New co2 system

[Bus Driver]

I recently bought a fully automatic co2 system. I am waiting for it to arrive. I was wondering if I have to remove the air bubbler I have in tank for oxygen. I was also wondering if I can hook the water return into my existing power head on the fresh air feed spot on the outlet side, or do I have to just let it hook over the top of tank as it shows in the picture of product I bought. The system I bought is the fully automatic system from Drs Foster Smith. I thank you for any info you can give me. My tank is a 55 gallon show tank, freshwater. It has some live plants, driftwood, rock caves. Tetras, danios, Cory cats, 4 neon blue Gobys, 1 rainbow.

 

[Fresh2o]

You should turn off the bubbler during the day as it will drive off the CO2 that is being injected. You can run it at night if you want. It might not be necessary at all; depends on what filters/pumps are being used in the tank.
You could connect the outlet of the system to the Venturi inlet of a power head, but why would you? To increase CO2 distribution? Placing the outlet of the system near the power head or filter output should be sufficient for CO2 distribution.
Just curious, what light fixture is on this tank and what fertilizers are being used?


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[Bus Driver]

Filter and substrate

I am using a substrate that is for live plants. It said it fertilizes live plants. I don't remember the brand. It is black. The fern and Anubis are doing good with liquid additive for plants but I think they will do better with co2. Filter is a penguin bio wheel. Thank you for info on co2 return line. I wasn't sure about it since its new to me.

 

[Bus Driver]

Filter and substrate

I am using a substrate that is for live plants. It said it fertilizes live plants. I don't remember the brand. It is black. The fern and Anubis are doing good with liquid additive for plants but I think they will do better with co2. Filter is a penguin bio wheel. Thank you for info on return line for co2. I wasn't sure since its new to me. I use the ZOO MED LED light with a live plant light in it.

 

[Fresh2o]

The Zoo Med LEDs should be fine for the plants you've mentioned which, btw, are not very demanding light or CO2 wise. The plants will not necessarily utilize the substrate nutrients as they are typically mounted onto driftwood or stones above the substrate.
That CO2 system has you ahead of the curve in case you decide to upgrade the lighting and fertilizer regimen.


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[Bus Driver]

Size of co2tank

What size of co2tank should I get for this system? I know that I have to go to local welding shop for it.

 

[Fresh2o]

5 lb tanks are commonly used.
I opted to use a 24 oz paint ball tank for my setup. It is pretty economical at ~$4 per refill (every 4 months). Paintball tanks require a paintball adaptor in order to be connected to a standard regulator.
The CO2 system you are getting may be overkill for your current setup. Not saying that there is anything wrong with it; You are set if you opt to go high light in the future. I believe the lights you have are low light at best (I could be wrong).


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[Hunter73]

What size of co2tank should I get for this system? I know that I have to go to local welding shop for it.

So many people use different sizes. I use a 10 lb. tank, and I have another 10 lb. tank I keep filled as my back up so I don't have to rush and get the empty one filled.

 

[Bus Driver]

More plants

I plan to add more plants in the near future, that is why I am adding the co2 system. Thank you both for advice on co2 bottles. If I choose to go with paintball tanks, where do I get adapter?

 

[Laeris]

Amazon has them, pretty sure you can find them on eBay as well.

 

[Fresh2o]

Regardless of the tank size, it's a good idea to pickup a pack of spare o-rings. Without them it is leak city.


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[Bus Driver]

Co2 tanks

How long does the co2 last? I found 12gram and 90gram paintball cartridges at Walmart will those work or should I look for bigger ones? I found 10lb cylinder at local welding shop, boy is it expensive to buy and 30 dollars to refill. If I buy this tank about how long will it last?

 

[Bus Driver]

Co2 cylinders

I found 12gram and 90gram cylinders at Walmart, I was wondering if they would work and how long they would last? I also found a 10pound cylinder at local welding shop, it's over $150 to buy and then $30 dollars to refill. Plus reinspection every so many years. If I go with 10 pound cylinder how long will it last? I'm just trying to figure best way to go.

 

[Fresh2o]

I would not do the cartridges because the replacement cost will start to add up. The only exception would be a nano tank where it would challenging to hide a larger setup.
I run about 2-3 bps for 8 hours a day with a 24 oz paintball tank and I am filling it up every 4-4.5 months. This is on a 20 g medium lit planted aquarium. About $4-5 per refill at a local sports store (Dick's Sporting Goods). Annual cost under $15.
A 5 lb tank is 80 oz, so at the rate above, it should last over a year. This might be on the higher end of typical duration.


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[unstopaBULLFish]

Don't want to hijack this thread, but is there a calculator for amount of time the co2 lasts in a pressurized system? I plan to run a pressurized system at 2-3 BPS for about 7 hours for a ten gallon high tech


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[Bus Driver]

Co2 bottles

I found a place that will order a 5lb or a 10lb bottle in for me. The price is very good. Refill is only $10. I thank you for all the help. With a 55 gallon show tank, what rate do you think would be good to set it at?

 

[Fresh2o]

I wound start out 1-2 bps and then monitor the drop checker (stays green).

Edit: I just remembered that this is an automatic system that uses a pH probe and controller. I have no experience with that. I suppose the first thing you want to do is get a baseline of the pH and then set the pH target to something slightly lower than that. I would read the user manual for this.

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[Bus Driver]

Bottle size

What size bottle would be better to use? 5 or 10 pound. Or does it really matter with the only difference I see is the amount of time it will last.

 

[Fresh2o]

What size bottle would be better to use? 5 or 10 pound. Or does it really matter with the only difference I see is the amount of time it will last.

I don't think it matters unless there is a size constraint in the event you are housing this on a cabinet.


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[Hunter73]

What size bottle would be better to use? 5 or 10 pound. Or does it really matter with the only difference I see is the amount of time it will last.

My personal opinion is to buy the largest you can afford. That way refills are further out. While keeping my tanks top notch, I try to also keep things convenient for me as well.


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