True, I like to be on top of my tank maintenance and I have been. Weekly water changes and I dose my liquid ferts properly and I wanna take it to the next level that’s why I’m starting this project, I want to perfect the art of freshwater tanks but there are a lot of things that I need to learn and understand in the water parameter and C02 categories which is what I’m currently doing. The other thing I’m thinking about is if I should stick with my 75 gallon tall tank or get a 75 long. Obviously the 75 long would be better, what do you think? Should I keep the 75 tall I’ve had running for 2 years the way it is and get a 75 long or just convert the one I have?
Starting a 40g C02 tank HELP
- Thread starter Mr.Flux
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
What are the dimensions of each tank?
Typically, 48" long tanks offer the best bulb selection for T5-HO lighting....
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
4 bulb fixtures over 12" deep tanks are tough..
I would personally go with the 48 x 21 x 18 but it's not my money to spend.
You are right, more area for planting, armpits get less wet with a 21" tall tank.
my 55 gallon is much easier to get my arm to the bottom than my 90 gallon, only 3" difference in height, but makes a big difference.
Yeah, I think I’ll get all the supplies that I’ll need as best as I can and when I’m well and ready to actually setup I’ll make the decision if I want a different tank or not. And I was lookin at an Ehiem 2217 for a filter with some seachem matrix and seachem puragin for media
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Probably not enough flow, 2 x 2217 would be better options.
I love Eheims... Marineland C series canisters are budget friendly good options, same as Sun-Sun.
Try and aim for ~10x tank volume rated filter output gallons per hour, this will leave you roughly 5-6x actual volume turnover.
So for a filter rated at 200 gallons per hour will only flow about 100 after head pressure and media.
I will strongly recommend an intake skimmer for the canister filter.
I will strongly recommend running at least half of the available media space with course sponges, where water enters the filter first.
Then run a small amount of Matrix in a media bag, then finish off the available space with fine filter floss.
Rinse the sponges out at least every other water change, rinse the media mag full of Matrix out at the same time (in old tank water) and replace the filter floss at the same time.
Cleaning filters every water change is best, but it's annoying. Filters trap decaying organic material, planted tanks have loads of it, so keeping the rotting mess of plant tissue out of the entire system is a massive step in algae control.
The reason why you don't need that much biomedia, is because the substrate will house the majority of it, and plants under high light / CO2 will uptake a lot of ammonia before it has a chance to convert into NO2 / NO3.
Plants prefer ammonia as a nitrogen source...
A little bit of biomedia acts as a buffer just in case, just keep it clean so it doesn't plug up, that's why I recommend placing it in a filter mesh bag, this makes it very easy to remove and rinse out in old tankwater.
Sounds good, what if I ran an Ehiem 2217 and my Fluval 305 that I currently have(not running). That would be 560gph combined. I’d run a slimmer on one and a regular intake on the one. And would you recommend inline co2 injection or using a diffuser
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
DIY reactor is what I would recommend, no microbubbles and 100% diffusion,
Rex Griggs or Cerges ... if you're handy, if not I think you can buy them...
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
If going with a Griggs, ensure you have enough tubing so you can burp it by flipping it upside down upon initial startup / after cleaning filter. If you don't leave enough slack tubing, it will trap air after startup / filter clean and be super annoying. gurgling and making tons of noise.
After you flip it upside down, all the air will purge out of it, and you can place it upright again.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Can't change it, too expensive, limited to their design.
Most of them I see are kind of too small anyway... gas can escape into the tank.
Which ones were you looking at?
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you want to get above a 1.0 drop you'll need a fairly big reactor yes, I think mine is 2.5" pipe and 20" tall or somthing like that.
Running around 200 gallon an hour through it, and it fully dissolved CO2 at around 5 bubble per second.
Too big will result in reduced flow....
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
So I stopped into this one pet store today and the owner knows a lot about his fish, plants lighting and everything there is to know. He’s a smart guy but he was making fishkeeping out to be all in it all out. For this co2 project I’m attempting I am not going to cheap out on my hardware I’m going to buy, but he was saying that if I buy a co2 regulator for under $400 I might as well not even run co2 because it could discharge and gas out my whole building and kill me basically. And then he said if I buy a T5 fixture for under $200 that it has a very high chance of lighting on fire and burning my house down. Now I’m not an expert, but that seems pretty extreme. I’m lookin at spending maximum $200 on a regulator and maximum $200 for a T5 fixture. Or are you on his side?
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Nope I’m completely on your side. I need a new reg and new lights sometime this year for my next tank and I’ll be $200 - $300 for the reg and $200 for 4 T5-HO’s.
Which regulator and which lights are you thinking?
American marine pinpoint is a very good option for regulator, priced fairly well.
Well I was gonna ask you what you thought would be a good choice for a regulator, for all I know any of them for around that $250 range would be good. And for as far as the T5 I’d say whatever works right, all it’s gotta do is make light haha like really there isn’t a lot to be said about that. But still you get what you pay for.
ZxC
Aquarium Advice Addict
Here are some pictures of mine:
My next one will have at least a bypass valve at the very top to evacuate gas build up after start up / filter change, so I don't have to turn it upside down. I might also include 2 inputs pointed slightly off each other so create more turbulence / small bubble to avoid a CO2 bubble forming at the top.
My next one will have at least a bypass valve at the very top to evacuate gas build up after start up / filter change, so I don't have to turn it upside down. I might also include 2 inputs pointed slightly off each other so create more turbulence / small bubble to avoid a CO2 bubble forming at the top.
Similar threads
