Seanogleby
Member
Hi all,
Does anyone use liquid carbon for low tech setups?
Thanks
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Does anyone use liquid carbon for low tech setups?
Thanks
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Liquid carbon
- Thread starter Seanogleby
- Start date
Zeus.
Fertz Meister
Folks do use LCO2 for tanks without CO2 injection. Technically using LCO2 makes it a high tech tank even without injecting CO2
lazybones51
Member
I use liquid carbon in a "low tech" setup, low light etc. It does seem to make a difference, my limiting factor is the low light level.
Seanogleby
Member
lazybones51
Member
I've used a couple of types, Easy-Life Easy Carbo and Colombo Flora Grow Carbo. The only notable difference is that Colombo Flora Grow Carbo bottle has a pump so it's easier to dispense.
BubblingUnder
Member
I've been using Flourish Excel for about 6 months now. It seems to work ok & less algae than I've had in other setups in previous years.
paul_j
Member
I use it since starting my first scape. Easy life carbo (2 ml for a 50 liter aquarium). I´m happy, no algea problems yet, thinks it helps.
PARAGUAY
Member
The term "liquid carbon" is a bit misleading ,its a chemical carbon source available to plants so is a good alternative to pressurised CO2, Its definetly not a con but overdosing and fatalities is the danger, I have used Easy Life and Dennerle Bio, I like the Bio as its a droplet application. Check plants vallis doesnt do well and fertilisers need incresing as its more than a low tech in my opinion
So where do your plants get there carbon from ?
zozo
Member
I do, in one of my tanks that recieves a large amount of daylight the entire day periode during the summer. Starting from march with artificial lights switched off.. I have to as long as i don't want to use regular co2 and i dont.
This tank is stacked with Anubias, i experience this pant grows a ton of algae if it's recieving to much light and little co2. This plant is very sensitive to light overdose, it grows to slow to coop with it.. So to help them during this periode i dose 3ml Easycarbo on 120L daily till it's time again to switch on the artificial lights, than i stop dosing again. I start when i see algae develop on it's leaves as a marker and 2 months later all anubias are 90% clean again. So it definitively helps a lot.After using this regime 3 years succesfully, i wonder if it's due to the gluts algicidal propperties and if regular co2 would have the same effect.. I might give it a try next years summer to find out.
lazybones51
Member
I wouldn't say it's a con at all. Before I started using it I had a bit of an algae issue, now there's almost none at all and my plants seem heathy.
Zeus.
Fertz Meister
So your thinking maybe try with CO2 injection at a low BPS and see if it gets same/similar results
Chris did have great success with his Lazy Asian Biotope which he had on 1 BSP and a 6.5Kg cylinder lasted 2years, he didnt bother with the CO2 on 2hours before either.
zozo
Member
So your thinking maybe try with CO2 injection at a low BPS and see if it gets same/similar results
Yes something like that.. If i would go with co2 with this tank i would limite it to 15ppm.. I just wonder what effect co2 injection would have and how it compares with easycarbo in limiting algae growth on the anubias. This is my 3th summer on Easycarbo and experience each time the same. I guess it's time for a co2 experiment next summer and see the difference if there is any.
I regularly use both CO2 and LC in my scapes, especially until they become mature. I use LC as a sort of safety net in an unbalanced system.
Once the scape is biologically mature I can gradually ease off with the LC if I want.
I can imagine that the combination of low CO2 and LC would work quite well, especially once the tank becomes established...just so long as the parameters - light, nutrients, flow etc - remain in balance and the plants aren't too demanding and carbon hungry.
How Marcel uses it in response to increasing intensity and duration of photoperiod, in an otherwise low-energy tank, makes a lot of sense. Like he says without it his Anubias would become covered in algae.
Once the scape is biologically mature I can gradually ease off with the LC if I want.
I can imagine that the combination of low CO2 and LC would work quite well, especially once the tank becomes established...just so long as the parameters - light, nutrients, flow etc - remain in balance and the plants aren't too demanding and carbon hungry.
How Marcel uses it in response to increasing intensity and duration of photoperiod, in an otherwise low-energy tank, makes a lot of sense. Like he says without it his Anubias would become covered in algae.
Not sure. I ran a tank for two years without any liquid CO2. All plants very healthy - and no algae.
I dose my main tank with liquid CO2 and have always had issues with plant health/growth and still have algae problems. Hence why I'm going to discontinue it. Just my observation.
zozo
Member
Yes and i'm realy wondering, if it is because of plant metabolism increasing shedding off the algae or is it the desinfectig algicidal side of glut killing it.
And it actualy mainly is the Anubias covering rather quickly with algae GSA and BBA in th mix and after dosing 6 to 8 weeks i see it dissappear each summer again..
That can be done too...I've done it myself, it's just a matter of getting the balance right and choosing the right plants.
I think it's a combination of the two.
zozo
Member
Probably is, in a way can't imagine 3ml on 120L is such a small dose actualy, it still baffles me that it works after all. Oh!? And btw shortly also growing a Tiger val in the same tank. Planted it last winter and the day i started glut thought bad idea, but the Val is taking it like a champ it runs and grows like crazy. And red so many posts that this plant shouldn't like it.. Likely refering to much higher dosage i guess. I don't use it in the other tanks, i don't want my cat to drink that nasty stuff.
I think that's right, vallis generally does okay, so long as LC isn't overdosed.
