Carbon dioxide plays a vital role in the planted aquarium. As the most in demand plant nutrient, carbon dioxide must be available to plants in order to grow. In some cases, CO2 does not need to be added to the aquarium in order to sustain plant growth but when added will undoubtedly increase growth rate if all other parameters (light, nutrients and temperature) are sufficient.

 

     If you’re going to ad CO2 to your aquarium, it’s best to have a good understanding of the changes that will take place. Here we discuss the different forms of dissolved inorganic carbon or DIC in the aquarium and what effect they have relative to pH.