup may not be
100% optimal for an Eclipse tank because you may wind up having to lift
the water too far from the intake to the filter, but it is nice having
only one power cord.

I hope this is helpful at least by giving some ideas.

-- 
David W. Webb
Live-Foods list administrator

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