co2 and efficiency

[dori90]

Hi, im just wondering what is more important, co2 bubbles pearling on the plants or the duration of co2 in the aquarium water? Currently i have my co2 intake being hooked up into my internal filter, this makes the bubbles go to some plants, but most of the bubbles reach the surface. I also have a diy reactor i made.

Basically i just want to know what gives the best co2 diffusion efficiency, co2 bubbles going directly to the plants (pearling affect) or by using a co2 reactor where the co2 stays in the water for longer?

Thank you!

 

[jetajockey]

Pearling is oxygen being produced by the plant leaves. The best diffusion is no bubbles at all, but giving the co2 the most contact possible with the water before it rises to the surface and escapes is the best bet (co2 reactors are great at this).

 

[dori90]

Oh i see, at the moment i just have my bubbles and co2 mixing inside a diy reactor i made, so this will be most efficient? i've also seen some tanks that pearl from co2 been blown onto them, do u know if this does anything for the plants? thanks

 

[jetajockey]

As long as the co2 is diffusing into the water and there is some sort of circulation then the plants are getting it. I'd stick with the reactor for sure.

 

[Donkey Gun]

I've got a DIY CO2 setup as well in 10g. At first, I was having it diffuse into my filter, which worked great. Now, I've decided to get creative and I ran a air tube into a mini air stone which is buried under my crypts..

Doesn't seem to work as well as diffusing in the filter, but it sure looks cool.

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

When your plants pearl, they are releasing the oxygen they produced as little bubbles continuously, it does t really have to do with C02. I have a pressurized system and I use an atomizer to diffuse mine and as the mist of fine bubbles float to the top, at the surface there is a water circulation pump sucking in all the bubbles and shooting them out all over the tank to make each bubbles contact time before floating to the surface very long, and in fact most just stay floating around in the water. My plants pearl all the time but you want to make sure you have the correct amount to C02 being diffused in the tank- and that's where you get a drop checker.

 

[dori90]

So the longer the bubbles in the tank the better?

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

So the longer the bubbles in the tank the better?

You got it- you want the bubbles to have the most contact time in the water as they can to diffuse as much C01 in the water as possible- if you just have the individual bubble come out of the tube into the water they will just float up to the surface so quickly the pop at the surface so instead of getting any C02 in the water, it is not in the air around you. That's what diffusers do- they make the C02 into little tiny micro bubbles so they are so small they just float around in the tank slowly until they finally make it to the surface

 

[dori90]

oh i see, do u think a reactor will be good aswell? basically the co2 enters the chamber and mixes it around, eventually some bubbles will leak through a opening at the bottom and slowly reach the surface.

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

"A CO2 reactor is a container where water and CO2 enters and is mixed together before returning to the aquarium. It's purpose is to dissolve CO2 into the water so that plants can use it. It's an optional piece of equipment that's only needed if you're adding CO2 to your tank - and unless you're using a lot of light and/or growing demanding plants, it's unnecessary to do so."

 

[Donkey Gun]

If your using a DIY CO2 with water, sugar, and yeast, there's no need for a drop checker. Just make a new batch when it stops bubbling. Also with the DIY setup it's impossible to overdose the CO2, it's just not creating enough.

However, if your using a pressurized tank system, then the drop checker is a must!

Dan, if the CO2 has nothing to do with the pearling, than why do my plants stops pearling when my co2 is low?

 

[DanTheGuppyMan]

Dan, if the CO2 has nothing to do with the pearling, than why do my plants stops pearling when my co2 is low?

By saying C02 has nothing to do with pearling, I didn't mean what factors the plant needed to pearl in which C02 is one. I was trying to say that the plant was producing oxygen not C02 which is what it sounded like dori said in the first place: "co2 bubbles pearling on the plants or the duration of co2 in the aquarium water?" and " co2 bubbles going directly to the plants (pearling affect)." Hope that clears it up better.

 

[jetajockey]

If your using a DIY CO2 with water, sugar, and yeast, there's no need for a drop checker. Just make a new batch when it stops bubbling. Also with the DIY setup it's impossible to overdose the CO2, it's just not creating enough.

It's not impossible to overdose with Co2, every setup is different. A large generator and/or a small tank + good diffusion method can easily end up with too much co2 production.

 

[Donkey Gun]

By saying C02 has nothing to do with pearling, I didn't mean what factors the plant needed to pearl in which C02 is one. I was trying to say that the plant was producing oxygen not C02 which is what it sounded like dori said in the first place: "co2 bubbles pearling on the plants or the duration of co2 in the aquarium water?" and " co2 bubbles going directly to the plants (pearling affect)." Hope that clears it up better.

gotcha, makes sense now.

 

[Donkey Gun]

It's not impossible to overdose with Co2, every setup is different. A large generator and/or a small tank + good diffusion method can easily end up with too much co2 production.

I guess impossible was the wrong word to use. Give me a long enough stick and a place to stand, and I'll move the world! lol