110g requires a lot of CO2? Normal?

[threnjen]

I just set up pressurized on my 90g+sump a few days back. I've been dialing up the CO2 very carefully.

I am totally aware that "bps" is a very arbitrary measurement because a bubble can be pea sized or pin sized depending on the bubble counter.

That said I'm up to about 8 bps on my Aquatek inline bubble counter. The CO2 comes on at noon and goes off at 10. The lights come on at 2 and go off at 10. I'm only managing to get from the deep blue on the drop checker to a teal like this:

Does this seem normal for a system with as much water as mine? It seems like I will need a constant stream of 16bps CO2 to hit green on this checker.

Also... right at light turn off, the hubs and I were checking out the fauna to see how everyone was feeling. No one seemed to be doing badly except our single female guppy. She was gasping at the surface which I have never seen a fish do but it was very obvious. Why would she be reacting adversely when everyone else is fine (especially when our CO2 level is not very high)

 

[Caliban07]

I just set up pressurized on my 90g+sump a few days back. I've been dialing up the CO2 very carefully.

I am totally aware that "bps" is a very arbitrary measurement because a bubble can be pea sized or pin sized depending on the bubble counter.

That said I'm up to about 8 bps on my Aquatek inline bubble counter. The CO2 comes on at noon and goes off at 10. The lights come on at 2 and go off at 10. I'm only managing to get from the deep blue on the drop checker to a teal like this:

Does this seem normal for a system with as much water as mine? It seems like I will need a constant stream of 16bps CO2 to hit green on this checker.

Also... right at light turn off, the hubs and I were checking out the fauna to see how everyone was feeling. No one seemed to be doing badly except our single female guppy. She was gasping at the surface which I have never seen a fish do but it was very obvious. Why would she be reacting adversely when everyone else is fine (especially when our CO2 level is not very high)

Hi thren.

I'm really not that qualified to quote as such on these matters but I did do a bit of research on drop checkers and there was a small discussion regarding them with myself, Mebbid and delapool.

My final thoughts were really that as far as accuracy goes with the drop checkers they can leave a lot to be desired to say the least. As you know, they are not a real time value and are only regarded as an approximation at best even by the manufactures and have a very wide tolerance.

I'm sure mebbid said something about the.....was it sea something? Red Sea...as being the better of the bunch and when I contacted the manufacturer they seemed quite reassuring.

The moral of my post although some may not agree is that I wouldn't rely very heavily on the drop checker and let your plants tell you if there is enough co2. The guppy gasping since the addition of co2 would be of concern.

Good luck.


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[threnjen]

It just seems a little weird that it is only her. Everyone else was 100% normal, even the snails and I know I read somewhere that inverts are often the first fauna to show signs of distress.
If it continues to be a problem for her tomorrow I will just move her to another tank, so she'll be safe

Maybe she was just looking for food, but we both thought she looked like she was gasping.

Ugh I don't want to hear that drop checkers are inaccurate. That means I really do need to go for the ph controller, and I've already told you how naughty I have been lately with my aquarium spending

 

[NigelK8485]

My 150 gallon requires around 5 bps. Before I modified my reactor and wasn't getting 100% of my co2 it was requiring 8+ bps, though my drop checker would turn a lime green/yellow color.

While drop checkers aren't exactly real time accuracy, most solutions that come with them are to measure 30 ppm. How were you viewing the drop checker? Did you place something white behind it to get a true sense of the color? Have you tried moving it to another location? Maybe the co2 isn't being dispersed very well throughout the entire tank so you're getting a lower reading.

It does seem weird only the one guppy was gasping. I'd move the drop checker around and give it a couple of hours before checking the color, obviously by putting something white behind the drop checker, and keep an eye on the one guppy and see if other fish begin to react.


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[threnjen]

It is the Ista Drop Checker which has a white background. I checked the color taking two identically lit photos before the CO2 went on and tank was dark, and after CO2 went off and tank was dark. So we could see a clear difference in the color and the lighting was identical, but it was still only teal.

Tomorrow I will try moving the drop checker around the tank more. At some point I will also have to look at the reactor (is it working properly?) and study how I am delivering the CO2 to the tank. I wonder if there is a flow/current problem.

I just have a habit of jumping the gun and trying to fix things too soon, so I am trying to be patient.

 

[NigelK8485]

It is the Ista Drop Checker which has a white background. I checked the color taking two identically lit photos before the CO2 went on and tank was dark, and after CO2 went off and tank was dark. So we could see a clear difference in the color and the lighting was identical, but it was still only teal.

Tomorrow I will try moving the drop checker around the tank more. At some point I will also have to look at the reactor (is it working properly?) and study how I am delivering the CO2 to the tank. I wonder if there is a flow/current problem.

I just have a habit of jumping the gun and trying to fix things too soon, so I am trying to be patient.

Did you sand the propellers of the ista Max mix? That was one thing that seemed like it was constantly mentioned when I researched and bought mine. I forget if it was the top or bottom of the two stacked propellers, I think it was the top one that spins. Many reviews said if you didn't sand it down it wouldn't spin properly and a lot of co2 was just passing through without being chopped up.

Edit: I just saw you said ista drop checker, not the reactor. If you are using the max mix though that may be something to look at.


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[Brian_Nano12g]

Are you mixing the drop checker's reagent with 4dkh reference solution? Also, I don't have expertise with sumps, but I've read that they're notoriously good at off-gassing your co2. You might want to dig up some info in your research on that.

 

[threnjen]

I do have the Mix Max The bottom one is intended to be stationary. I will take a look and ensure that both of the top ones spin.

The Ista drop checker just comes with its own solution. The instructions didn't indicate that it was to be mixed with anything, which did confuse me. It just said to place the solution directly in the checker as-is. I assumed the solution was an all-in-one. I was planning to make it myself when this runs out but I won't need more for a while.

Time to hit the books re: CO2 with sumps!http://www.aquariumadvice.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

 

[threnjen]

OK. The Mix Max is running fine. My pump through the mix max is another story, I just discovered that two of the impeller tines are broken off, what? It is 7 days old (and I threw out the box GO FIGURE)!!! Regardless it is still sending water so it's not the problem, probably. I checked in the tank where I am sending out the water and it's anemic but, it's there. I wonder if it's just not getting sent around the tank due to the poor outflow. I ordered a new (different) pump to replace it but I won't have that until Friday.

re: sump it seems there is little to be done. I do inject the CO2 at the return point, so I am doing the best I can with the setup. But it seems like I might use more CO2 than others. Oh well

Lights have been off 2hrs and guppy is fine. I hope it was my imagination.

 

[Caliban07]

Ugh I don't want to hear that drop checkers are inaccurate. That means I really do need to go for the ph controller, and I've already told you how naughty I have been lately with my aquarium spending

I know I know lol. It's not that they are inaccurate but more of an approximation and they are behind real time. Just being behind real time affects accuracy.



[http://calc.petalphile.com/mobileQUOTE=NigelK8485;3224432]

How were you viewing the drop checker? Did you place something white behind it to get a true sense of the color? Have you tried moving it to another location?

Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice[/QUOTE]


And it's little things like this that effect things further. Not the end of the world though. The theory behind them is solid.

Anyways I'm not helping so Ill just be an observer from now on.


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[Caliban07]

Ignore that link. I was getting excited because I almost figured out how to multi quote properly.....almost


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[Delapool]

I do have the Mix Max The bottom one is intended to be stationary. I will take a look and ensure that both of the top ones spin.

The Ista drop checker just comes with its own solution. The instructions didn't indicate that it was to be mixed with anything, which did confuse me. It just said to place the solution directly in the checker as-is. I assumed the solution was an all-in-one. I was planning to make it myself when this runs out but I won't need more for a while.

Time to hit the books re: CO2 with sumps!http://www.aquariumadvice.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/

I use the fluval drop checker and as far as I could tell, doesn't need anything extra added either. It's all a bit confusing though and I never got around to cross-checking it.

Do you have a digital ph pen? Can't remember. If you do, you could check ph at start and end for relative ph change. It's rough but will give you an idea. Assuming you aren't dosing phosphate buffers that really fix ph. Otherwise I find the relative ph change useful.

 

[Delapool]

This was mine with a ceramic air stone at that point. Can't find the other thread

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/co2-drop-checker-result-327365.html

 

[NigelK8485]

I know I know lol. It's not that they are inaccurate but more of an approximation and they are behind real time. Just being behind real time affects accuracy.



[http://calc.petalphile.com/mobileQUOTE=NigelK8485;3224432]

How were you viewing the drop checker? Did you place something white behind it to get a true sense of the color? Have you tried moving it to another location?

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I was about to say, "Hey, I just asked the exact same questions!"


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[coralbandit]

The wheels spinning don't matter!
I have 2 mix max in my sump(180g).
You will use more co2 then most IMO.
I would get the pH meter as using this much co2 is risky enough,many regulators need periodic adjustment,and at high flow EOT dumps can be big trouble that happen fast.

 

[Delapool]

The wheels spinning don't matter!
I have 2 mix max in my sump(180g).
You will use more co2 then most IMO.
I would get the pH meter as using this much co2 is risky enough,many regulators need periodic adjustment,and at high flow EOT dumps can be big trouble that happen fast.

That's a good point I was going to ask on.

I found mine needed adjustments say every month or less (bottle lasted about 5) and wondered if this was due to the bottle emptying. It wasn't adjustments all one way so er, kicked it under the carpet.

 

[threnjen]

Do you have a digital ph pen? Can't remember. If you do, you could check ph at start and end for relative ph change. It's rough but will give you an idea. Assuming you aren't dosing phosphate buffers that really fix ph. Otherwise I find the relative ph change useful.

I have a cheap chinese one from amazon. batteries died so I bought some new ones (Maxell, not generic) and they are too small for the battery well, which has no spring. So cheap chinese crap is cheap chinese crap So all I have right now is the API test unless I buy another one. I'm going to save my money and save for the PH controller instead I think

 

[threnjen]

The wheels spinning don't matter!
I have 2 mix max in my sump(180g).
You will use more co2 then most IMO.
I would get the pH meter as using this much co2 is risky enough,many regulators need periodic adjustment,and at high flow EOT dumps can be big trouble that happen fast.

I feel better than ever now that I got a 2-stage so at least EOT is not a looming fear, if I really have to run this much CO2.
Good to hear from someone with a sump. So I might just use more than average, that's a bummer. But it is what it is.

I did realize that I slightly mis-advertised yesterday and I didn't mean to. I realized that I turned up the CO2 midday from 4bps to the current of about 6-7. So it has not had a full cycle on 6-7, I will have that today and report back.

I'm not going to have a good sense of the situation until I replace this faulty return pump on the reactor. I ordered it 1-day from Amazon so it will be here tomorrow In the meantime it does return water but veeerrry slowly. I'll have to take a look at the reactor after it's been on a while and see if it is getting backed up with CO2

 

[Caliban07]

If you have a spare few thousand dollars laying around....

http://www.contros.eu/hydroc-co2-carbondioxide-sensor.html

No more guesstimates! Haha....if only.


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[threnjen]

If you have a spare few thousand dollars laying around....

HydroC™ CO2 Carbondioxide Sensor - Contros Systems & Solutions

No more guesstimates! Haha....if only.


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LOL! Yeah, lemme just break out my credit card