CO2 and Timer

[mohican]

I used to run a controller on my 125 (2 diffusers) but recently eliminated it to save $. My co2 comes on hour before lights and turns off hour before lights off. My question is, do our tanks need to be at 30 ppm upon lights on? Is it normal for my tank to slowly reach this level with lights on or should it already be AT the level upon lights on? My tank reaches my optimal co2 level towards the end of cycle. Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

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[mohican]

Anyone?

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[Brookster123]

what are your plant telling you? DC color? Bps?

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[mohican]

Plants seem ok but been doing this method for 2 weeks. DC ends in green zone.

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[mohican]

Should my drop checker be in green zone when lights come on? I fear gassing my tank. Tweaking this method is new to me.

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[Brookster123]

If the co2 is on an hour before lights on than yes, it's cool if the dc is regestering saturation. Watch the way the fish behave, if they are about the normal routine? No sweat..

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[aqua_chem]

My question is, do our tanks need to be at 30 ppm upon lights on? Is it normal for my tank to slowly reach this level with lights on or should it already be AT the level upon lights on? My tank reaches my optimal co2 level towards the end of cycle. Hope this makes sense.

There's a couple of things to consider here. Or rather, you're asking two very different questions I believe.

First, do you need to be at 30 ppm of CO2 when the lights come on? Probably not exactly, but it would be for the best.


Second, and more importantly, should your drop checker show 30 ppm when your lights come on? No. That's not really what drop checkers are good for. Unfortunately, drop checkers can literally take hours to come to complete equilibrium (although they can be quicker based on design, size, tank temp, etc). The time it takes for your drop checker to fully change includes the time it takes the tank to come to equilibrium plus the time it takes for the DC to come to equilibrium, which can add significant time on. In order to get your DC to green when your lights come on with only an hour head start, you would need to goose it pretty significantly, which runs the risk of an overshoot. A pH probe would be a better indicator of CO2 status (relatively, not absolutely) in this case, but that's no also practical, or even necessary.

 

[mohican]

I'm trying ro do away with probes cuz they just soak money from your wallet over time. I agree about drop checkers time frame but wanted to know if I should be near that 30 mark upon lights on. Your comment helped a lot aqua_chem. I started my co2 2 hrs before lights on to give the build-up a chance so hopefully I'm near that mark when lights come on. I check kH and pH (when I'm home) to tweak my levels to get me close. As always, your a big help.

 

[aqua_chem]

I've been arguing for years that drop checkers aren't worth the money, both upfront and maintenance costs, for the service they provide. For the most part, CO2 measurement just doesn't need to be that accurate. It's like paying hundreds of dollars for one of those devices that measures rainfall in inches so you can say "it rains two inches today", while anyone else can simply say "it rained a lot" and accomplish the same thing.


Two hours should be more than enough time to build up CO2, assuming your using a CO2 diffusion method that's not horrible. One hour would probably be fine as well. I used either 60 or 90 minutes depending on what my desired CO2 level was and what method I was using.

 

[Brookster123]

I've been arguing for years that drop checkers aren't worth the money, both upfront and maintenance costs, for the service they provide. For the most part, CO2 measurement just doesn't need to be that accurate. It's like paying hundreds of dollars for one of those devices that measures rainfall in inches so you can say "it rains two inches today", while anyone else can simply say "it rained a lot" and accomplish the same thing.


Two hours should be more than enough time to build up CO2, assuming your using a CO2 diffusion method that's not horrible. One hour would probably be fine as well. I used either 60 or 90 minutes depending on what my desired CO2 level was and what method I was using.

Thread going on tpt saying basically the same thing... think I'll keep mine going for a bit. Until I'm comfortable gauging by eye and behavior of flora and fauna.

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[aqua_chem]

Thread going on tpt saying basically the same thing... think I'll keep mine going for a bit. Until I'm comfortable gauging by eye and behavior of flora and fauna.

That particular skill is worth more than either the drop checker or probe, in my opinion, and is well worth developing.