C02 System?

[Garhan]

Best Lab Deals has a C02 regulator, Solenoid switch and bubble counter all built into 1 unit at $69.95 USD, plus 16.00 Fedex international ground shipping charge. Most of the expert plant entusiasts around the world use this system.

https://www.bestlabdeals.com/ProductDetails...uctCode=MIL0046

This is the system I am upgrading to.

Garhan

Edited November 28, 2005 by Garhan

[Mighty Prawn]

I have toi laugh, first of all increase your bubble count to 1 per second. One every 45 seconds doesnt cut it to get the rate up to where it is required.

Milan has shown a great picture of how a hi tech tank should be setup. The laugh is we all learned in elementary school that plants need light water and C02 to survive. Kind of like raisding fish they need food, water, and light believe it or not to survive. So why wouldnt we as fish/plant keepers do our best and provide each life organizim the best opportunity to flourish. It like raising fish in a tank full of water and not feeding them. Plants need the same...otherwise dont waste your money on them. Sorry dont mean to be critical, it just so simple to raise plants as well as it is to raise fish.

Garhan

I simply didn't know if my c02 was working well enough, this is my first tank so I don't know exactly how everything should be.

I shortened the tube on my system quite a bit and have the cannister much higher now, and it's up to about 1 bubble every 4-5 seconds. I think I'll probably buy the c02 system from Best Lab Deals, but until than I'll be getting a second system the same as the one I have now. Once I get the Best Labs one, I'll move the simple ones to my 10 gallon and 30 gallon.

The guy at Pisces was trying to get me to buy a setup for a bubble wall, pushing it pretty hard... Trying to tell me my plants would be 10x better with one. I was correct in declining, am I right? My surface tension is decent with my AC Power Filter.

The Pisces dude was also trying to convince me not to get biomax for my filter, and to just upgrade to a cannister filter. I'm pretty sure Pisces has commission :-)

-Hideo

[jvision]

If you're using DIY CO2, the biprduct would eventually clog your bubble wall - there was a recent thread about that white stuff.

Just remember that the Best Lab Deals budle is w/o the tank - you'd still need to pick up a CO2 tank. A 5lb tank should be good enough for at least 6 mos.

[Garhan]

Dont be offended by my statement it was not directed at you. It was merely a comment that it is important to do some very basic things. First dont think with the fish side of the brain, as we all likley started in this hobby as fish enthusiasts. There is very few people in the LFS shops that know anything about raising high quality plants. When is the last time you seen a long term established planted tank in a LFS that is simply stunning....? This is also evident to there planted tanks 2-3 weeks after there shipment came in. (Yes I know that they are setup to sell quick turns on the stock, but then so are there fish.) Because what is left is in extremely poor condition, but they will still ask you for your 29.00 for the pathetic that aggetate the surface like a waterfall with minimal light and usually no C02 intergrated to there tanks. And ask them how often they feed there plants (NPK dosing) They will look at you as if your stupid, but are you really. Try not feeding the fish in the LFS for 2-3 weeks before they sell and see what you get from the customer. If we wont buy shocked fish from the LFS, then why would we buy shocked plants. Most of use can not recognize shocked plants. So at this point we are already at a disadvantage to succesfully grow out the plants properly without putting lots of light, food, and C02 to the plants to get useable new growth.

You where absolutely right not getting the bubble wall system. Im not really familiar with it. So my imagination is kicking in here.

Surface aggetation is a no, no. If the AC system is modified so as to not splash or break the surface tention , then that is good. Diffusing the C02 allows better saturation into the water colum. So here run it into the AC intake or into a small powerhead venturi and allow it to mist into the water column. As for LFS staff at the place you were purchasing ask them a simple question like. What is our source water KH,PH and such. If they dont know on a dailey bases the average measurement the city is achieving, then what do they know about taking it to the next step in the plant horticultural aquascaping knowledge required by todays customers. Need to know the basics first wouldnt you agree !!! All dosing of plants each tank starts at this point- source water parameters.

Edited November 28, 2005 by Garhan

[grumpy]

I'm just experimenting with a DIY setup. I brew beer and so I already have lots of experience with getting rid of co2, but have never tried to produce it for the aquarium until recently. I have a few questions.

Where is the best location for the bubbles to enter? I have the tube going just below my water return (from my sump system). Would it be beneficial to have it go into the sump just before the pump? I'm thinking I might be better dispersion of the bubbles. ??

Also, in the elaborate system detailed here, what does the reactor do? It appears to be full of bio balls. Is that meant to handle the CO2 somehow or is it unrelated?

Any and all advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim.

[Tanker]

My 2 cents for what it's worth but if the CO2 goes into the sump, there is a higher ratio of CO2 that will escape in the sump system before reaching the tank itself.

As for the bio balls in the reactor, they are to 'catch' some of the CO2 and hold it there, while water is forced past it, absorbing some of the gas.

I just went to a powered system, after running a ladder for a couple months. I simply have a DIY running straight into the venturi input in a tiny powerhead (about $15) and it spits the fine bubbles out into the water where they disolve before reaching the surface. I have it set fairly low in the tank and the way my current is set up, it's not only increasing the lower currents in the tank, but I can see the tiny little bubbles actually go all the way across my 3 foot tank... proof to me that there is good current and all the good stuff is getting to everyone.

Too early to tell if it's 'enough' but my pH had dropped .4 since starting this as opposed to the bubble ladder.

[jvision]

I had my CO2 going into the venturi of the powerhead - set up almost exactly as you discribe, Tanker. I decided that I wanted finer bubbles - a mist, if you will - so I just cut one of the little pieces of the basket, stuck in one of those airline valves that can adjust flow rate (cranked down to almost closed), and attached my CO2 line there.

With the valve amost closed, it only allows a small bubble into the powerhead intake, which then chops it up a lot! There's been some discussion on the APD that the mist is even more effective for plants than 100% dissolved CO2.

I've got the powerheads hooked up to the light timer, otherwise, I'm sure the pH would drop way too much over night.