smellyfish Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 hi everyone, just a simple question that i cann^t seem to get a straight answer, i have a 55 gallon tank medium planted with a lot of red plants, medium populated with about 15 fish, mostly rainbows, roseline sharks, & loaches, i have been trying to inject c02 with the simple diffuser method with the step ladder thing, but all of it just seems to bubble up to the surface, then i tried a double hose off the bottle with a white air bubbler as a diffuser, but that just sent smaller bubbles to the surface, trying to figure out a better way & try to keep it on the cheap as possible to diffuse the c02 better,i^ve tried running it thru my power head but it just send the bubbles to the surface faster, everything seems to be doing ok, just want the plants to be doing better & keeping there bright red colours longer, & i would also like to know of some simple home receipts to make, like the proper mixture of bakers yeast to sugar & if i should add anything else to make it last longer. the bottle is the same one that came with the diffuser when i bought it, so maybe 1/2 liter in size. my tanks perameters as far as chemistry is minimal ammonia, 20-25 pp nitrates, mininal nitrites, just reading on the iron tester, having a hard time keeping my iron up, adding a couple cap fulls daily just so it registers, using flourish iron, trace & comprehensive, also adding step 2 & 3 & rx for the fish, as far as lighting goes i run a compact 6700k & a double buld canister t8, so i think iam getting enough light, they r on a timer, they go on at 7:30 a.m. & turn off at 8:00 p.m. thank u for reading & answering my long winded post, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Ram Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 I'm guessing by the size of your bottle (1/2 litre) that it is the hagen system with the ladder? If so, that system is meant for tanks 20 gallons and under. In a tank your size, this system will make very little, if any, difference. You can also try adding some seachem excel on a weekly basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Welcome smellyfish! The problem with DIY CO2 is that it's really only efficient and convenient for smaller tanks. In order to get high enough levels for a 55 gal, you should probably be using 2-3 2L bottles. That's a pretty big PITA, and pressurized starts looking like a good option. As for mixes, there are several out there (just Google "DIY CO2 recipe".) Some people say to use champagne yeast, or to add baking soda to get a longer and more consistent reaction rate. If you're using a diffuser of any kind, there are always going to be bubbles that head right for the surface. Using a powerhead to blow them across the tank is supposed to help. Instead, you might want to try a counter-current reactor that dissolves the gas completely. How many watts of light total? Red plants generally need very high light levels. Light duration won't make up for the lack of it. Plants will stockpile a lot of iron, so they just keep sucking it up. You can probably cut back- they won't be starved. Limiting nitrates will also induce a redder color. Hope that helps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellyfish Posted October 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Welcome smellyfish!The problem with DIY CO2 is that it's really only efficient and convenient for smaller tanks. In order to get high enough levels for a 55 gal, you should probably be using 2-3 2L bottles. That's a pretty big PITA, and pressurized starts looking like a good option. As for mixes, there are several out there (just Google "DIY CO2 recipe".) Some people say to use champagne yeast, or to add baking soda to get a longer and more consistent reaction rate. If you're using a diffuser of any kind, there are always going to be bubbles that head right for the surface. Using a powerhead to blow them across the tank is supposed to help. Instead, you might want to try a counter-current reactor that dissolves the gas completely. How many watts of light total? Red plants generally need very high light levels. Light duration won't make up for the lack of it. Plants will stockpile a lot of iron, so they just keep sucking it up. You can probably cut back- they won't be starved. Limiting nitrates will also induce a redder color. Hope that helps... thank u very much, i^ll start today & get a couple of larger bottles & make the caps work for me, as for the lights, the compacts r giving out about 96 watts, r at least thats what the box says, & the t8^s r giving out about 23-25 watts, so i think i have enough but if i don^t please tell me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Your lighting sounds good. I'd start saving up for a pressurized CO2 system - I ran DIY for years, but will never do it again. Sure, pressurized is a bit expensives at the start, but you will get consistant CO2 that will last for months! And, by selling off the excess plants that will grow, you'll pay for your system in no time at all. IME, the easiest way to get a fine CO2 mist throughout your tank is to put the CO2 into the INTAKE (not the venturi) of your powerhead. If you aim the powerhead toward the output of your filter, you'll get even better CO2 distribution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moutain Dew Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 With the pressurized system, have we come up with a dependable place to get your c02 refilled? I have my own bottle not one I bought from a place that dispenses. So the question is what place in Edmonton can I walk into and they will fill my bottle? It was formerly a Pop companys bottle so thats out of the question.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruadh Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 (edited) Have you called the welding supply stores? I'm not sure if they will do privately owned bottles or not, but I should think so since they do sell as well as rent. You won't be able to get it done while you wait in any case as they send the bottles out to their respective plnts to get filled. It will probably be a week or more turn around. You don't know anyone with a restaurant where you can swap bottles huh? Edited October 2, 2009 by Ruadh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 1, 2009 Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 You can try OxyPro, or you may get away w. going to Coke or Pepsi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewels Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 as for the lights, the compacts r giving out about 96 watts, r at least thats what the box says, & the t8^s r giving out about 23-25 watts, so i think i have enough but if i don^t please tell me. I have found light intensity to be the determining factor for the colour of my Rotala Indica. Less CO2, Less vits and Mins it can handle - - as soon as light intensity decreases they turn green again. Speaking only on what happens in my aquarium- 6 X 20W T4's will not keep them red. Interesting reading here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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