Setting up my new Hagen CO2 unit!

[An t-iasg]

I got my new Hagen unit and I set it up tonight, but I'll wait for tomorrow to fill it so I can watch it as it starts to bubble. I'm not using the ladder; I got the Red Sea diffuser as recommended by Purrbox. Thanks!

When I put the little diffuser in the tank, the betta sat on it! 8O I bet he won't be doing that tomorrow!

The Hagen system is sitting on the counter beside the tank and I used some suction cups and airline holders to route the tubing so there are no kinks or anything to impede the flow of CO2.

I can't wait for the algae to finally go away! I did have pearling using Excel. The pearling is on the underside of the leaves, and the darn hair algae is on the top of the leaves.

At night, what do you guys with DIY CO2 do? I guess I'll pull the tubing off the lid of the Hagen when I turn the lights off and let the CO2 dissipate into the room. The kitchen (where the Hagen unit is) is rather small, so maybe I'll take the unit to another bigger room for the night. The hatchery has numerous 2 liter bottles under the sale tanks (not the show tank) and they pull the tubing out of the bottles as they close up shop.

 

[Fubie]

I let mine go all night. The hagen generator bottle, IMHO, doesn't generate enough CO2 on its own to cause a toxic build-up at night. Plus I have enough surface agitation to keep my levels in the mid 2ppm. Keep in mind this is with the ladder diffuser that came with the unit. I've been interested in trying the red sea reactor as a cost effective first step in moving up the CO2 setup chain. Please let us know how well your unit setup works!

 

[Tiffi]

That little bit of DIY CO2 in the aquarium is not going to hurt your plants or fishes at all.

If fact if you disconnect the bottle every night, you are just wasting CO2. The next morning, the airline needs to be filled again with CO2, before it can get diffused in the reactor. Leave the cap on there, CO2 will dissolve at night and your plants will have more CO2 right from the beginning at the next morning.
CO2 does not subsitute O2 in water like it does in the air.

 

[Tiffi]

@Fubie: I would try to stop the surface agitation and keep as much CO2 in the tank as possible. Maybe you don't even need a better reactor then.

If your aquarium is planted well you will have enough O2, so you don't need the surface agitation !

 

[malkore]

I wouldn't bother stopping CO2 at night. Firstly, pH changes caused by CO2 injection do not stress fish the same way pH changes related to Kh swings does. The hardness stays the same, so the water 'feels' the same to the fish, particularly since CO2 injection doesn't sway pH all that much.

For example, my rested tap pH is 7.8. My tank pH after CO2 injection is 7.0. When I do a 50% water change every week, that raises pH to 7.4 almost instantly, and then it takes 4 hours to drop back to 7.0 Water change day is my fishes favorite day!

So the possible slight increase in CO2 build up over night that would push pH down maybe another .1 or .2 at most isn't anything to fret over. CO2 doesn't displace O2 in the water, and as I recall, this is a betta tank, so he breathes surface air anyhow

 

[Purrbox]

As to your betta sitting on the Red Sea Diffuser, don't be surprised if he continues doing it even after it really gets bubbling. My Pygmy Cories swim through the stream of bubbles right above the reactor all the time. Maybe they like the tickle from the small stream of bubbles!

I've never done anything to turn off the CO2 at night. I just kept a close eye on my fish the first few mornings after starting the CO2 and later when making changes to the system to ensure that they weren't at the surface gasping for breathe. If they ever had been I would have picked up a airpump to run at night for extra O2, that way I wouldn't lose pressure in the system every night.

Don't be surprised if it takes 24 to 36 hours before you start seeing bubbles coming out of the diffuser. When I was using the Ladder, I'd start a new mix in the afternoon and within 12 to 24 hours I'd start having bubbles climbing the ladder. With the Red Sea diffuser it took a bit longer, probably because it has to create extra pressure to force the CO2 through the diffuser in that fine mist. I was actually beginning to wonder if I had a bad batch by the time I started to see bubbles.

 

[Fubie]

@Fubie: I would try to stop the surface agitation and keep as much CO2 in the tank as possible. Maybe you don't even need a better reactor then.

If your aquarium is planted well you will have enough O2, so you don't need the surface agitation !

The surface agitation "problem" is from my biowheel HOB filter. I thought it was a good idea when I purchased it but at the time I wasn't into planted tanks and just trying to keep my fish happy. I would love to go with an AC filter but my wife gives me the "LOOK" when I talk about replacing the filter that is still very new. Plus I want to start upgrading my CO2 system. It's give and take. I just try to minimize the output to keep the surface agitation down to a minimum.

Purrbox did you notice a big increase in CO2 levels when you switched from the ladder to the Red Sea Diffuser? If so how much? Thanks.

 

[Xzap]

What size tank Fubie?

Dave

 

[Fubie]

My current is only a 10 gallon. I should have read a little more before being so excited buying the bio-wheel filter. Right after I got it and set it up I started reading about how bio-wheels aren't the greatest for planted CO2 injected systems and you should go with an AC... My luck as usual.

 

[rich311k]

I think you can take the bio-wheel out, with very little loss of filtration.

 

[Fubie]

Hmmm isn't the bio-wheel where most, if not all, of the bacteria live in these filters?

I've heard such good things about AC HOB filters I might just buy one and beg for forgiveness later. Aquarium purchases aren't nearly as bad as my computer hardware purchases though. HAH. So she can't complain to loudly.

 

[rich311k]

There should be enough in your sponges. You could try it a couple of days and test your levels. Just keep the biowheel wet incase you need it. I have read that the biowheel isn't really the big a bio-media device its advertised to be.

 

[Xzap]

My current is only a 10 gallon. I should have read a little more before being so excited buying the bio-wheel filter. Right after I got it and set it up I started reading about how bio-wheels aren't the greatest for planted CO2 injected systems and you should go with an AC... My luck as usual.

You can get an AC for a 10 gal at PetsMart for $13.99. That's their on line price.. print it out and take it with you and they'll price match it in the store.
Click here

Ask your wife if she can get a pair of heels for $13.99 *lol*

Dave

 

[Fubie]

HAHAHAHA. I'll show her this post and see what happens. If I don't reply for awhile will someone send out a rescue squad??? I might be living with Jimmy Hoffa...

Why is the bio-wheel itself so bad for CO2 loss? Is it just because the wheel agitates the water more than just flowing through the system?

 

[rich311k]

The bio wheel agitates the surface. Trust me you don't need it and you don't need to change filters just remove it.

 

[Purrbox]

I removed the biowheel from my filter about a month ago. Shortly after my CO2 levels where up and BBA has practically vanished. Never any sign of distress with my fish. As long as you have a fairly well planted aquarium, I would expect the plants to take up the slack caused by removing the biowheel. Just keep an eye on your parms in case of a mini cycle, and you should be fine.

 

[malkore]

the bacteria for your cycle live on every single surface that stays damp: tank walls, gravel, decorations, rocks, the filter walls, sponges.

If you are nervous, remove the bio wheel ,and hang it inside the tank for a few weeks so the bacteria on it continues to do its thing.

a well planted tank with moderate light will never have an ammonia reading unless huge amounts of something dies off and decomposes. the plants will soak up ammonia so you will either have 0.00ppm or such a catastrophe that the ammonia levels will be the least of your concern (i.e. the ammonia spike will be the result, not the cause, of the problem...unless someone dumps a bottle of ammonia in your tank)

 

[An t-iasg]

Thank you, everyone!

I knew I was being a bit paranoid about pulling the top of the CO2 and moving the canister. But as soon as I read the comment about how the diffuser would take a while to fill up again, I realized that this is true, and to interrupt the flow every night would not be productive. Also, Malkore, your explanation about how the pH changes in relation to CO2 as opposed to another factor made sense too. So, I will leave the tubing in place, while checking KH and pH.

Aquarium purchases aren't nearly as bad as my computer hardware purchases though.

LOL! Around here it's like that too. I have 3 tanks and my husband has 3 or even more computer/server setups! I really want that server cabinet for a tank! LOL

PS. I just removed the biowheel filter from my Eclipse Hex 5 tank. This is not the tank with the new Hagen unit. My reason was that the betta didn't like the current. I'm not worried about an ammonia spike, although I'll do a few checks just to make sure. The bio-wheel isn't the only surface where the good bacteria colonize, and the plants are pretty well established in this tank too.