very low tech CO2

CO2 dosing alla Joergen Scheel:

Prepare a 5% sugar solution. Of this solution add 1 mL per L of tank water. Mix the sugar solution into the tank water! Repeat dose every 2 weeks.

Things to worry about:
Sugar => CO2 + ethanol (not to worry, the alcohol levels are very low)
ethanol + sulfates => acetic acid + hydrogen sulfide!

Watch your pH carefully, maybe filter over crushed coral or oyster shell etc... Keep the tank well aerated to oxidize sulfide to sulfate. Scheel reports that inspite of the dangers he never had trouble in all his many years of fish keeping, and as he kept killifish he had 100s of tanks.

I have used this technique and also had no problems. But after reading Ecology of the Planted Aquarium I simply switched to over feeding my fish (i.e. giving more food than the fish need) and this extra feeding supplied the needed CO2 for the plants.

Scheel recommends trimming the plants on a weekly basis.

tt4n

 

Hmmmnn...pity Tyrone doesn't hang round here anymore... Would have liked to hear how it worked for him... sure beats using Excell every day!