Liquid carbon versus gas CO2 for controlling algae

I can't find much info about it, but I've read a few places (probably not the most reliable sources) that liquid carbon inhibits algae better than pressurized CO2. Is this true? I would think gaseous CO2 would do a better job, but I'm a noob. I've been fighting with the algae on my plants for a while now, and I wanted to try out the easy carbon from aquarium co op, but I just got a nice pressurized CO2 setup. Would using both be way too much, or pointless because I have a gas co2 setup?

Any info/opinions would be great.
thanks

 

Is this on the tank with the high ammonia that I left a long comment on?
If so, the answer to your algae problem will be in there.
CO2 isn't going to help rid the excess nutrients causing the algae in the first place.
Apologies if this is for a different tank!

 

Is this on the tank with the high ammonia that I left a long comment on?
If so, the answer to your algae problem will be in there.
CO2 isn't going to help rid the excess nutrients causing the algae in the first place.
Apologies if this is for a different tank!

It is, but the nitrogen levels are a recent thing, the algae isn’t. I did a lot of cleaning and moving plants yesterday and did something to make my levels spike. The tank has been cycled for a long time.

 

It is, but the nitrogen levels are a recent thing, the algae isn’t. I did a lot of cleaning and moving plants yesterday and did something to make my levels spike. The tank has been cycled for a long time.

Ah, ok!
Perhaps gas pockets under your substrate?
Anyway, in that case. First I'd suggest getting those levels back in check and steady before doing anything else just yet.
Then look at your fertilisers and lighting hours.

What plants do you have? And what fertiliser do you use?
When plants aren't thriving, they halt growth and don't use up what's in the water, leaving room for algae to take hold. If they are happy, healthy and putting out new growth, they should be out competing any algae.
If stunted growth and deficiency isn't an issue, then it is most likely too much light, either too close to a window, maybe? Or long periods of lighting.

In my highly lit tanks I use split lighting hours. 4 hours on, 4 hours off and then 4 hours back on again. It deffinitely worked with my algae problem as algae requires 4 or more hours of light at a time.

I definitely wouldn't use liquid CO2 and pressurized CO2 together, I'd use the gas personally. Since you have it. But not until other things are addressed first, as it could further throw your parameters off

 

Liquid carbon and CO2 gas inhibit algae through completely different mechanisms.

Liquid carbon is a version of the chemical glutaraldehyde, which is an antimicrobial. So when directly dosed on algae, it kills the algae. It's not CO2 and has nothing to do with CO2. It's a carbon supplement because apparently it resembles some photosynthetic intermediates that plants make using CO2 gas, which then supposedly plants can uptake, skipping some steps in their natural cycle.

CO2 is the regular old gas and really, it's a nutrient. Carbon makes up the majority of the plant's mass so low tech tanks are simply always carbon deficient. When you inject CO2 you remove this deficiency, allow the plants to grow faster and healthier, and faster and healthier plants ward off algae.

So technically yes! Liquid carbon inhibits algae better in the short term. Because it kills the algae. CO2 gas offers more stability and healthier plant growth in the long term, which is key to algae prevention.

 

Liquid carbon and CO2 gas inhibit algae through completely different mechanisms.

Liquid carbon is a version of the chemical glutaraldehyde, which is an antimicrobial. So when directly dosed on algae, it kills the algae. It's not CO2 and has nothing to do with CO2. It's a carbon supplement because apparently it resembles some photosynthetic intermediates that plants make using CO2 gas, which then supposedly plants can uptake, skipping some steps in their natural cycle.

CO2 is the regular old gas and really, it's a nutrient. Carbon makes up the majority of the plant's mass so low tech tanks are simply always carbon deficient. When you inject CO2 you remove this deficiency, allow the plants to grow faster and healthier, and faster and healthier plants ward off algae.

So technically yes! Liquid carbon inhibits algae better in the short term. Because it kills the algae. CO2 gas offers more stability and healthier plant growth in the long term, which is key to algae prevention.

Oo ok. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

 

Oo ok. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

Just realized I didn't answer your other question!
I personally use them together when I'm not too lazy to dose the liquid carbon. They're 2 completely different things, so there's no overlap. In a high tech tank, liquid carbon will mostly just serve as an algaecide.