CO2 system setup tips

[happeboy]

I'm not sure if this should be in here or equipment I'm setting up my CO2 system soon and am interested in tips of how not to kill all my fish while doing so....

I've heard to may horror stories about this.

its on a 90g tank with 3 watts/gallon. Lots of fish, and moderate plants right now.

any info/tips will be appreciated! :thumbs:

[Blue Ram]

Make sure you have a reliable ph tester on hand when you set it up and I would advise keeping a close eye on it for 24 hrs, monitoring the ph and watching your fish friends. Are you setting it up on a timer?

[happeboy]

yes I think i will set it with my lights... i think this may be best.... comments

[jvision]

I have the same setup that you're talking about. I have the solinoid set up w. the lights on a 12hr timer. If you want a plant factory, set for about 3 bubbles/sec - if you want it to be a bit more manageable (trimming stem plants only on weekends, instead of 2-3 x per week) then set it closer to 2 bbls/sec.

Have plants, have fun!

[Loyal to the Oil]

If you dont want to go to the expense of a pH controller then i would advise to pick up a drop checker. They are reliable way to monitor your CO2 concentration.

[werner]

-Drop checkers are good if you can get one.

-You can use the pH/KH charts as a guideline, but they're often pretty inaccurate (I should have 60+ppm of CO2 according to the chart.)

-You can also take a sample of aquarium water and allow it to fully degass any CO2 by letting it sit out/aerating for a day. Measure the pH of the sample. When you add enough CO2 to drop the pH of the tank water by 1 unit, you should have a concentration of about 30ppm of CO2.

-Spring for a pH controller if you have the $$.

Always err on the side of less CO2 when getting started- you can always turn it up, but you can't bring back dead fish

[BowMaster]

With your WPG, I'd start out at two bubbles per second and test your PH. The amount of CO2 your tank needs depends directly on how much light you have. More light, more CO2.

Are you using Edmonton water? If so, because it's so hard that it is forgiving when it comes to CO2. I run 3.7 WPG and I've ran over 4 bubbles per second and never noticed a change in PH at all.

The way I see it, start at 2 BBS and if your plants are growing out of the tank. Then you are good. Bumping up the CO2 too high will just cause your tank to look over grown all the time.

The other thing is if you can use a second timer for your CO2 please do. Have it turn on the CO2 about a half hour after your lights come on and before they turn off. That way you will leave more O2 for your fish. Because initially your plants take a little while after the lights turn on before they start photosynthesis, so at that point they aren't using any CO2. The more unused CO2 you add to your tank starves your fish of O2 more than they should be. The reason for turning off the CO2 before the lights, is so the plants use up the remaing CO2 and turn it into O2 for your fish to use over night.

The point is avoiding having unessesarily high levels of unused CO2.

Hope this helps.

Lyle

[werner]

The more unused CO2 you add to your tank starves your fish of O2 more than they should be.

O2 and CO2 concentrations are not inversely proportional; high CO2 levels don't cause low O2 levels, and vice versa. A tank can have high CO2 levels and supersaturated O2 levels at the same time if the plants are photosynthesizing at a high enough rate.

Turning the CO2 off at night is recommended simply because the plants aren't consuming it. This avoids wasting gas, as well as potentially toxic CO2 levels. A well circulated tank will have fewer issues because there is more contact with the air for CO2 to escape and O2 to be absorbed.

[vic]

Bubbles per second (BPS) is simply a reference observation. 3 BPS in my bubble counter is not likely to be the same as 3 BPS in your bubble counter. The variable is the size of the bubbles dispensed by the CO2 orifice. Start at 2 BPS in your set up and monitor the results. You should, as has been said, get a drop checker to monitor the CO2 level in your tank. There is a thread on this board on how to make a 4KH solution to use in the drop checker rather than tank water. As it is a known KH the measurement process will be much more accurate that the tank water. 4KH is used as that is the point at which the CO2 level will be at 30PPM.

[happeboy]

do you know where the thread is I've looked for it a bit but cant find it.

Thanks

[vic]

do you know where the thread is I've looked for it a bit but cant find it.

Thanks

Don't remember exactly however, I will find it this afternoon and either post the directions or a link.

Vic

[vic]

Sorry, I can't find the freaking site again, so you get my short form instructions!

Start with distilled water, no impurities. I made mine in a well washed 710 ml coke bottle, sealing top. Add to about 2/3's full with the distilled water. Then gradually add bicarbonate of soda, test the KH after each addition. Try to get the test results as close to 4KH as possible. If you go by the 4KH point you have enough room in the coke bottle to gradually add water to get back down to 4KH.

This reference solution you put in your drop checker to the line on the bowl of the drop checker. Then add sufficient reagent to get a clear blue indication, zero CO2. You do not need to be precise in terms of drops as the reagent is neutral and will not effect the accuracy of the CO2 level measurement. Put the lid on, carefully - no leaks, invert the drop checker and stick to the inside of the tank about 4 inches below the surface and in a place where there is water circulation. This should last several weeks. Be sure to seal up your reference solution as evaporation will cause a variance in the KH of the reference solution. I have attached a link to the Red Sea web site. Their drop checker is second from the bottom. I am not espousing that this is the premium drop checker. I am simply saying that this is the one that I use and it works well with the determined KH reference solution and their reagent.

Vic

http://www.redseafish.com/co2_pro.asp

If you are using the test strips, I would strongly recommend that you invest in a non strip test kit. The strips are notoriously inaccurate.

Edited June 13, 2007 by vic

[BowMaster]

The more unused CO2 you add to your tank starves your fish of O2 more than they should be.

O2 and CO2 concentrations are not inversely proportional; high CO2 levels don't cause low O2 levels, and vice versa. A tank can have high CO2 levels and supersaturated O2 levels at the same time if the plants are photosynthesizing at a high enough rate.

Turning the CO2 off at night is recommended simply because the plants aren't consuming it. This avoids wasting gas, as well as potentially toxic CO2 levels. A well circulated tank will have fewer issues because there is more contact with the air for CO2 to escape and O2 to be absorbed.

I guess I'll have to check my sources then. Thanks for the clairification.

But it would seem either way a dual timer system is the best option to reduce stress on the fish.

Lyle