Moutain Dew Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 I purchased a Electronic Co2 Regulator with a ph monitor,,, Of course they forgot to send me the instructions with it.. The tank is a 75 gallon bowfront I have 4 x 65 pc lighting Presently I have it set at 6.7 ph on the monitor,, the tank is at 6.9 So as i figure until it reaches 6.7 it will still allow itself to produce c02 anything below 67 it will shut itself off.. This means I can let it run through the night and not put it on a timer with the lights? Right now it is set to produce co2 bubbles every 3 seconds,,,, Does everything seem to be right>?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruadh Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Did it come with packages of liquid for calibrating? Did you calibrate the pH monitor? You might want to see if you can get the instructions on-line or see if the manufacturer will e-mail you a copy. I'm not completely sure, but I don't believe they are "plug & play", mine wasn't. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted September 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Did it come with packages of liquid for calibrating?Did you calibrate the pH monitor? You might want to see if you can get the instructions on-line or see if the manufacturer will e-mail you a copy. I'm not completely sure, but I don't believe they are "plug & play", mine wasn't. Rick yep i calibrated it to 7.0 it was at 6.9 and has dropped to 6.8 in the tank It is this regulator http://www.AquariumPlants.com/PhotoDetails...ductCode=PR4026 http://www.AquariumPlants.com/product_p/pr4026.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byte Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 I purchased a Electronic Co2 Regulator with a ph monitor,,, Of course they forgot to send me the instructions with it.. The tank is a 75 gallon bowfront I have 4 x 65 pc lighting Presently I have it set at 6.7 ph on the monitor,, the tank is at 6.9 So as i figure until it reaches 6.7 it will still allow itself to produce c02 anything below 67 it will shut itself off.. This means I can let it run through the night and not put it on a timer with the lights? Right now it is set to produce co2 bubbles every 3 seconds,,,, Does everything seem to be right>?? Here are the instructions... http://www.milwaukeetesters.com/pdf/SMS110-SMS120-SMS122.pdf You can test the controller with a glass of tap water. Just dip the electrode in. The ph should be higher and the solenoid should open and allow CO2 into the tank. The cord for the CO2 solenoid must be plugged into the pH controller. Make sure the CO2 is being shut off by turning up the dial until the gas stops flowing. I have used the same controller for all most a year with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byte Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Ohh... I forgot... I followed the instructions as posted above.... Then I found a slip of paper saying if you where using the controller for aquarium use, DO NOT calibrate with the 4.0 pH solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted September 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Ohh... I forgot... I followed the instructions as posted above.... Then I found a slip of paper saying if you where using the controller for aquarium use, DO NOT calibrate with the 4.0 pH solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted September 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 there was no screw on the back they must have removed it so I just skipped that step anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted September 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 I have the instructions for the ph monitor just not for the electronic c02 regulator So far I have tested my Kh it is at 60 kh or 3.3 degrees .. my gh is 180 ph was 6.4... ( recalibrated the moniter and it dropped 4 degrees ,, so it should come back up.... I figure from the charts I need 6.8 ph with 3.3 kh to get around 20 ppm co2? Yes it is at 6.4 and i have it at 6.8 and the co2 shut off along with the reactor water pump.. Here are the instructions... http://www.milwaukeetesters.com/pdf/SMS110-SMS120-SMS122.pdf You can test the controller with a glass of tap water. Just dip the electrode in. The ph should be higher and the solenoid should open and allow CO2 into the tank. The cord for the CO2 solenoid must be plugged into the pH controller. Make sure the CO2 is being shut off by turning up the dial until the gas stops flowing. I have used the same controller for all most a year with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byte Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 The addition of CO2 will drop the pH of the tank. Usually dropping the pH about 1 point will give about 30 ppm of CO2. Basic setup of pressurized CO2: http://www.rexgrigg.com/regset.html F.A.Q for CO2: http://www.theplantedtankfaq.com/CO2_FAQ.html Full Sized Pressurized CO2 Primer by Walter Reed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byte Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 The addition of CO2 will drop the pH of the tank. Usually dropping the pH about 1 point will give about 30 ppm of CO2. My tank runs at 7.8 pH without CO2. I add the CO2 until my pH drops to 6.8 giving me 30 ppm of CO2 in the water. Your fish don't like big changes in the pH, so it might be best to lower the ph over a few days Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 I figure from the charts I need 6.8 ph with 3.3 kh to get around 20 ppm co2? The charts aren't always accurate since they're based on the assumption that carbonate is the only buffer in the water. Use them as a guide only. It's also best to keep your KH above 4 degrees. The natural biological processes in your tank can produce acids and also deplete the KH. If you KH is too low in the first place, there may not be enough buffering to prevent a pH crash. Usually dropping the pH about 1 point will give about 30 ppm of CO2 When you test your tank water for the initial pH, make sure you aerate it first to drive off any existing CO2 so you get an accurate starting point. Also, if you happen to be testing your tapwater, make sure you aerate it very well. Water treatment facilities add CO2 to the water to prevent scale build-up in the pipes. Most of all, go slowly at first. Start on the low side of 20-30ppm, and keep an eye on the fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted September 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 (edited) How do you keep your kh above 4 ?? baking soda way or is there a different fix? The charts aren't always accurate since they're based on the assumption that carbonate is the only buffer in the water. Use them as a guide only. It's also best to keep your KH above 4 degrees. The natural biological processes in your tank can produce acids and also deplete the KH. If you KH is too low in the first place, there may not be enough buffering to prevent a pH crash. How do you keep your kh above 4 When you test your tank water for the initial pH, make sure you aerate it first to drive off any existing CO2 so you get an accurate starting point. Also, if you happen to be testing your tapwater, make sure you aerate it very well. Water treatment facilities add CO2 to the water to prevent scale build-up in the pipes. Most of all, go slowly at first. Start on the low side of 20-30ppm, and keep an eye on the fish. Edited September 18, 2008 by Moutain Dew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted September 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 Where can you get those metal check valves..I understand the plastic ones are not co2 friendly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted September 18, 2008 Report Share Posted September 18, 2008 How do you keep your kh above 4 ??baking soda way or is there a different fix? Yeah, just use baking soda. 1/2 tsp per 25gal should raise the KH by 1 degree. This means I can let it run through the night and not put it on a timer with the lights?Right now it is set to produce co2 bubbles every 3 seconds,,,, You don't really need to worry about the bubble count. Crank that bubble rate right up- just so long as all the CO2 is still being dissolved by your reactor, diffuser, etc. Then the controller determines when to turn it off and on. And no, you don't need a timer at night. You may find that the controller turns on occasionally at night, but that's usually just to replace any CO2 that is lost to the atmosphere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted September 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2008 (edited) How do you keep your kh above 4 ??baking soda way or is there a different fix? Yeah, just use baking soda. 1/2 tsp per 25gal should raise the KH by 1 degree. Does this permantly raise the KH or do you have to keep adding? Edited September 22, 2008 by Moutain Dew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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