CO2 System Question

[pocketrout]

I am thinking of trying a CO2 system in my planted tank. How will it affect my fish and the number that can live in the tank. The reason I ask is because I am wondering if the CO2 system will cause the amont of disolved oxygen in the water to drop too low.

 

[Guest]

The reason I ask is because I am wondering if the CO2 system will cause the amont of disolved oxygen in the water to drop too low

No, the ability of the water to adsorb/hold these gasses is independent of each other. the water can hold lots of each gas.

 

[loach]

Thanks from me too!

I'll be hooking up a CO2 kit on Saturday and was wondering the exact same thing. Some guy who studied aquaculture at uni told me that they put CO2 in water to relax (eating) fish before they kill them (something about making them taste better to eat if they aren't stressed), which made me a bit worried.

 

[Guest]

It's all about the amount. In a planted tank you want your CO2 levels to be in the 15-25 ppm range.

 

[justDIY]

maybe your friend was using carbon monoxide, which might have the same effect on fish as it does on mammals?

co2 disolved in water, in excessive amounts, will sufficate a fish, not because of a lack of oxygen, but because the water contains more PPM co2 than the fishes blood, rendering the gills unable to transfer out co2.

 

[pocketrout]

so how do you measure the concentration of Co2 in the water?

 

[justDIY]

you measure your PH and KH levels ...

visit here for lots more info:

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/

 

[peterp]

Make sure you have enough light in the tank if you are going to use CO2.

I was going to make a DIY CO2 system, then found the Hagen one for cheep.
Giving it a try to see how well it works before switching up to a CO2 cylinder system.
It took a while but now there is a steady stream of bubbles running up that plastic diffusion ladder of hagans. I think that little piece was worth the price of the whole thing.

BTW: you can find the "secret ingredients" to make your own mix for it.

1 of the packets is plain yeast, I think the other may be baking soda or something similar. Search about its contents have been posted before.

 

[loach]

Make sure you have enough light in the tank if you are going to use CO2.

What's the effect if you don't? Can anyone point me in the right direction for info on how much lighting you should have if using a CO2 kit?

maybe your friend was using carbon monoxide

That's actually what I was thinking, but figured I'd check here since my chemistry knowledge isn't that reliable Makes sense anyway.

 

[betowess]

You'll need at least 2.5 watts per gallon to see real positive results with CO2. And the Hagen units work fine for small 10 to 15 gallon tanks, assuming you don't mind mixing up the one cup of sugar, 1/2 tea spoon of yeast and and teaspoon of baking soda every week to ten days. For bigger tanks pressurized is the way to go unless you have real easy to grow plants like Elodea. But you will still need to fertilize the plants with liquid Iron 3x per week and potassium and trace minerals 1x per week. Some people use Seachem's Excell to add some carbon source for the plants. If you haven't read Rex's sticky at the top of the forum, you might want to now.

 

[loach]

You'll need at least 2.5 watts per gallon to see real positive results with CO2....

...If you haven't read Rex's sticky at the top of the forum, you might want to now.

Thanks I checked it out again to brush up

Just one more question, on this site when you refer to 'gallon' do you mean US? In Australia we use litres and I need to know which one to convert.

Thanks!

 

[BillyZ]

in general we refer to US gallons on this site.

1 US gallon = 3.7854118 liters