A question for all you CO2 users

[aquamanis]

I,m about to install a Carbo-plus unit in my aqaurium and as I haven,t put CO2 into an aquarium before theres some things I want to ask people who use CO2. If my understanding is right, water agitation at the surface is the biggest killer of disssolved CO2 in the water. Should I stop producing air bubbles via the powerhead to keep more CO2 in the water. If CO2 bubbles were drawn into the powerhead and filter would this help displace the CO2 throughout the tank or would it kill off the CO2. I guess what I,m asking in a round about way is should I have the unit near the powerhead or at the other end away from it. Thanks for any help.

 

[Alien Anna]

I followed the advice of people on the forum and put an air-stone in that I run just at night, on a timer. It seems to be working well

 

[aquamanis]

Thanks Anna I,ll do that, thats because oxygen levels drop at night yeh? Can anybody else help me out here, where do you have your CO2 output? Anybody, hey MR V are you there, can you help me PLeaseeeeeeeeeeee

 

[The_Budmaster]

i think the water movement on the surface caused by the powerhead will cause all the Co2 to escape, i dont use a powerhead tho so you can only try. Its easy to tell what your C02 levels are if you have a PH test kit & a KH test kit

 

[Rose]

The problem with only runing co2 during the day is the ph swings that go with having co2 in the water. These ph swings could stress your fish out and then they would be sick. I run mine all the time and it works well. Then agian it's up to you.

Rose

 

[odjbo]

Hello,

I run my CO2 in the day time, and is switched off at night by a solenoid.

CO2 used during the day is converted by the plants into O2 and this SUPER-SATURATES the water with enough O2 to last the night, negating the use of an airstone. The airstone does indeed, agitate the saturated O2/CO2 'OUT' of the water, undoing all the good work the plants have done during the day.

In nature CO2 is used by plants during the day and O2 during the night... this is the natural rhythm of life. The tiny fluctuations caused naturally are well within the tolerance levels of fish, after all they have been evolving for millennia before we, as aquarists started keeping them and worrying about such things...



D.

 

[StiX]

To answer your question about there to send the Co2 bubbles, I just let mine get sucked into the powerhead, which mashes them up into tiny bubbles, a better way would be to buy one of the propper reactor bells which is just an upside down 'bowl' to catch the rising Co2 bubbles and hold them under water untill they dissolve.

I also leave my Co2 running all the time (altho it is only a DIY version so it will produce less Co2 than a propper unit)

 

[Alien Anna]

To answer your question about there to send the Co2 bubbles, I just let mine get sucked into the powerhead, which mashes them up into tiny bubbles, a better way would be to buy one of the propper reactor bells which is just an upside down 'bowl' to catch the rising Co2 bubbles and hold them under water untill they dissolve.

This is in fact how the purpose-built Juwel CO2 unit works with the powerhead, so evidently it's a good method.

 

[odjbo]

I have just seen the DUPLA CO2 diffuser system for the first time, good concept! It uses a stone, instead of a ladder system...

More research I think !

D.