# Vallisneria and co2



## wick (26 May 2008)

Hi
Would Vallisneria grow better in a co2 enriched tank?
I think i remember somewhere that thay use the KH,instead of co2??
So what im asking is ,would i get better growth with these plants with co2 injection,or would i get the same growth rate without co2?
Also if u have alot of vals,would u notice a fall in KH when testing?
many thanks


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## ceg4048 (26 May 2008)

Hi wick,
            There is no comparison between the growth rates generated by CO2 injection versus non-injection. Carbon is one of the top two elements needed by plants and animals. CO2 uptake and it's resultant Carbon assimilation is the reason you get flour from wheat and fruit from trees. These are carbohydrates (starch and sugars) and can only be done by CO2 consumption. So this is like comparing how much weight you would gain by drinking only water versus eating pasta.

While many plants are able to uptake carbon by stripping the carbonates (CO3 and HCO3) from water this is akin to the guy in a medieval prison eating the soles of his shoes to keep from starving.   

Sure, in a non-injected tank filled with Vals you might see a kH drop but so what? If your goal is high growth rate you'll need to feed them carbon via CO2.


Cheers,


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## wick (26 May 2008)

Many thanks ceg
I have a lovely pair of koi angelfish and want to go with vals as a background curtain,to give the fish ample swimming space.
I have ECHINODORUS TENELLUS (DWARF CHAIN SWORD) as my foreground plants and am very happy with the way thay have changed the front into a grassy lawn (thay changed from a little sword to a grassy plant,well cool)
I am injecting co2...  i just like to ask question on how things work  
thanks


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## beeky (27 May 2008)

I think the growth rate of vallis would be quite scary with CO2!


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## plantbrain (27 May 2008)

Van et al reported 10-24X the growth rates with CO2 enrichment vs the control.

So 1000-2400% more growth.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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