Correlation between co2 and plant growth?

[Clint]

I've been injecting co2 into my planted tank, and it works wonders! I'm talking a half inch of growth per day when I first started, now 3 inches per week.

I figured, what the hell, and mixed up a half gallon of DIY co2 mixture. I put it in the terrarium, and what do I find 3 days later when I return? My pings have colored up, my dews are LADEN with dew like they are in full sun, and my plants look bigger and the utrics look fuller! All other conditions have stayed exactly the same, minus the 24/7 co2 injection.

It might be something to think about, guys. I know I'm not imagining the boost in growth.

 

[Clint]

My tank is 75 gallons, btw.

 

[StifflerMichael]

Are you using some yeast and sugar solution to produce the CO2? I've mentioned that idea before here, and many people that it was silly (though many people in the planted aquarium field use yeast for CO2).

Is your tank open at all? Does it have air circulation? Are you injecting the CO2 into the air or into water in the tank?

I've always wanted to try this with my CPs...it does work wonders with a planted aquarium, especially with a pressurized setup.

 

[JB_OrchidGuy]

Clint way to go. The pot plant indestry and food growers have injected CO2 into GHes for a while. There are CO2 generators out for GH aplications. I am glad to see you have had success with it in your terreium. Please take pictures of your setup. I want to copy it an use it with my ten gallon and see if I can get some boosted growth on those plants in there. THen I might start using it as a medic tank to get things going before moving them out to the GH. COME ON MAN You know better than to do something like this and not offer pictures!!

 

[StifflerMichael]

Yes, please, a picture (or pictures!) would be great!

 

[endparenthesis]

CO2 is something like 10,000x less available to plants underwater. Plants that evolved to live underwater are actually handicapped in their natural state... the lack of CO2 being fair sacrifice for a new ecological niche.

The amazing growth people get with hi-tech tanks is technically supernatural growth. Since CO2 is never that available in nature, that sort of growth doesn't happen in nature.

So... it's very easy to increase the CO2 available to an underwater plant. But providing CO2 to a terrestrial plant... it's like a drop in the bucket. The plant is already soaking in it.

The results sound interesting, but I know I've read about people experimenting with this in the past and having results so insignificant it wasn't worth it.

 

[vraev]

that is really interesting idea. I normally use a fan to circulate air once in a while in my terrarium....i.e., blow air inside to outside. The reason being O2 accumulation in a dense region of plants..However, before any one starts saying anything...I already do know that CO2 is heavier than air.

in either case...how do u do it april....is there a small...cheap.....NON SMELLY

....way of using yeast or something to make like a slow production of C02??

 

[Clint]

I did use yeast and sugar. I just eyeballed it, but i'd say 3 cups sugar, a teaspoon yeast, 3 teaspoons baking soda, and a half gallon of water or so. My tank is closed off completely but I do have a circulation fan in there that does the job well. I've been letting it go right into the air.  I'll take some pics today and compare them to old pics if I can find them. Be warned, my tank looks like crap after moving thins inside for the winter and trying to adapt aquatic plants to emersed. Oh yeah, My B. nodosa is putting out a spike, too!

Who is april?

It doesn't smell unless you spill it. If you like the smell of cheap beer then I guess you'll like this stuff. It makes a nice alcoholic beverage, too!

 

[nepenthes_ak]

Hmmm I wanna build a small terrium for my nepenthes (small by nepenthes standards), I might concider making a system like this for them

Cant wait for pictures!