I finally decided I needed to turn up the CO2. My plants have looked pretty much the same for 6 months. The Amozon Sword has anyway. New leaves grow as the older ones die off with it never really gaining any size like I think it should. I lost most of my Java Fern, I think I have a few little chutes of it left. What I thought was Cryptocoryne beckettii I planted in two portions beside my Anubias nana. I don't think one made it the other has shot up in long bare stems for about four to six inches then the leaves start and some of them reach the surface of the water. I figured it was doing this to get light because it was getting shade from the anubias and a rock formation next to it but I don't know. The anubias has BBA along a lot of the leave edges, but other than that is doing really good. I have what I think is Microsorum pteropus 'Windeløv', it has grown a little and looks pretty good except for some algae that is growing on it. My filter wasn't circulating the water quite as well as it had in the past. I messed with it and it seems to be doing better. Got the plants gently swaying again so maybe that will help with the circulation of the CO2 and help cut down on the algae problems.
So after being disappointed in how my plants have looked for the past 6 months after adding injected CO2 and never seeing the drop checker change I finally got brave and decided to turn up the CO2. I watched the fish closely and about the time a couple of them that don't normally spend much time at the top were hanging out at the top I checked the drop checker and it was yellow. I turned down the CO2 a bit and kept watching the fish. In no time they went back to swimming around and the drop checker turned green and stayed there. I have left it at that setting for nearly a week now and the fish are doing great and the drop checker is turning green when the CO2 is on.
I am hoping that I start to see a difference in my plants soon.
I did get to thinking that I might should check my water parameters now that I have increased the CO2. My pH is normally 8.4 so I started with the high pH solution. It looked lighter then any of the colors on the chart so I used the low pH solution and it read 7.6. This was towards the end of the time period of the lights and CO2 being on. I have not checked the pH while they have been off. Should I do this like just before they come one to see if I am having shifts in the pH from the CO2?
