Bubbles At Last - But Now The Filters Packed In!

[Ami]

Yeah!

On my third attempt I finally got some bubbles. Well, quite a lot actually.

I got hold of some quick action dried yeast from Sainsbury on my way home from work. Used a level teaspoonful of this (I know, should have used a 1/2 but I wanted to make it work this time!), used a thermometer to ensure the water was between 30-35c (it was 34c) and this time also mixed the yeast in the water, before pouring in the canister over the sugar and restirring.

Within 5 minutes I had bubble!! Lots of big ones that were escaping so I realised I'd attached the end of the tube slightly wrong, fixed that, and had lots if little bubbles dancing up the ladder!

Was in the process of 'going wow!' and attempting to count them whilst watching the neons, cherry barbs and pygmy corys try to catch them, when my friend knocked on the door and reminded me I was supposed to start babysitting half and hour before and that they'd now probably missed the start of their movie. Oops. )

After several anxious hours of babysitting, I returned home to count my bubbles and saw we're doing just over 60 per minute from one unit. I know I was aiming at 30, but that was each from 2 units and I only have one for now so figured it couldn't be too bad.

Was a tad concerned about the fish though, before I went to bed, I moved their filter to the top of the tank to draw in more air. This morning, the fish seem fine but the waters a tad cloudy looking which I presume is due to the diffused CO2 as thats a new phenomena. I've left their filter at the top so it will help release some of the CO2 into the air during the day.

But should I also adjust the mix (can I just add more water to slow it down) to be on the safe side or will it calm down a bit soon? I can't come home again until 6pm so am a little worried about leaving it during the day.

 

[Waterloo Kid]

Cloudy water has nothing to do with the amount of CO2 in the water. CO2 is colourless, whether disolved in water or in the air. It sounds like your yeast mixture might have made it's way into the tank. That's a risk when using a 'strong' mixture (lots of yeast). The large scummy froth on the top of the mixture can build up and make it's way into the tank through the tubing. This foam usually dies down after a day or so. The mix looks like brown water with very little foam after that.
If you want to know how much CO2 you have in the water just measure your pH and KH and go to Chuck's Planted Tank page (Google it) to use the calculator to work out your levels.

Don't forget that plants use CO2 during the day. You want as much CO2 to stay in the water as possible (without overdosing of course). By having your filter blowing air into the tank you are completely negating the use of CO2. In fact you probably now have even less CO2 than you used to. Either blow bubbles with the filter OR inject CO2. Doing both is useless.

WK

 

[Ami]

Cloudy water has nothing to do with the amount of CO2 in the water. CO2 is colourless, whether disolved in water or in the air. It sounds like your yeast mixture might have made it's way into the tank. That's a risk when using a 'strong' mixture (lots of yeast). The large scummy froth on the top of the mixture can build up and make it's way into the tank through the tubing. This foam usually dies down after a day or so. The mix looks like brown water with very little foam after that.
If you want to know how much CO2 you have in the water just measure your pH and KH and go to Chuck's Planted Tank page (Google it) to use the calculator to work out your levels.

Don't forget that plants use CO2 during the day. You want as much CO2 to stay in the water as possible (without overdosing of course). By having your filter blowing air into the tank you are completely negating the use of CO2. In fact you probably now have even less CO2 than you used to. Either blow bubbles with the filter OR inject CO2. Doing both is useless.

WK

Thanks for the reply.

I know that CO2 is colourless in air, but wasn't sure of the effects that an excessive amount would have visually on the water in my tank. There is no froth on the tube so I didn't consider that the mixture may have made it's way into the tank, but come to think of it I probably over filled the canister with water. Which puts my mind at ease - well, as long as it's not poisonous to my fish that is!
)

I do know that plants use CO2 during the day, but as the nutrafin unit seems to be running on overtime and I'm not their to keep an eye on my fish, I thought it would be best to keep on the safe side and ensure that the filter was high enough to cause some surface disruption so my tank didn't suffer a pH crash whilst I was out. That would not have been a good thing to go home to.

It is only a limited amount of disruption, just a gentle ripple, so I think that the plants are probably benefiting anyway. Plus, isn't that the point of the diffuser ladder, to make sure that enough CO2 dissolves before reaching the surface? If my filter only ripples the surface, then I don't think I can be losing so much CO2 that I had less than before I got the unit working!

Note that I said 'don't think...'

Ami

Edit: 18.46pm - just got home and have tipped out some of the water in the top of the mixture. So hopefully that will solve the problem. Now I just need to find a fix for the broken propeller shaft in my filter that seems to have occurred during the day.

 

[BoSelecta]

The large bubbles you get at first is the air in the tube being forced out by the C02,these will shoot up the ladder as this is just air. When you get C02 being pushed out you should get lager bubbles at the bottom getting smaller as they reach the top of the ladder, this is the C02 diffusing in to the water, with my home made mix it takes a good few hours.

It would be better to keep surface as still as poss, C02 allready diffused in the water will be lost if there is surface agitation. You will loose it as fast as you are putting it in.

You should be able to get a spare prop shaft for your filter from your local Fish Shop.

Bo.

 

[Ami]

The large bubbles you get at first is the air in the tube being forced out by the C02,these will shoot up the ladder as this is just air. When you get C02 being pushed out you should get lager bubbles at the bottom getting smaller as they reach the top of the ladder, this is the C02 diffusing in to the water, with my home made mix it takes a good few hours.

It would be better to keep surface as still as poss, C02 allready diffused in the water will be lost if there is surface agitation. You will loose it as fast as you are putting it in.

You should be able to get a spare prop shaft for your filter from your local Fish Shop.

Bo.

My surface agitation is now nil. Now that I know there's no reason to worry about the clouding of the water and have read a some more about pH crashes I felt I could lower my filter again, so now the 'current' is mid tank.

My GH is variable between 12 & 20 and my pH between 7 & 8.5, so I don't think I need to be so paranoid. )

Fraid the paranoia settled in last summer after too many deaths and is still to go. Thought I'd got it under control then one of my honey gouramis decided to try and swim upside down behind the filter, promptly getting themself stuck. Found them pretty quickly but it died quite soon afterwards. See what inbreeding does for you?

Ami

 

[EliteFishy]

Condrats!

 

[Ami]

Condrats!

Cheers Elite, though I presume you didn't mean for the paranoia or dead gourami?!


The impellar shaft is, as we say in the UK, shafted. Perhaps I shouldn't say that but that's how I feel at the mo!

Have had to remove the powerhead and stick a spare airstone down into the filter material so my ickle bacterial friends have some air circulation. God, if they die off and I end up having a mini-cycle that would just be the last straw!

Goodness knows if they can cope to the weekend as that's the earliest I can go to the LFS and see about a replacement. In the meantime, will try to call up the filter manufacturers and see what I can get from them cos I only got the damn thing in summer and it's not like it's under undue strain or anything! Aargh.

I am soooooo jealous when I see how well everyone's tanks do and I know it's hard work, but sometimes I really wonder why I bother.


Signing off now before I rant anymore

Ami

 

[Waterloo Kid]

You need to measure the KH, not the GH. They are different. the KH will be lower meaning you have more CO2 than you think.
Might be worth a re-check!

 

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Wheres the wine bottle...? It's in the bin. It was a Roche Saint Martin 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It's all gone......HIC!. T'was one left over from Christmas, it kept singing to me from the wine rack outside in the utility room. I'm gonna be late for work in the morning....

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