Vishaquatics
- #1
HI FishLore,
Many people often use the term "balance" in a planted tank discussion and it's understandable that there may be some confusion on this term due to it's vagueness.
Here is my take on the term "balance" in a planted aquarium and how it can be applied to make a better planted aquarium.
Simply put, balance in a planted tank describes the relationship between three variables: light, nutrients, and CO2 in order to have plants that are thriving and tanks that are algae free.
How do you know when your tank is "balanced"? Your tank is balanced when your plants are of perfect health (no melting, rotting, losing leaves) and there is no algae in the aquarium.
Balance in a planted aquarium is not very difficult to achieve and involves striking the perfect relationship between light, CO2, and nutrients through trial and error. As a general rule, CO2 and nutrients are calibrated to the light. Essentially, light is the driving force in the balancing of a planted aquarium. Light is the independent variable and CO2/nutrients are the dependents.
Planted tanks with a low amount of light have a lower demand for CO2 and fertilizers and grow much slower due to decreased photosynthesis levels.
Planted tanks with a high amount of light have a far higher demand for CO2 and fertilizers as the photosynthesis rate is greatly increased.
Many people may also make a case for flow and filtration to be part of the variables, but they are incorporated under the three original variables. In order to properly distribute CO2 and nutrients in a tank, there needs to be adequate flow (usually provided by filtration and/or powerheads). Planted tanks, if planted and fertilized/injected sufficiently, do not need filtration as the plants take care of that, but I always recommend filtration as it allows for a higher margin of error in the aquarium.
If you have algae or your plants aren't thriving, you must calibrate the system to adjust to the light levels. This leaves you with two factors to address: CO2 and nutrients.
Using a comprehensive fertilizer (like Thrive by NilocG or a complete array of dry fertilizers) will help you to knock out the nutrient factor as you will be dosing enough of the correct nutrients for your plants to thrive.
The last factor, which is the MOST difficult to calibrate is CO2. Many tanks often have a light too powerful and when coupled with insufficient nutrients levels and low levels of CO2, the plants do terribly and algae flourishes. I recommend CO2 injection for all planted tank keepers (from novices to advanced) as it is not as expensive or complicated as it is made to be.
If you still inject CO2, use ferts, and still have issues with plant health or algae, it indicates that you either aren't injecting enough, your CO2 distribution is poor, or your CO2 levels fluctuate (common with DIY CO2).
Calibrating CO2 is simple. First, ensure your CO2 is distributed correctly throughout the tank. My favorite method of distribution is using a powerhead and feeding the bubbles into the intake. A fine mist comes out of the outtake and this CO2 mist is pushed throughout the tank. In order to know if the distribution is good, the plants at the other end of the tank should be swaying slightly in the current. Second, determining the correct level of CO2 is simple and doesn't need a drop checker. Increase the CO2 slowly over the period of a few hours until the fish start to gasp at the surface. Slowly bump down the CO2 by small increments until the fish return to normal behavior. This borderline level between stress and normal behavior is the perfect level of CO2 for your aquarium. As a general rule, CO2 should be turned on an hour before the lights come on and an hour before the lights turn off. Use timers for the lights and CO2 to ensure consistency. Last, use a pressurized CO2 system and a good regulator in order to ensure that there are no fluctuations in CO2 levels throughout the day.
On the other hand, you can try calibrating the light to a low enough level to where you can use a low amount of ferts and no CO2 injection. This method is far harder than the former of calibrating nutrients and CO2 to the light. This method takes a far longer time to see results and often doesn't end in success.
Set a standard photoperiod of 7 or 8 hours and put this on a timer. A dimmable light such a Finnex Planted+ is a good light to use as the intensity is variable. Lower the intensity of the light over a period of a few weeks/months until plant health improves and algae growth slows. The main issue with this method is that some plants need brighter light levels so your plants must be low light tolerant such as bacopa, dwarf sag, rotala rotundifolia, broadleaf watersprite, anacharis, hornwort, guppy grass, crypts, creeping jenny, ludwigia repens, etc.
Thanks for reading!
Many people often use the term "balance" in a planted tank discussion and it's understandable that there may be some confusion on this term due to it's vagueness.
Here is my take on the term "balance" in a planted aquarium and how it can be applied to make a better planted aquarium.
Simply put, balance in a planted tank describes the relationship between three variables: light, nutrients, and CO2 in order to have plants that are thriving and tanks that are algae free.
How do you know when your tank is "balanced"? Your tank is balanced when your plants are of perfect health (no melting, rotting, losing leaves) and there is no algae in the aquarium.
Balance in a planted aquarium is not very difficult to achieve and involves striking the perfect relationship between light, CO2, and nutrients through trial and error. As a general rule, CO2 and nutrients are calibrated to the light. Essentially, light is the driving force in the balancing of a planted aquarium. Light is the independent variable and CO2/nutrients are the dependents.
Planted tanks with a low amount of light have a lower demand for CO2 and fertilizers and grow much slower due to decreased photosynthesis levels.
Planted tanks with a high amount of light have a far higher demand for CO2 and fertilizers as the photosynthesis rate is greatly increased.
Many people may also make a case for flow and filtration to be part of the variables, but they are incorporated under the three original variables. In order to properly distribute CO2 and nutrients in a tank, there needs to be adequate flow (usually provided by filtration and/or powerheads). Planted tanks, if planted and fertilized/injected sufficiently, do not need filtration as the plants take care of that, but I always recommend filtration as it allows for a higher margin of error in the aquarium.
If you have algae or your plants aren't thriving, you must calibrate the system to adjust to the light levels. This leaves you with two factors to address: CO2 and nutrients.
Using a comprehensive fertilizer (like Thrive by NilocG or a complete array of dry fertilizers) will help you to knock out the nutrient factor as you will be dosing enough of the correct nutrients for your plants to thrive.
The last factor, which is the MOST difficult to calibrate is CO2. Many tanks often have a light too powerful and when coupled with insufficient nutrients levels and low levels of CO2, the plants do terribly and algae flourishes. I recommend CO2 injection for all planted tank keepers (from novices to advanced) as it is not as expensive or complicated as it is made to be.
If you still inject CO2, use ferts, and still have issues with plant health or algae, it indicates that you either aren't injecting enough, your CO2 distribution is poor, or your CO2 levels fluctuate (common with DIY CO2).
Calibrating CO2 is simple. First, ensure your CO2 is distributed correctly throughout the tank. My favorite method of distribution is using a powerhead and feeding the bubbles into the intake. A fine mist comes out of the outtake and this CO2 mist is pushed throughout the tank. In order to know if the distribution is good, the plants at the other end of the tank should be swaying slightly in the current. Second, determining the correct level of CO2 is simple and doesn't need a drop checker. Increase the CO2 slowly over the period of a few hours until the fish start to gasp at the surface. Slowly bump down the CO2 by small increments until the fish return to normal behavior. This borderline level between stress and normal behavior is the perfect level of CO2 for your aquarium. As a general rule, CO2 should be turned on an hour before the lights come on and an hour before the lights turn off. Use timers for the lights and CO2 to ensure consistency. Last, use a pressurized CO2 system and a good regulator in order to ensure that there are no fluctuations in CO2 levels throughout the day.
On the other hand, you can try calibrating the light to a low enough level to where you can use a low amount of ferts and no CO2 injection. This method is far harder than the former of calibrating nutrients and CO2 to the light. This method takes a far longer time to see results and often doesn't end in success.
Set a standard photoperiod of 7 or 8 hours and put this on a timer. A dimmable light such a Finnex Planted+ is a good light to use as the intensity is variable. Lower the intensity of the light over a period of a few weeks/months until plant health improves and algae growth slows. The main issue with this method is that some plants need brighter light levels so your plants must be low light tolerant such as bacopa, dwarf sag, rotala rotundifolia, broadleaf watersprite, anacharis, hornwort, guppy grass, crypts, creeping jenny, ludwigia repens, etc.
Thanks for reading!
