Co2

[vcorey04]

ok, so i got the mixing down as far as temperature goes, but the reaction is producing gas within 30 minutes!!

lot's of bubbles

how do i slow it down??

the bubbles are going through the diffuser so fast, they don't even decrease in size!!!

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

You can put one of those Gage vavles that you put in between the line, people use them to allow only so much air to go into the tank, you can do the same with co2.

They are really cheap, little over a dollar, depends how much you spend.

Plastic Air Valves | Control & Check Valves | Air Pumps & Supplies | Aquarium - ThatPetPlace.com

There is a link to some cheap plastic ones that would work fine, those are the things i'm talking about if you didn't understand.

 

[vcorey04]

whoa....





how do those work??

how do you set it all up?

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

Well, all you do is cut the tubing and stick it between both of the ends you cut, just cut around the middle of the line.

Then with the little thing at the top, you turn that and it will open up inside, then it will let only so much air, in your case Co2, through, so less co2 getting into the tank so fast, and it will also help the co2 last longer, your mixture.

 

[vcorey04]

ok

nice

n

easy

 

[fort384]

vcorey,

I don't think you need to worry about slowing it down. I doubt you are getting more than 1-2 bps which is no problem. By putting a valve on it,

1. You will have to adjust it every day as the mixture dies down
2. You are going to back up more CO2 in your system, further lowering the pH of the mixture, causing more yeast to die sooner, which will mean you will have to change it sooner.

Are you using a bubble ladder for diffusion? They take some time to break in. As time goes on and some "crud" for lack of a better term builds up on the ladder, the bubbles will move slower. That can take a few weeks. If you are concerned about the level of absorption you are getting, you could always go with a different method. A Rhinox 2000 or other small ceramic/glass diffusor will work with a DIY system, and they are available on EBAY for cheap. This will make a lot smaller bubbles, so more CO2 is in contact with the water, so you will get better absorption.

 

[vcorey04]

can you overdose on CO2?


also, how do you know if you have an iron deficiency?
(may be a good question for a new forum)

my diffuser doesn't cut it for 20 gal. it's better suited for smaller aquariums


the bubbles haven't slowed down, ofcourse they've sped up, but now at least they are decreasing in size by the time they get to the top..

i have about 7 bubbles at a time all at different stages of gas exchange, and it's only been 4.5 hours since i made the mix!


but now that i've gotten contradicting advice, i'm not sure what to do. i don't want to overdose on CO2.


bps: bubbles per second???

i get about 1 every 5 seconds, if thats the case

 

[Purrbox]

In general it is a rather bad idea to try to control the amount of CO2 being injected with DIY CO2 by any other method than adjusting your mix and/or the number/size of bottles used. By trying to control the flow of CO2 you risk a very messy and possibly dangerous explosion of your CO2 generator bottles.

You can overdose CO2, but it is difficult with DIY CO2. You'd have to get levels over 100ppm to be dangerous to your fish.

Plant Deficiencies

 

[vcorey04]

what about iron? i have a supplemet, but don'rt use it because i have flourite

 

[Purrbox]

I'm not sure I understand your question. The link I provided shows the signs for various deficiencies including iron. Are you seeing signs of Iron deficiency?

 

[fort384]

Less than 1 bbs will be no problem. If u are curious how much dissolved co2 you have there are a few methods. You can use a drop checker with a reference kh solution, or u can use the pH-KH index to calculate an approximation based on your test results. Keep in mind it's a moving target- your dissolved co2 will fluctuate with your mixture, and with day/night cycle.

 

[badbart]

I a two liter bottle DIY for my 20 gallon and I think its not making enough co2. I use the PH and KH it looks like its about only about 10 ppm. Do you think it would be too much to add another 2 litter bottle?

 

[Purrbox]

Yes. You need roughly one 2 liter bottle per 10 gallons. You'll want to alternate when you change out the mix (ie bottle 1 week 1, bottle 2 week 2, bottle 1 week 3, and so on) to achieve steadier CO2 levels. You'll also want to ensure that you aren't accidently gassing of the CO2 with too much surface aggitation from the filter, a bio-wheel, or an airstone. If you still can't get your CO2 levels up, you'll want to look at using a more efficient means of diffusion or adding an additional 2 liter bottle.

 

[badbart]

Yes. You need roughly one 2 liter bottle per 10 gallons. You'll want to alternate when you change out the mix (ie bottle 1 week 1, bottle 2 week 2, bottle 1 week 3, and so on) to achieve steadier CO2 levels. You'll also want to ensure that you aren't accidently gassing of the CO2 with too much surface aggitation from the filter, a bio-wheel, or an airstone. If you still can't get your CO2 levels up, you'll want to look at using a more efficient means of diffusion or adding an additional 2 liter bottle.

Ok thanks, I have no surface agitation and I think my diffuser is good. Well see what a second bottle will do.

 

[badbart]

I added the second bottle and wow it made a huge difference. My PH when from 7.6 to 6.8, with two fresh bottles. I'm running the air pump tonight because the PH changed 4 hours after I hooked up the bottles.