DIY C02 Questions

[BlakeyBoyR]

Well I finally decided to try my hand at a DIY C02 setup and guess what? It worked! I followed the directions in the cichlid circular from December and put all the ingredients together in a 2 litre coke bottle and let nature take its course. After only about an hour there was some gas forming in the bottle, however it only came through the airstone if I shook the bottle. After 2.5 hours though, a regular stream of bubbles can be seen coming out of the airstone and into the tank.

My questions relate to the amount of C02 being produced. In the circular article the guy speaks of having a few bubbles a minute, however I am getting innumerable bubbles every second thanks to the airstone. Is this a bad thing? Why am I getting so many bubbles compared to his few a minute? I hope this doesnt mean the mixture will stop producing in only a couple of days.

Dont get me wrong, I am glad it works and all, I am just concerned as to why it is working so darn well! Any advice or wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers, Blake

[grungefreek]

U are probably getting more bubbles cause you are using more yeast, or a different type. more bubbles usually means the mix will run out sooner. More bubbles doesnt matter as long as u dont put so much in u get a massive pH swing and kill all your fish.

I usually get 1 bubble every 6 seconds using 1/2 teaspoon yeast, 2 packs of jelly plus 2 cups of sugar. This is a new recipe so i cant say how long it will last, apparently it lasts longer than normal sugar/water combo. We will see.

Just use a little less yeast next time and see how ya go.

Grunge

[BlakeyBoyR]

Thanks for the reply mate. This is the first batch I've made so I still have quite a bit of trial and error ahead of me I think.

Next time I will do as you say and use 1/2 a teaspoon of yeast instead of a full teaspoon, but as for jelly ... do you mean like aeroplane jelly crystals?

I tested my PH earlier and it has dropped by .2-.4 in one afternoon. Is that much or a chance? Out of my tap the PH is 7.8 and after putting C02 in this afternoon it is hovering between 7.4 and 7.6

Do you think I should take the airstone off so I can better guage the number of bubbles I am able to produce in a minute? If so I will take it off, no hassles.

I really appreciate your advice so any more hints you can give me would be great

cheers mate

[grungefreek]

but as for jelly ... do you mean like aeroplane jelly crystals?

Yep jelly crystals, heres a link for some info on it: Jelly CO2 Thread Cant remember if ya need to be a member of that forum to view posts or not.

putting C02 in this afternoon it is hovering between 7.4 and 7.6

To gauge what level of Co2 u are at, u need kH reading as well. Then u can compare your kH and pH reading to see what level Co2 is at CO2 Chart

Typically it is recommended a level of 20-25ppm Co2 is maintained. However this thought is changing and alot of people (including me) are running CO2 at about 30ppm. Some say levels this high may harm fish, others think they are fine, still a bit of debate. The level of Co2 needed is also dependant on how much light u have. Lower light means u can get away with lower CO2 levels.

Do you think I should take the air stone off so I can better gauge the number of bubbles I am able to produce in a minute?

Na not really necessary to count bubbles, i dont really do it. As long as u can gauge when the system is slowing down and needs replacing. I am going thru green water ATM cause i didnt pay attention to when my CO2 production slowed down, and my Co2 levels dropped off. Depending on what Co2 diffuser u are using, it might be more benefit to have the air stone on.

U havent really listed all your specs, so if ya could do that, it would help alot.

Grunge

[BlakeyBoyR]

Im not actually using a diffuse, just the airstone. Should I be using something different?

The tank this C02 setup is flowing into is a 34 litre tank. Ive never really kept plants before I figured I'd start with something small and see how I go. Right now there is just a piece of driftwood with anubias on it, aquaclay as the substrate and a goldfish in the tank to help cycling. The heater is set at 26degrees, and I have the light off my 2' on top of this smaller tank for 8hrs a day until I can get a proper light. I am filtering the tank with an aquaclear 200, in which I have placed an A/C 200 sponge, ceramic noodles and a bag of purigen.

The PH of the water out of my tap is roughly 7.8 whereas after running C02 for 24hours my PH is now down to between 6.6 and 6.8. Thats a big swing in 24hours huh? At least I know there is actually C02 going into the tank though.

I plan to keep a pair of L. dorsigera in this tank so the PH needs to be below 7, preferably around 6.5 (which I achieved already). I have purchased seachem acid buffer however the C02 seems to be doing a good job of keeping the PH down already. Do you think I should still use it just in case the C02 does slow down, the buffer would keep the PH steady wouldnt it?

Im new to all this so if I say something dumb or dont understand something I apologise. But thanks for the advice mate

[grungefreek]

Im not actually using a diffuse, just the airstone. Should I be using something different?

Well a diffuser will allow more Co2 to diffuse. U could just run the Co2 into the AC200 intake, let the impeller smash the Co2 up, works ok for little tanks. But u say down further your pH is at 6.8 already without a diffuser, so maybe diffusing more CO2 will cause pH to go to low. without knowing kH, its a bit hard to tell what your water may do, generally it is recommended to have a KH of around 4+ so u dont experience big pH swings. if ya have a KH test kit, use it. Then u will know what level CO2 is at. Or borrow one, u only really need to test it once i guess.

I have purchased seachem acid buffer however the C02 seems to be doing a good job of keeping the PH down already. Do you think I should still use it just in case the C02 does slow down, the buffer would keep the PH steady wouldnt it?

I have never used this product and not real sure of what it contains or does (im guessing its some form of acid). But your Co2 will keep your pH down below 7 as long as it doesnt slow up too much. My tank runs at a pH of 6.4 most times, it might get to 6.8 if i really let the Co2 run out. But u dont want to use lots of CO2 to get your pH to 6.5 without knowing what conc the Co2 is at. It may kill your fishes.

so if I say something dumb or dont understand something I apologise

No such thing as somthing dumb, its something new to u, so u cant be expected to know much. Im not all that experienced at it myself. Others here like Brett and Punie are more experienced in the way of planted tanks. Ive been doing it for a while, but i aint no veteran.

Also check out

The Planted Tank website. Lots of experienced people there, including The famous Mr Tom Barr. So much planted tank info on that site, u will be occupied for days.

Grunge

[BlakeyBoyR]

Thanks mate, I will buy a KH test kit this week and post back here when I have some results to report. As always I appreciate the advice