CO2 for plants questions

Do any of y'all have carbon dioxide systems for your plants? I went toplant geek to investigate the DIY route; it looks hardcore!

 

I don't have CO2 for my plants. But from what I see on planted tank pictures and from what I read, I know CO2 (combined with appropriate lighting and substrate) can produce wonderful looking plants. I also heard here on Fish Lore that CO2 devices can sometimes break, and IF they do, your fish die instantly. So I guess that's an inherent danger of having a CO2 device in your planted tank. I want a densely planted tank in the future - however I haven't decided yet whether I'd use CO2 injections. I have read a book that explains how to maintain a beautiful planted tank without CO2 injections. I think I will try to recreate this kind of a tank rather than endangering my fish to possible CO2 poisoning.

 

I'm in the process of making a DIY CO2 system. You can read it if you want. So far it was going good until the hot glue doesn't want to hold so now I have to buy some aquarium silicone to seal it. I have built a catch bottle too so it is pretty much impossible to kill the fish with it. I plan on making a planted tank this year with 2wpg, co2 and ferts, sorta of like Isabella wants, probably just on a much smaller scale but that won't be for awhile, right now I'm working on figureing out the CO2. If you do do it you have to make sure you aren't having large PH swings as that will become deadly to your fish.

 

From all that I've read, I choose not to use CO2 in my tanks with fish. Ask Dino about a CO2 dump. It's just not worth it to me. The plants look beautiful, but if I did try a tank with CO2, it wouldn't have any fish in it. Just my opinion.

 

That's what I'm going to do now, originally once it started I was going to move the baby guppies but now that I can't do it for awhile I'm going to wait until I can set it up as a planted tank and plant it with co2 and ferts than add fish.

 

From what I've heard it's not necesary, as well as endangering the fish. I just stick to the easy care plants that you just need to add water and watch grow. ;D The plants may not be quite as big and beautiful as they could be, but small price to pay for the safety of the fish, and hey, no one's gonna know except you.

 

It's necessary once you hit 2wpg and over because you will have TONS of algae. Personally if you do it right you will not have any problems and of couse if you spend the mega bucks on a pressurized one well then your'e in good shape, and you have lots of loose money. I'm going to use it because I RREEALLYY want a planted tank, now if I put fish in it, that's a different story. I haven't decided on that yet and won't until I have it the way AI wnat it, then maybe I will.

Austin

 

I agree Omorrokh.

 

It's necessary once you hit 2wpg and over because you will have TONS of algae.  Personally if you do it right you will not have any problems and of couse if you spend the mega bucks on a pressurized one well then your'e in good shape, and you have lots of loose money.  I'm going to use it because I RREEALLYY want a planted tank, now if I put fish in it, that's a different story. I haven't decided on that yet and won't until I have it the way AI wnat it, then maybe I will.

Austin

I thought that too until I changed the bulbs in my 10 gal. I now have 3 wpg in that tank, no CO2, very minimal algae and my plants are very green.

 

Okay, I'll just leave it. I really want my tank to fill in, that's all. It's an interesting read, but I'm not the least bit handy. I may cause a small-scale explosion.

 

The reason there are algae in a tank (supposing there is no algae eater) is because of strong light (or prolonged periods of light) and because of excess nutrients in the water. If you have strong lighting and A LOT of plants, you can still have a successful tank without CO2 injections. That is because the plants compete with algae for nutrients. So if you have enough plants, they may actually help prevent algae. Ideally, combined with a good algae eater - a strong light and densely planted tank without algae is actually possible without CO2 injections. And it's far safer for fish.

 

I recently made a diy co2 system for my 29g.
its been working great.
my plants have shown signifigent growth.

2day I was thinking. wat if I have to muche. I here the horror storys."I killed my fish with to much co2."

so I went about on the internet to find a way 2 test.
as this day has goon on I have become more and more wary.
"do I have 2 much co2."
can somebody help.
I found some links and sites that helped but don't no wat to believe because even a fraction of a reading wrong and the co2 reading get thrown off.

my PH 6.6 to 6.8
my KH around 2 or 40ish ppm

thanxs to all fishlore helpers.
12/31/08

 

If your PH is 6.6-6.8 and 2 KH there's a good amount of CO2 in your aquarium.
If your PH is 6.6-6.8 and 4 KH there's too much CO2 in your aquarium

You have to be real specific with the numbers,a guesstimate isn't good and can cause problems.

see this table,it can help you adjust the CO2 requirements in your aquarium.

https://www.aquariumplants.co.za/co2.htm

 

Kh=2 or 40ish ppm

how do u read this


CO2 and Carbonate hardness table
KH/pH To much Optimal To little
CO2 in Milligrams per liter

were does ph get pluged in

 

Kh=2 or 40ish ppm

That's what I am trying to explain, your KH can't be 2 OR 40ish, it's either 2,3,4 or 40.To use the formula you have to have and use specific numbers,the 'ish' won't help,the 'or' has to be eliminated. You have to have accurate concise numbers or the table is pointless.

how do u read this

The KH are the numbers on the left from 0 to 20 going DOWN vertical
The PH is the top numers 6 to 8.0 going across horizontal
You find your KH on the left and the PH across the top,where the 2 numbers intersect on the table is the level of the CO2 mg/L = ppm

CO2 and Carbonate hardness table
KH/pH To much Optimal To little
6,0 6,2 6,4 6.6 6.8 7,0 7,2 7,4 7,6 7,8 8,0
0,5 15 9,3 5,9 3,7 2,4 1,5 0,93 0,59 0,37 0,24 0,15
1,0 30 18,6 11,8 7,4 4,7 3,0 1,86 1,18 0,74 0,47 0,30
1,5 44 28 17,6 11,1 7,0 4,4 2,8 1,76 1,11 0,70 0,44
2.0 59 37 24 14,8 9,4 5,9 3,7 2,4 1,48 0,94 0,59
2.5 73 46 30 18,,5 11,8 7,3 4,6 3,0 1,85 1,18 0,73
3,0 87 56 35 22 14 8,7 5,6 3,5 2,2 1,4 0,87
3,5 103 65 41 26 16,4 10,3 6,5 4,1 2,6 1,64 1,03
4,0 118 75 47 30 18,7 11,8 7,5 4,7 3,0 1,87 1,18
5,0 147 93 59 37 23 14,7 9,3 5,9 3,7 2,3 1,47
6,0 177 112 71 45 28 17,7 11,2 7,1 4,5 2,8 1,77
8,0 240 149 94 59 37 24 14,9 9,4 5,9 3,7 2,3
10 300 186 118 74 47 30 18,6 11,8 7,4 4,7 3,0
15 440 280 176 111 70 44 28 17,6 11,1 7,0 4,4
20 590 370 240 148 94 59 37 24 14,8 9,4 5,9
CO2 in Milligrams per liter

The table isn't lining up correctly after being copied and pasted,but hopefully you can get the idea With a PH of 6.6 KH is 2.0 the CO2 is 14ppm

 

well there 2 ways in reading kh. correct
ppm & the othr I have no clue wat its called.
20ppm=1of the other
thanks on the chart ididnt se the ph collum

 

Does anyone use CO2 just to lower the PH on your tank?... Not for Live plants. Just to control the PH.

 

Hum.. that's a good question. I don't use co2 but lets see what some others have to say.
carol

 

I'm Waiting for the answer also , I'm going to buy Co2 System from Tunze for freshwater. it cost around 400 euro.

Hope someone who use's Co2 system jump soon, I have some question also, I want to know if my water is very hard about 16 German degree, will the Co2 Lower the Ph.

Thanks.

 

I have used diy co2 to lower the PH from time to time when I get new fish that have been kept in substantially lower ph water than my tap water. This is only for acclimating them to my water though as I just run the co2 bottle until it stops producing & the PH has climbed to it's usual level.

GH/hardness won't effect co2's ability to lower the PH. It is KH that effects the PH. The higher the KH reading of the water the more capacity it has to buffer against PH swings.

 

Thanks Nutter

 

Thanks, I just got my Co2/PH controller with the electronic valve (Tunze) and I will buy the co2 cylinder + the regulator by the weekend. the store didn't have the tunze diffuser so I have to order it from Germany takes time, Instead I'm going to use my power head with a bottle to diffuse the Co2.

Yours,

 

I've moved your question to its own thread for greater visibility. As for your question, it sounds as if you are getting enough CO2 gassed off overnight that you shouldn't need to worry about it. One thing you need to be concerned with is the snails. Snails do not fair well in a CO2 injected tank with the low pH values as it eats away at their shells. You will need to monitor the GH and KH levels to ensure both are at least 4 degrees/drops. Hope this helps.

 

Ya I noticed the kH was down to 1 dkh yesterday, with a water change I got it up to 3. Snails are pond snales that hitched a ride so I'm not worried about them Thanks Mark

 

KH is too low to hold the pH more stable. As you are need to better stabilize the tank, I'd recommend taking steps to raise your KH to at least 4 dKH. This will stop the wide pH swings that can have a negative affect on fish.

 

Guess I'll have to start the baking soda as my tap is 3 dkh. I need to get things stabilized before I put fish in The tank or move the plants and CO2 to the 55g. Yesterday I switched to a sponge filter instead of the stone to see what happens and my pH only raised .2 ppm, is that good or do I want to airout the CO2 more at night? Thanks

 

Baking soda is extremely tricky as a few grains can have quite an effect. Mix it outside your tank so that you can dose in drops. Another option is to add a few tablespoons of crushed coral to your filter.

To stabilize the tank you will want the pH to not change more than 0.4 degrees. The 1.0+ swing you are currently getting will be very difficult on fish. Start by raising the KH. If you are still getting a larger swing, then we can look at other options to stabilize the tank.

 

You know I knew that and dosed the baking soda hard like I use to dose the 55 gallon when it was ACFs before I switched to seachem regulators, but this is the 10 gallon (dahh). Thankfully I have no fish in it. 2 tbs BS and it brought the kH up to 9 dkh and 8.0 pH so I'll see what its reading mid day tomarrow. Don't have no coral on hand but I do have seashells and cuttle bone, will either work or should I get some coral? I noticed that I can adjust the bubbles per second by raising or lowering the pond pump that's defusing the CO2, I knew depth made a diff but not that much.

 

2 tbs BS and it brought the kH up to 9 dkh and 8.0 pH

Or start a nano reef! Just add salt

I don't know what Dena's thoughts are, but I keep my Freshwater planted at 3dKH, 4 would be better, but, IMO I think your tap water would be fine the way it is. (3dKH gives me a pH of about 7.4 with a daily fluctuation down to around 7/7.2)

Dena - your thoughts?

 

You know I knew that and dosed the baking soda hard like I use to dose the 55 gallon when it was ACFs before I switched to seachem regulators, but this is the 10 gallon (dahh). Thankfully I have no fish in it. 2 tbs BS and it brought the kH up to 9 dkh and 8.0 pH so I'll see what its reading mid day tomarrow. Don't have no coral on hand but I do have seashells and cuttle bone, will either work or should I get some coral? I noticed that I can adjust the bubbles per second by raising or lowering the pond pump that's defusing the CO2, I knew depth made a diff but not that much.

Luckily you do not have fish or inverts (that you care about) in that tank. That is enough of a change to kill everything! This is why I suggested mixing some up in water so you can dose by the drop. But, now that you've done this, use it as an experiment. Monitor your pH just before lights on and just after lights off. And, you will need to take some tank water out, add to a bucket, and aerate to gas off all CO2 to know what the actual water's pH level is now.

Or start a nano reef! Just add salt

I don't know what Dena's thoughts are, but I keep my Freshwater planted at 3dKH, 4 would be better, but, IMO I think your tap water would be fine the way it is. (3dKH gives me a pH of about 7.4 with a daily fluctuation down to around 7/7.2)

Dena - your thoughts?

In most cases 3 dKH is acceptable; however, not when the pH swings as much as the OPs tank. 6.4 to 7.6 in a 24 hour period. That is too drastic for live fish. I am thinking that either the dKH is too low or too much CO2 is going into the tank. The only way to know if too much CO2 is to raise the hardness parameters and then monitor pH.

As there are no fish in the tank, it is much easier to run through these tests to work through what's up. For example, the plants may not yet be growing strong and taking in all that much CO2.

 

Luckily you do not have fish or inverts (that you care about) in that tank. That is enough of a change to kill everything! This is why I suggested mixing some up in water so you can dose by the drop. But, now that you've done this, use it as an experiment. Monitor your pH just before lights on and just after lights off. And, you will need to take some tank water out, add to a bucket, and aerate to gas off all CO2 to know what the actual water's pH level is now.



In most cases 3 dKH is acceptable; however, not when the pH swings as much as the OPs tank. 6.4 to 7.6 in a 24 hour period. That is too drastic for live fish. I am thinking that either the dKH is too low or too much CO2 is going into the tank. The only way to know if too much CO2 is to raise the hardness parameters and then monitor pH.

As there are no fish in the tank, it is much easier to run through these tests to work through what's up. For example, the plants may not yet be growing strong and taking in all that much CO2.

Before I left this morning I changed out about 4 gallons with water from my fish tank and kH was still 8, didn't even think of testing the pH not that I had the time. I just picked a plant package and the plants are young. I'll do more w/c tonight from the ACFs tank and get the #'s down I still have the old water in the bucket so I'll air it and check out how high the ph really went.

 

Totally agree Dena - I thought it important to mention my pH swings (max 0.4 in a day) for comparison.

Mark - follow along with Dena on this one - she's giving you great advice.

 

Will do

Totally agree Dena - I thought it important to mention my pH swings (max 0.4 in a day) for comparison.

Mark - follow along with Dena on this one - she's giving you great advice.

So got home and in a hurry and dumped the water I pulled out of the tank this morning and did a 4 gallon change, forgot all about airing and testing the water. pH is now 7.2 ppm & kH is 6dkh so getting down to 4 dkh

I started my second bottle Tuesday and it bubbles 1 bubble about every second but every 4-5 seconds it rapid fires bubbles, about 6 in the bubble checker bottle but at the pump that's chopping the bubbles it sounds like maybe 20 bubbles. All my plants are doing good so it's not hurting anything I think. I have a drop checker coming so when I get it I guess I'll see. Has anyone else had this happen?

 

Yes, that is a common thing. Be aware that a drop checker monitors pH and is not immediate. It takes close to 2 hours to level out.

 

Yes, that is a common thing. Be aware that a drop checker monitors pH and is not immediate. It takes close to 2 hours to level out.

Ok thanks, drop checker should arrive tomarrow. Still no fish in the planted tank, but I've been sweeping the gravel in the fish tank and using some of that for water changes to keep it cycled.

 

I have a 120 gal that I am trying to grow plants in. I just put in a compress CO2 system and I am curious as to how much CO2 I should be putting into the water. I am using just 1 diffuser and maybe 60 bubbles per minute. I don't know if this is the right amount or if I should use another diffuser on the other end of the aquarium. What about air stones already in the aquarium. Should these be turned off. I am lost as to how to proceed.

 

30ppm is the goal. You adjust slowly. You monitor by plant growth and fish behavior; pumping gills means too much.

What plants are you wanting to grow? What is your lighting?

Drop checker can be used to help read how much CO2 is obsorbed but they are not to be relied on. They are slow in changes.

You want to make sure you have plenty of circulation as you want it dispursed throughout the tank. No dead zones. Using circulation pumps are very good for this placing in varies areas.

You want minimal surface agitation during and no airstones.

I'd probably do 2 diffusers on that size of a tank.

https://www.fishlore.com/encyclopediaaquariumplants.htm

Hope this helps.

Welcome to Fishlore.

 

How many bbm should I be at for a tank of this size? I never turn off the CO2, is this correct? I am currently planting swords an I am not sure as to what other plants I will be using.

 

What are you using to diffuse the CO2? A high pressure diffuser, a DIY diffuser, an airstone or something else? The smaller the bubbles the greater absorption will be.

With injected CO2 you want to turn off the O2 lines otherwise you will be releasing the carbon dioxide gas into the air. The less water surface disturbance the better.

How are you controlling the gas release? Do you have the system running on a timer or through a PH Controller? This too will make a difference. You do not want CO2 running constantly 24 hours a day. While the lights are off your plants will be taking in oxygen and releasing CO2. If you have any fish or inverts in this tank you'd gas them and kill them.

What kind of lighting do you have? How about ferts? What are you using? This will make a difference as to how much CO2 you need to release into the tank.

If you wouldn't mind, please provide complete Aquarium Profile Information. This information will help the members to gain an understanding of your tank. Just click the Forum Action link at the top of this page and select Edit Profile. Complete the information on your aquarium, including tank size, filtration, stocking, lighting, water parameters, etc. And save your changes. Then you won't be inundated with answering questions about your tank.

Welcome to the forum!

 

I am using a Tunze 7077/3 regulator and I am using a Mr Aqua diffuser. The only way to turn off the CO2 is to turn off the canister, but then I would need to restart it every day. I am also using two Fluval 306 filters and one powerhead to help circulate the water.