co2 problem ?

[Xzap]

pH 7.1
no3 10 ppm
kh 5 dhk, drops 1 degree a day.

A cpl of days ago I noticed what appeared to be very small white stuff in my water. I have been dosing baking soda every day for a while and at first I thought it was undissolved particals of the soda.

Then I thought it looked like small pieces of the CC I've been running in my filter. I broke the filter down today and gave it a good cleaning.

Now I notice an accumaltion if bubbles in one corner of the tank and the closer I look, I think these are bubbles in my water.

My reactor is working fine as far as I can see. Anyone know what this is ?

Thx,

Dave

 

[Fubie]

Dave this isn't on a tank running a DIY CO2 setup is it?

 

[Xzap]

Nope, pressurized.

Thx,

Dave

 

[Milan]

I have the same thing in my tank too, but not that pronounced. Both the particles and the foam on the surface ... Never paid too much attention to it ... Now, that you mentioned it, I would be interested in the cause too ..

I have a DYI CO2 with a power reactor if this means anything ...

 

[Milan]

Hey Xzap, just curious why does your KH drop? 1°/day is a helluva dip. Are you sure about this? To my knowledge, CO2 should not have any effects on KH ... It sounds like a presence of a strong acid ...

 

[greenmaji]

Xzap..
looks like there might be a little bit of a protein accumulation on the surface.. were you using a cuttle bone or actual CC? sometimes exess food particals that have been traped up in a canister can discarge causing that look (it usually clears up after a few days though).. or possibly uneaten food getting blown up from the gravel.. the cuttle bone if used could have finaly broken up into tiny pieces.. Im going on and on.. I would look for the most likely cause.. HTH

Milan.. the possible problem with DIY CO2 is the lack of a gas seperatior allowing liquid or solids from your DIY CO2 generator to enter the tank.

 

[Xzap]

Not sure why my kh drops like that Milan.. we're trying to figure that out now.

Green .. I use actual CC. The water has cleared up good now for whatever reason

Thx,

Dave

 

[tazcrash69]

I had a problem like that on my last set-up. It comes from a lot of dissolved proteins in the water. Do you have a heavy Bio-load?
They cause an almost greasy film on the top of the water. If you have access to a protein skimmer, try running that. (yes it will work on a freshwater tank with a lot of dissolved proteins).
Or, you could float a paper towel, for a second, and that should pick up the film.

 

[workfortheman]

Yea, I had massive amounts of foam/film on my brackish puffer tank. Pretty sure it was the excess of FBS I fed them daily! I thought about making a DIY skimmer before they passed on. . . Here's a link
which tank is this on, and what's the fish load/feeding regimen?

 

[Xzap]

Ernie.. 90 gal.
my fish are:
1 blood parrot
1 angel
1 wagtail platy
1 Mickey Mouse platy
5 emeralds
3 corys
3 bala sharks
4 otos
3 common hatchets
3 flying fox
15 danios
20 cardinals

It sounds like a lot of fish, but they are all small 'cept the angel and parrot and I've got the fattest wagtail you've ever seen ! *lol*

I feed them 3 times day: flakes, freeze dried blood worms, shrimp pellets.

Thx,

Dave

 

[workfortheman]

My *un*expert advice is too much food, causing a protein excess. If I had the time/$$ I'd look into a skimmer, or reduce feeding and increase pwc's. BUT I hope someone else has opinions here 'cause I'm probably wrong

 

[workfortheman]

heh check out THIS little guy! Never thought they sold such tiny/cheap skimmers! Sure, it's internal, but you could just run it several hours at night or something, or while you are at work.

I've also heard very good things about this aquabuys.com, great customer service from what I hear!

GL

 

[Xzap]

Yeah that's what I need, another toy *lol*
Seriously, I'll cut back on the food a little.
Thanks Ernie.

dave