CO2 help

[jdenon42]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum. I've been in and out of the hobby for about 25 yrs. My son inspired me to get back into it. I forgot how addicting it is...I'm not complaining.? I've just set up an all new 65gal column tank. I'm running a DIY canister filter, as well as a DIY in tank filter. Also I'm running CO2 injection and I'm dosing 2 bps. Injection comes on with the lights and goes off with the lights. Lights are on for 9hrs/day. My substrate is FloraMax. This is my first attempt at live plants, and I'm a little discouraged with the results of my plant growth. I also use Seachem Flourish and API root tabs, both according to their instructions. I've been running the injection for almost 2 weeks, but haven't noticed anything spectacular going on with my plants.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance to everyone.

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[Brian_Nano12g]

Hello.. welcome back to the hobby!

First off, we need to determine your light level. What type of fixture, bulbs, etc. are you running? Also, how tall is that tank from light to substrate? And, lastly... what plant species are in there?

Edit:
You should also get a drop checker to make sure you're getting an adequate amount of CO2 dissolved within the water column. Unless you're using a pH controller?

 

[jdenon42]

Thanks Brian.
My drop checker is showing 2 bps. My light is a 25w full spectrum fluorescent and the distance from substrate to light is 22". I'm unsure of a couple of the plant species. I do know there is 1 Amazon Sword, 1 Brazilian Sword, some Dwarf Hairgrass and some Wisteria. There are a couple I can't remember the names of. ?

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[Plantaholic]

Success with plants is finding the right balance of Lighting, Nutrients, and Carbon source.
I would first suggest evaluating your lights, as this is not something you can adjust like you could fertilizer, or carbon(adding more or less...). It also dictates what plants you can support within your tank.
I'm no expert on lighting, as I bought a BML.com fixture when I went planted based upon reccomendations from users on this forum. Its an investment, but I didn't want any restrictions in plants I could sustain starting out. I would post your current light set-up in hopes that one of the more knowledgeable members on this topic cares to chime in.
Second, I would take a look at your ferts, Flourish is a micro nutrient fertilizer, and depending on your plants, may not be enough. There are many products in the seachem line and they are well liked within the hobby, however with the many products they carry, it can be a costly venture getting the right balance of them to support your plants. Some folks including myself use PPS-Pro fertilizer system sold by Green Leaf Aquarium.com due to it being a well rounded kit, containg most everything the majority of plants need. It is also much more economical, as $20 start up cost will last well over a year. Without knowing which plants you are trying to grow, I wont be able to suggest whether or not you'll need to supplement your current fertilizer.
Lastly is the Carbon, 2 bps is a general dosing amount that is on the safe side, as to not gas out your fish. It isn't really a way to gauge how much of the Co2 is being absorbed into your water column, to then be consumed by your plants. To do that, you would need to buy a Drop Checker, which is placed near the top of your tank, and has a soloution you put inside of it that will change color based on the Co2 level of your tank. One thing that will keep you from obtaing a proper absorbtion of Co2 is surface agitation typically created by things like filters and bubblers. As Co2 is a gas it floats to the surface of the water and with any aggitation on the water line, will pop and release into the air being wasted. Which system did you get for tank, and what all components are included?

 

[Coryluv]

I think you are confusing a bubble counter with a drop checker. A drop checker has fluid in it that changes color indicating how much CO2 is in your water. I'm using 4 dKH fluid with one drop of API low pH test in mine.

This is a picture. Though there are other forms this is a common one. I've just started DIY CO2 and am gradually increasing it, so I don't yet have enough CO2 in my water to turn it green, which is the color most of us aim for.

 

[jdenon42]

My bad Plantaholic, I was refering to my bubble counter as a drop checker-sorry about that. I wil l get a d/c asap. My CO2 setup is a AZOO semi automatic system from Drs. Foster and Smith, and I'm using a 5# CO2 bottle I purchased from my local welding supply house. I intend on getting a ph controller asap. Can't seem to locate one in any of my lfs. There is a little surface agitation from my in-tank filter. My canister filter has a spray bar that I adjusted to force the CO2 bubbles from my ceramic diffuser back in the tank to expose them to the water longer.

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[jdenon42]

You're right Coryluv, thats what I was doing.?
Still learning...its been quite a while since I've been in the hobby, and my first attempt at CO2. Its fun though!???

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[jetajockey]

I think you are going to need a lot more light before you'll really see the benefits of added co2

 

[Coryluv]

I guess is was writing my response when Plantaholic was posting. Didn't mean to duplicate. However, I do,want to add that many of us have had success getting drop checkers on eBay very cheap. Mine was about $3 shipping included.

 

[jdenon42]

I was hoping to avoid that because Discus are not fans of bright light.

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[jdenon42]

Thanks Coryluv! I'll be ordering that tonight.?

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[Coryluv]

You're right Coryluv, thats what I was doing.?
Still learning...its been quite a while since I've been in the hobby, and my first attempt at CO2. Its fun though!???

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Lol. Excuse the pun. It is fun. I think it's a gas.

I'm just learning too. All I can afford right now is DIY, but it is a lot of fun. Welcome to the world of planted!

 

[jdenon42]

Thanks friend!?

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[Brian_Nano12g]

I think you are going to need a lot more light before you'll really see the benefits of added co2

+1

Your current lighting is too weak for plants, especially considering the distance from light to substrate (which means very low PAR). Consider adding supplemental lighting or replace the lighting all together.

If you go with LED, light fixtures from BML (buildmyLED.com) are great. You can get a dimmer and fine tune the right amount of light you'll need or crank it up to full power if you want to keep more light demanding species. Perhaps a Finnex Planted+ might get you at least the higher end of low light on a tank your height. It's also much cheaper. Current-USA's Satellite LED+ has dimming and color control options.. But it's not very bright so you'll need to run dual Sat+'s.

Or if budget is a constraint, consider a T5HO fixture like from Odyssea. But annual bulb replacements makes LED more appealing since you never have to replace bulbs.