# Could I slow down the plant growing by stop suppling CO2?



## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

My thank's foreground is already covered with HC ,and all other plant grow fast and I have to keep trimming , if I stop suppling CO2 my HC will die or just stop growing ?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Rather than stop completely, maybe slow down the amount of CO2 injected?


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

what you can do is raise the lighting, or if its a twister bulb, less wattage. Once the plants are given time to adjust (couple weeks with crypts, few days with stems), you can turn down the co2 a bit. I wouldn't recommend going off of it until you have your plant growth slowed significantly with the lower lighting, it keeps the algae at bay.


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

So instead fo daily dose , I could dose 2 days a week right?


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

neven said:


> what you can do is raise the lighting, or if its a twister bulb, less wattage. Once the plants are given time to adjust (couple weeks with crypts, few days with stems), you can turn down the co2 a bit. I wouldn't recommend going off of it until you have your plant growth slowed significantly with the lower lighting, it keeps the algae at bay.


Light is LED and its in the canopy , I cant really do anything with light.


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## springboard (Apr 10, 2011)

How do you trim your Pennywort? Mine grows quite fast so I've been wrapping it around a ordament I have in the tank. But after a few wraps, it gets out of control and then starts crawling along the surface.


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

I keep trim from the top and twist them every week.



springboard said:


> How do you trim your Pennywort? Mine grows quite fast so I've been wrapping it around a ordament I have in the tank. But after a few wraps, it gets out of control and then starts crawling along the surface.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Can always block some off with a tin foil or something? It should be save with LED which does not too much heat.


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## Nicklfire (Apr 21, 2010)

3 Things that make plants grow successfully. LIGHT > CO2 > FERTZ

If you limit 1 of those then the plants will have deficiencies... which limit growth, but also health.

I think light is above all the biggest thing you want to affect, if you limit the light it limits the photosynthesis.. even if you have an abundance of co2 / fertz . 

Most people overdo the light anyways.. so ideally to slow the plants down, try to limit all 3 aspects.. a bit and see.

shawn


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## Ebonbolt (Aug 12, 2011)

Of course, you could keep trimming and just sell off the trimmings for a nice bit of cash...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

With higher light and reduced CO2, you'll not only get reduced plant growth, you'll also start to get all kinds of algae. Reduce the photoperiod, filter the light by putting translucent material between the light and the tank or raise the light. Light limiting your tank is the best way to slow down growth without causing algae issues.


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

My light is on from 11am to 9pm and I think thats too much , I'll reduce it to 8 hours a day 1-9 instead ,and reduce the Co2 to 3 times a week. I hope with this change the plants stay healthy and grow slowly./

Thank you so much for all the advices . 
For me without this forum and awesome members it was impossible stay in this hobby.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

You're going to turn on the CO2 on alternate days? That's just asking for trouble...the biggest enemy of planted tanks is fluctuating CO2 levels....triggers algal blooms at all levels.


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

2wheelsx2 said:


> You're going to turn on the CO2 on alternate days? That's just asking for trouble...the biggest enemy of planted tanks is fluctuating CO2 levels....triggers algal blooms at all levels.


I dose flourish excel everyday. I'll keep it as is and only reduce the photoperiod.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

How big is this tank?


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

jobber604 said:


> How big is this tank?


5 gallon...


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## verkion (Apr 27, 2011)

2wheelsx2 is right I would think. Reducing the photo-period means that you will also proportionally decrease CO2 and fert usage (although I'd probably just stick to whatever your normal fert schedule is anyways to leave excess nutrients at least for the first little while.) You could do alternate light days? Maybe some of you plant guys would know better? i.e. light on for 8 hours one day, off completely the next, 8 hours the next etc.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

yea 2 wheels is right, placing a translucent material between the light fixture and tank will help, it solves the problem with not being able to raise the lighting on a tank hood. (i meant the height, not the intensity). As for the material, acrylic is not recommended so close to the flight fixture, so glass may be the best bet. the condensation it will build up will help reduce the light. If that wont work, there is always the material for screen doors/windows.

As for co2, it confuses people to call flourish excel/metricide co2 since its not, it is a substitute for it. You can definitely get away with dosing excel every second day, just remember that it tends to break down within 48 hours, so decreasing the interval further may cause fluctuations that allow algae to grow.


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## Captured Moments (Apr 22, 2010)

Agree to all some previous posters have said (neven, Verkion, 2Wheels). Most likely address the light issue rather than the other 2 factors (carbon in the form of Co2 or Flourish Excel/Metricide and the fertilizers). The only thing I can suggest is maybe cut down on the length of the photoperiod to say 6 hrs only if you find it difficult to shield the light.


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## verkion (Apr 27, 2011)

What type of LED lighting is it? If it is using a constant current driver it is probably very easy to mod it to reduce the driving current. If there is no driver, there's probably a current limiting resistor in series with the LED chain...also easy to mod! Just throw an extra potentiometer in there in that case!

Thanks!
Verkion


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

it is Ecoxotic Panorama LED.


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

How should I use fertilizer in my case "Nutrafin Plant Gro" is it OK to dose even if I dont do water change ?

I have a Fluval Flora , which is cycling and I dont have any animal in there just glosso and moss ,so I dont do water change i wonder how should I add fertilizer?


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