Help with dosing my water with CO2?

I'm literally brand new with CO2 and I've set up my tank and I think it's going pretty well. However, I never understood the units too well. I was setting it up so the bubble counter looked like ones I've seen for similar tanks in set up videos.

If you need information on my tank, here it is so far:

84°F at the opposite end of the heater*
substrate and equal parts
(came with the tank with another one that was DOA)
(probably going to replace the 10-30I with another 30-60)

(seen in video)


*I know the temperature is high. Since the weather is warming up, I'm thinking of just turning off the heater and seeing what temperature it holds. The heater I have isn't adjustable but apparently works quite well so it seems a shame to have to toss it for another one.

What should I adjust if I should? What levels should I keep it at?

 

What fish do you have? 84 degrees sounds high for fish/some plants.

 

What fish do you have? 84 degrees sounds high for fish/some plants.

I know. I'm going to do some measures to lower the temperature. The heater came with the tank so I didn't know it'd be so high and it doesn't have an adjuster. I'm thinking of turning it off during the day since it's warming up.

But my tank is still cycling so there aren't any fish in there yet. I wanted to add some plants before adding fish so I have things all set up before they're in there. So currently there's nothing but substrate.

 

Bacteria won't mind the temperature, and it may accelerate the growth- but I think you definitely need a new heater. And no to the plants at 84 degrees without first saying which you are added. Many will not do that well at that high of a temperature, especially not without CO2 AND oxygen. It looks like you might be under filtered too. What filter do you have? and tank size

 

Bacteria won't mind the temperature, and it may accelerate the growth- but I think you definitely need a new heater. And no to the plants at 84 degrees without first saying which you are added. Many will not do that well at that high of a temperature, especially not without CO2 AND oxygen. It looks like you might be under filtered too. What filter do you have? and tank size

It's a 55 gallon and I'm probably under filtered. The other one is about hit the dust. It was working fine at first but now it's growing weaker so I'm planning on getting another.

I can get a bubble wand or air stone but I honestly hate the way they look. The 30-60 is stirring the surface quite a bit so do you think I'd still need an air stone or bubble wand if I get another to replace my 10-30i?

The plants I'm planning are:

African Onion Plant (Crinum calamistratum)
Aponogeton ulvaceus
Crystalwort (Riccia fluitans)
African Water Fern (Bolbitis heudelotii)
Red Ammannia (Ammannia gracilis)
Tiger Lotus (Nymphaea zenkeri)

I'm not sure about the numbers yet. I wanted to see the sizes available to get and their growth rate. But I wanted to get the CO2 and everything right before putting them in. I'm setting up a Congo/African tank so the temperatures need to be between 72 and 82. Even if I took the heater out, we keep the house at about 73 so hopefully that'd be enough but I'd still watch it.

 

I would pick up a canister filter now and seed that before you get fish or if you just want something less effective and cheap another aqua clear. You are under filtered. I would focus on that aspect first! then the wand will be less of an issue. If you want something that makes enough bubbles to look like a waterfall, here is one. I would turn it on during the nighttime when the CO2 is turned off.

 

I would pick up a canister filter now and seed that before you get fish or if you just want something less effective and cheap another aqua clear. You are under filtered. I would focus on that aspect first! then the wand will be less of an issue. If you want something that makes enough bubbles to look like a waterfall, here is one. I would turn it on during the nighttime when the CO2 is turned off.

I did get a packet of CaribSea "Bio-Magnet Clarifier" but I haven't used it. The tank isn't as cloudy as it is in the picture. It's partially because of the reflection off light off the side and the LED on the inside. When the LED are off, it's pretty crystal clear but I was planning on getting another filter. I think this one is dying.

But do you have any advice on the CO2?

 

Please don't use that stuff! It ruined my tank. I am warning people about that. Use acurel clarifier if anything at all. I don't inject personally, just telling you on the other stuff. But no more than 15 ppm or so I have been told is safe for fish... 4ppm is naturally in the environment. And I do know this. You need to monitor your ph regularly to be sure that it is not making your ph too far off to make sure your setting and regulator is working right.

 

Please don't use that stuff! It ruined my tank. I am warning people about that. Use acurel clarifier if anything at all. I don't inject personally, just telling you on the other stuff. But no more than 15 ppm or so I have been told is safe for fish... 4ppm is naturally in the environment. And I do know this. You need to monitor your ph regularly to be sure that it is not making your ph too far off to make sure your setting and regulator is working right.

Ah then I'm glad I didn't use it.

The PPM is what I'm confused about. I have psI on my gauges and I have a bubble counter. I'm not sure how to measure ppm.

 

Well that stuff produced a coating on all surfaces of sticky white surfactant. basically it just made a very big mess. Acurel works must better and it is AWESOME! My posting on that matter.

Also cloudiness while cycling is normal...

PPM= parts per million.

You need a CO2 measuring KIT. E.g. the fluval one... Because if you use it according just to PSI that won't be that meaningful and you can either inject suboptimal or plant and fish lethal toxic amounts

 

Well that stuff produced a coating on all surfaces of sticky white surfactant. basically it just made a very big mess. Acurel works must better and it is AWESOME! My posting on that matter.

Also cloudiness while cycling is normal...

PPM= parts per million.

You need a CO2 measuring KIT. E.g. the fluval one... Because if you use it according just to PSI that won't be that meaningful and you can either inject suboptimal or plant and fish lethal toxic amounts

Well I just bought one so I'll be looking forward to that. I just tested my PH and it's somewhere between 6.8 and 7.2 so that's good, I suppose. I just want to make sure I'm doing things right instead of trying to do whatever and end up spending a ton of money and killing a bunch of fish and plants while trying to figure things out. So far it's been like a week and a half cycling an empty tank so I still have a bit of time to go.

 

well if you aren't adding an ammonia source, then you aren't cycling the tank. Are you adding your urine, fish food, or anything like that? Was the water dechlorinated?

 

well if you aren't adding an ammonia source, then you aren't cycling the tank. Are you adding your urine, fish food, or anything like that? Was the water dechlorinated?

I've been adding fish food. I have to run out to the hardware store and pick up ammonia but I've been using fish food since then. And yes, the water was dechlorinated. I also added some water from another tank when I was cleaning it.

 

if you don't take any medications, you can add your urine. I mean if you want to save $$ and it is as effective

 

if you don't take any medications, you can add your urine. I mean if you want to save $$ and it is as effective

For real? Do people do that?

 

Yes.

 

if you are using fish food you don't need to buy ammonia or use urine. I would just add the fish food

 

if you are using fish food you don't need to buy ammonia or use urine. I would just add the fish food

Alright, no problem. Thanks for the help

 

Sure, np. But I forgot food or ammonia from a shop, will work a bit better than you urine because heterotrophic bacteria cannot break down your urine... So the process would be much slower.