A Few Questions On Co2

[David J]

Hi

I'm seriously thinking of starting using co2 so have been reading up lots but have a few unanswered questions. I have read all about the yeast and fire extinguisher methods but think I'm going to go for a ready made kit such as the fluval 88 or similar.

1/ i see that it is best to turn the co2 off at night. I assume I cane easily turn it off manually but I see lots of folks use a solenoid. Do I really need a solenoid or is it simple to turn it on and off myself?

2/ I keep seeing something about the co2 affecting pH. Should I be concerned about this and what do I do about it?

3/ lastly, can anyone give any recommendation on which set to buy? I like the fluval 88 but the cost of the replacement bottles puts me off however looking at the various types available the cost of bottles are much the same.

David

 

[tunagirll]

I have the Fluval 88, it's a good entry level one and a bottle has lasted my 30l tank around a month/5 weeks. You can also get a 1 litre bottle and an adaptor, the 1 litre bottle is refillable.
 
1. I don't use a solenoid, I manually turn it on and off daily. It only takes a moment. You do need to turn it off at night as the plants won't take it up when the light is off, which puts your fish at risk of CO2 suffocation. Generally you want to turn it on an hour or two before the lights and off an hour or two before the lights.
 
2. A simple way to see how much CO2 is in the tank is to know what your pH is, and generally when the pH of your tank has gone down by one, (eg 7.2 to 6.2) your tank has a good amount of CO2 in it. You don't do anything about it, it will go back up as the CO2 is consumed.
 
3. Fluval 88 is a nice kit and not a big outlay to get started. If you have the funds, best spring for a regulator, solenoid, large CO2 bottle and then you are only paying for refills, and when you have had enough of the hobby can resell the bottle for near what you paid for it (easy to sell as DIY brewers use the same thing).

 

[David J]

Hi

Thanks for the info. What type of adapter do you use? Where would I get it? And where dud you find the bigger bottle. I can only find the 20g or 88g from fluval. And how would you go about refilling the bigger bottles?

Sorry for all the questions. If I can reduce the cost of the co2 then I'm sorted.

Thanks

David

 

[Ch4rlie]

I have just started using Co2 on my Nano tank.
 
Bought this, not the cheapest but not too bad compared to others have seen.
 
http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/171201836102?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&lpid=95&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=95&ff19=0
 
95g cannister, about £9.99 for replacement, these cannot be refilled, may last 2 or maybe 3 months if small tank.

 

[tunagirll]

Best place to ask is the fish shop supplying the CO2 kit, they should have bigger options.