Temp DIY Co2 for 150

[Jman17H]

I just setup my new 150 breeder planted tank (upgraded from a 75) and the CO2 regulator may not be in till mid next week with the holiday? Should I worry about temporarily moving the DIY setup with 6-2 liters to the new tank? I also took down 2-20's so have 4 more 2 liters I could hook up. Is it worth the hastle to hook them up for a week?

 

[hashbaz]

For only 1 week? I don't think I would worry too much about CO2. But I would also suggest a shorter lighting time and/or less intense light.

What plants do you have? Less light migh make some of the stem plants grow a little leggy.

Without CO2, you will also want to keep a close eye out for algae.

All in all, I don't think zero CO2 will be a big problem in only one week.

 

[rkilling1]

I agree with hashbaz, you shouldn't attempt it. Having little CO2 for a week shouldn't be a problem as long as you reduce the lighting.

The worst thing to do, IMO, would be to try and hook up a DIY with that big of a tank. You will not have a consistant level of CO2 and algea will like that better then the plants will.

 

[Jman17H]

I have one half of the 48" aqualight on at the moment. Should I switch that to maybe the 48" strip light or will 130 CP watts be fine for a week and not promote anything?

Since I am not going to be doing CO2 till possibly next week, should I also not start doing ferts till then either?

 

[Purrbox]

I would recommend using half your lighting for 8-9 hours each day, no CO2, and no ferts until the regulator arrives. This will slow down the growth of your plants without opening the door to invite the algae in. This is the same treatment that is recommended for going out of town on vacation for several weeks so that you can come back to a tank that is still fairly managable without the maintenance during your absense.

 

[Jman17H]

Thanks.....

So I should turn on a bit more light but cut it down a few hours and dose nothing. That sounds real easy. That gives me a few days to figure out my routine for how I am going to dose this beast.

I always worry that when my plants are taking some growing time off that I will not have enough oxygen for the fish. I did not even bother to put an airstone in the tank and it worries me. Should I worry about this? I am using a Penguin 350 (biowheels removed) & an AquaClear 500 (old 110 model) so should they provide plenty of oxygen to the water.

And I never thought about that method for vacations. I have always just tried to get someone to stop in and dump stuff in during the middle of my trip but that sounds much easier.