# Fizzy water



## Tresbling (15 Feb 2008)

Hi All,

This may well be a silly question, but could I use sparkling mineral water for my plants? I know it would be hard to work out dosages, but I was thinking more of using it in my unfiltered bottles and jars of plants on my windowsill.

Any reason why this wouldn't work?

Would the minerals in the water be useful for plants too?

Any advice would be much appreciated.


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## Arana (15 Feb 2008)

Not sure about the mierals but i'm sure they would love the Co2  
Very expensive though  

I believe Amano used to do it


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## Ed Seeley (15 Feb 2008)

If you're adding it to containers without fish then no worries, but adding it to tanks can cause fish deaths with the very high CO2 levels.  You're also going to have rapidly fluctuating CO2 levels if you do and when things changes rapidly, IME, algae grows!  You might be better dosing small amounts of Excel or EasyCarbo daily instead.


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## ceg4048 (15 Feb 2008)

Hi Tresbling,
                        Welcome to the forum. 8) 

I'm with Ed on this one. The CO2 content is uncontrolled for fish and is not good for CO2 stability which plants require. There are lots of low cost trace element/mineral mixes out there so there is no need for mineral water. If you can give us an idea of your tank specifications, your setup and your current or intended dosing scheme we might be able to offer advice on how to proceed.

Cheers,


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## Tresbling (15 Feb 2008)

Thanks for the speedy replies!

I have a main 'proper' tank which is planted which has a cheap tetraplant CO2 doser which i use once a day. I would not put carbonated water in there for fear on suffocating my shrimps and fish.

Along my windowsill there is a glass bowl containing a big Apongeton madagascariensis and a number of pint glasses containing bits of plants that arent needed in my tank but are too good to throw away   

They all have JBL aquabasis substrate but no heat or filtration, just sunlight and warmth. They all seem happy and no signs of algae as yet.....

I was thinking more from a CO2 point of view, that just topping them up from time to time with carbonated water might make them happy and healthy, but I appreciate CO2 levels would swing wildly. Why do plants need a stable CO2 level? Can't they use it when it's there, and slow down when it's not?

Thanks again.

Thanks


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## Ed Seeley (16 Feb 2008)

Tresbling said:
			
		

> I was thinking more from a CO2 point of view, that just topping them up from time to time with carbonated water might make them happy and healthy, but I appreciate CO2 levels would swing wildly. Why do plants need a stable CO2 level? Can't they use it when it's there, and slow down when it's not?



Sure they can do that, but algae are far better at dealing with changeable situations and therefore they respond more quickly and will do better in a situation with fluctuating nutrients, CO2 or even light IME.  The real key to an algae free tank, IMHO, is a stable one with healthy growing plants.  

By all means try it, but be prepared for some algae!  For the best success I'd add tiny amounts daily, or even twice daily and see how that goes, rather than simply dumping a fair amount in every do often.


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## Lisa_Perry75 (16 Feb 2008)

Or maybe try it in half, the glasses at different amounts added over different days.

Like a proper experiment. Got any pics of them?


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## Tresbling (16 Feb 2008)

Thats a plan!

I shall set up two identical pint glasses of lileaopsis and dose one with tesco value fizzy water every day (17p/2L  ) and see if theres a difference. As you say, the difference may well be an algal one   

By the way what do IME and IMHO mean? Im a bit new to all this...

I'll post some pictures at some point when theyve grown a bit!

Cheers for the input


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## Ed Seeley (16 Feb 2008)

Sounds like a great plan for an experiment! 

IME = In my experience
IMHO = In my humble opinion

and BTW = By the way!

HTH!!!!

(Hope that helps!   )


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## Lisa_Perry75 (17 Feb 2008)

Being a scientist I'd want to do it in triplicate, but thats just me lol


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## Tresbling (17 Feb 2008)

Haha ive just finished running experiments for my dissertation, i've done enough triplicates to last me a lifetime!

Plus my housemates would wonder where all the glasses are going!   

I'm applying to do a masters in aquaculture, so maybe I could do a proper experiment in culturing plants for the aquarium trade? I've got alot to learn before that though!

I put a couple of photos up of my glasses, but theyre not properly planted yet. More to come later...

http://www.ukaps.org/gallery/index.php?cat=10282


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## Lisa_Perry75 (17 Feb 2008)

Oh cool whats your degree and dissertation in?


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## Tresbling (18 Feb 2008)

Im doing marine biology at Swansea, my dissertation is about mussels and their defensive interactions with dogwhelks, using a time lapse camera to watch them for hours- should be writing it up now!!!

What science/course do you do? I want to work in aquatic biology, no idea how though!


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