New to pressurized co2. Please help.

[kashif314]

Its a long post. Kindly please read and advise. So we were at the store and my wife saw one tank and fall for it. I am into low tech setups always so this is first high tech setup. The store guy installed at our home and helped us but i have some questions please. Its a 15 gallon (60 litre) tank.

My questions are:

1) Its all dwarf baby tears carpet which likes high to very high light. We have very bright led and pressurised co2 system and the guy told us to have 3 bubbles per second approach. However i want to know if its too much or too low for dwarf baby tears as i read its an expert plant and light is high so may need a good amount of co2. I read and there are some difficult methods to measure proper co2 method but the guy said to just make sure its 3 bubbles per second and i want to keep it wasy as simple so please advise if its the right approach.

2) i noticed fish (platys) swimming near surface. Is it a sign of too much co2 in tank and they gasping for air?

3) Even after i closed the co2 cylinder fully i can still see a bubble emerges every few seconds. Its been like an hour since i closed the knob but still see bubble coming out after every few seconds. Does it take time to shut down like maybe some gas in air line tube? I double checked and the main cylinder knob is tight shut. Please have a look at this video.

https://youtu.be/saHVurU9RGU

So many questions. Please take your time and help. Thanks.

 

[mbkemp]

I may not recall all of your questions so be patient with me. First, your platies are stressed, too much co2 if they are at the top gasping, unless the tank is not cycled

Do you have a solenoid on your system? If so, it should shut your co2 off based on what you tell it.

How are your lights timed compared to co2 start time? Generally, especially with high light it is staggered so co2 concentration is where it needs to be when lights come on

I measure ph drop to see how much co2 I have. To me, bubble checker is a guide. Three bubbles per second means one thing in this tank and something else in another.

Let’s start here

 

[ZxC]

1.0 drop in pH as a start.

3bps does sound "about right" for 15 gal.

HC can do well in less light but lots of CO2.

Fish gasping = too much CO2.

I would seriously look into a solenoid and make sure you have it set to come on 1-2-3 hours before the lights (however long is needed to achieve a 1.0 pH drop) and then shut off an hour before the lights.

Run an airstone at night if you are worried there is still CO2 pressure in the lines, this can be run via a simple mechanical timer set to come on when the lights go out.

 

[mbkemp]

+1 great advice

 

[Fresh2o]

A humane option would be to remove the fish. Lots of CO2, happy plants.

 

[kashif314]

I may not recall all of your questions so be patient with me. First, your platies are stressed, too much co2 if they are at the top gasping, unless the tank is not cycled

Do you have a solenoid on your system? If so, it should shut your co2 off based on what you tell it.

How are your lights timed compared to co2 start time? Generally, especially with high light it is staggered so co2 concentration is where it needs to be when lights come on

I measure ph drop to see how much co2 I have. To me, bubble checker is a guide. Three bubbles per second means one thing in this tank and something else in another.

Let’s start here

1.0 drop in pH as a start.

3bps does sound "about right" for 15 gal.

HC can do well in less light but lots of CO2.

Fish gasping = too much CO2.

I would seriously look into a solenoid and make sure you have it set to come on 1-2-3 hours before the lights (however long is needed to achieve a 1.0 pH drop) and then shut off an hour before the lights.

Run an airstone at night if you are worried there is still CO2 pressure in the lines, this can be run via a simple mechanical timer set to come on when the lights go out.

Platys are fine now. I guess they were just stressed out because new in tank. I installed an airstone too which is working 24/7. Now they are swimming normally. I don't have a solenoid. I have a manual regulator which is set to 3 bubbles per second.

I want to know about switching lights on and off. What you mean is to switch on co2 two three hours before i turn on the lights and switch it off like an hour before i turn off the lights?

+1 great advice

Yes. Thanks.

A humane option would be to remove the fish. Lots of CO2, happy plants.

You mean to say tank without fish?

 

[Fresh2o]

The solenoid is basically and on/off valve that you can connect to a timer. It makes things a whole lot easier to manage CO2 dosing. Let’s say that your light schedule is from 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM. You would want to set the timer (that is connected to the solenoid) to turn ON at 12:00 and OFF at 8:00 PM. The extra hour at the beginning allows the CO2 level to build up so when the lights comes on, there is ample CO2 available to the plants for photosynthesis. Towards the end of the shift, the CO2 can be turned off before the lights go off because the remaining light cycle can use up whatever CO2 is in the water column (CO2 is not needed during lights out phase).
If there are no fish in the tank, then you can be generous with the CO2. The plants will only use what they need. “Gassing” fish with excess CO2, insufficient O2, or both can lead to causalities. A few years back I lost a school of beautiful Furcata Forktail Rainbows because I made adjustments to the fine needle valve and did not spend enough time verifying the bubble output. Some fish or more sensitive to excess CO2 than others.
Running an air stone at night will help drive off excess CO2. Running it during the day will help keep the O2 levels up, however, it will also remove CO2 as well.

 

[ZxC]

I would start with your current levels and measure pH.

Measure in the morning (or after the CO2 has been off for a long time).

Then measure again in the midst of the photoperiod (when the CO2 has been on for a long time).


The difference in the two measurements should give you an idea of where your CO2 levels are at.


You may also want to consider running CO2 24/7. This can be done safely with a slow bubble count, and it removes the need for a solenoid.

Depends on your lights though. High light will likely require more than a slow, 24/7 bubble count. Lower light can probably get away with it.

I would look into an inline solenoid. I run this one:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/milwaukee-ma955-co2-solenoid-valve.html

Have not had an issue in 4 years using it everyday.

 

[kashif314]

The solenoid is basically and on/off valve that you can connect to a timer. It makes things a whole lot easier to manage CO2 dosing. Let’s say that your light schedule is from 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM. You would want to set the timer (that is connected to the solenoid) to turn ON at 12:00 and OFF at 8:00 PM. The extra hour at the beginning allows the CO2 level to build up so when the lights comes on, there is ample CO2 available to the plants for photosynthesis. Towards the end of the shift, the CO2 can be turned off before the lights go off because the remaining light cycle can use up whatever CO2 is in the water column (CO2 is not needed during lights out phase).
If there are no fish in the tank, then you can be generous with the CO2. The plants will only use what they need. “Gassing” fish with excess CO2, insufficient O2, or both can lead to causalities. A few years back I lost a school of beautiful Furcata Forktail Rainbows because I made adjustments to the fine needle valve and did not spend enough time verifying the bubble output. Some fish or more sensitive to excess CO2 than others.
Running an air stone at night will help drive off excess CO2. Running it during the day will help keep the O2 levels up, however, it will also remove CO2 as well.

Thanks a lot. Very very helpful. I don't want to invest in solenoid so i can do that manually. Turn on an hour before the lights gets on and turn off an hour before they goes off. I am also running air stone at night only and it is working good. One thing i want to know that if there is a thing like too much co2 for plants or ia it good for the plants? I mean i think i can increase my co2 a little more if i see fish are doing fine as i read dwarf baby tears appreciate high co2 levels. Please let me know if in case there is more co2 it is ok for plants or not?

I would start with your current levels and measure pH.

Measure in the morning (or after the CO2 has been off for a long time).

Then measure again in the midst of the photoperiod (when the CO2 has been on for a long time).


The difference in the two measurements should give you an idea of where your CO2 levels are at.


You may also want to consider running CO2 24/7. This can be done safely with a slow bubble count, and it removes the need for a solenoid.

Depends on your lights though. High light will likely require more than a slow, 24/7 bubble count. Lower light can probably get away with it.

I would look into an inline solenoid. I run this one:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/milwaukee-ma955-co2-solenoid-valve.html

Have not had an issue in 4 years using it everyday.

Thanks a lot. I have one question that the fluctuations in ph won't stress fish? Also as you said it is ok to keep co2 on 24/7 but suppose if i don't slow down the bubble count will it be ok for the fish or plants at night when lights are off but air stone is working? My light is very high and i already increased co2 and i want to try to increase it a little more. Just concerned if plants have a limit or if more co2 is good for them.

 

[Fresh2o]

Too much CO2 is not issue for the plants. They will only use what they need. The pH will drop. I did not care for subjecting the fish to a 1.0-1.4 drop in the course of 6-8 hours. They did okay but I thought they would do better in a more stable environment.
When I did DIY CO2 it ran 24/7. But the output was quite a bit lower than the pressurized setup.

 

[kashif314]

Too much CO2 is not issue for the plants. They will only use what they need. The pH will drop. I did not care for subjecting the fish to a 1.0-1.4 drop in the course of 6-8 hours. They did okay but I thought they would do better in a more stable environment.
When I did DIY CO2 it ran 24/7. But the output was quite a bit lower than the pressurized setup.

Thanks a lot. I will switch off co2 at night just to be safe. Thanks a lot for the help dear.