Transitioning plants from a CO2 environment to a non CO2 environment

[evanluke]

I work at a local fish store that sells somewhere between 85-100 varieties of aquatic plants.

We have a plant display tank that is essentially four 60 gallon sections each with a 250 watt metal halide light on each cube. We've got the lights raised very high off the tanks so that they are easy to balance.

I am in the process of optimizing the CO2 in the system so that it would be possible for us to grown some more delicate plants like Toninas and Eriocaulons in the setup.

My question is if I really get the CO2 levels high enough throughout the system, is that going to make the hardy / less demanding plants like Hygrophila Difformis, Hydrocotl Leucocephala transition poorly to tanks that do not supplement CO2?

Am I better off setting up a separate tank for the trickier plants where the CO2 would be much easier to optimize?

 

[dutchy]

Transition from CO2 to non CO2 will make plants grow smaller, but they will grow. I do this all the time when I switch plants between the display tank and the q-tank, where I keep some plants in stock. I think you're better off setting up a separate tank with CO2 for the demanding plants. just because it's smaller and that makes it easier.

What I notice here anyway, is that LFS's in general don't add any nutrition to their tanks, which makes their plants always look bad. Maybe it's lack of knowledge, or plain laziness, I'm not sure. It can't be a money issue, because how much does a kilo of KNO3 cost?

regards,
dutchy

 

[dbazuin]

I guess because they still believe NO3 is bad.

In a garden centre here locally where they have a nice aquarium department the display tank they used to look great. But only because there was one guy working there who actually understood it. The tank was getting all kind of Easylife stuff and CO2.
Now the guy is gone (to a other job I guess) and the tanks looks a mess.

The EI system has not yet found it's way to the LFS here in The Netherlands.
I guess maybe it is getting time I show my LFS how it is working for me

 

[scottward]

My question is if I really get the CO2 levels high enough throughout the system, is that going to make the hardy / less demanding plants like Hygrophila Difformis, Hydrocotl Leucocephala transition poorly to tanks that do not supplement CO2?

I don't think it will make them transition poorly. Even if the customer's tank did supplement CO2, there are still going to be other factors such as their lighting etc that the plants are going to need to adapt to. I'd say go for it with your current setup.