CO2 up n running!

[pseud]

Also, how often do you have to refuel your CO2 unit, Canoe?

 

[Jen]

This is what gf225 told me to do, and it has worked brillantly for me. My co2 levels are still too high, and I'm down to 3/4 teaspoon of yeast. I'm going down to 1/2 next change. You will need to play with the amounts based on your tank size. I would personally start low and work your way up. I lost a good number when the co2 first started and was over 45mg/l. It'll all depend on your ph and kh ratings.

Thirdly, you do need more CO2. I set-up a DIY CO2 rig at the weekend for a friend with a 70 Gallon and he is getting 30ppm!!  The whole lot cost less than £5 ($10).  You want to know how right?

You need -

2 litre plastic fizzy drink bottle with cap
Silicon sealant
6mm drill or similar
3 metre silicon airline/tubing
lots of sugar
dried yeast
bi-carbonate of soda (baking soda)
teaspoon
funnel
weighing scales
measuring jug
water

1. Drill 6mm or slightly less in bottle cap.
2. Insert airline an inch or so in hole and seal with sealant.
3. Allow to dry.
4. Recipe - 400 grams sugar, 2 level teaspoons yeast, 4 level teaspoon bi-carb, 1.6 litre tepid water.
Pour in sugar, add yeast, add bi-carb, add tepid water. Use funnel if necessary (less mess).
5. Attach airline to your Nutrafin diffuser.
6. Watch CO2 bubble away after a few minutes.

This mixture should give a fairly constant output for approx 7 to 10 days.  You could obviously make 2 or bottles up and couple the airlines to the same diffuser using a 2-way splitter.  Good luck.

as for the recipe... I weighed it out and it happens to work out evenly.

400 grams = 2 cups sugar

if you use a 2 litre bottle that is the standard shape (coke or sprite use this here in canada). It has the teeth-y things on the bottom, then a little indent... know what. heres a pic i just made. much easier to visualise.

Just make sure that you measure since the bottles could be different. And the sugar goes in first, then yeast and baking soda, then water.

any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Jen]

I change the solution every 7 days. i could probably squeeze a few more days out of it, but it's just easy to remember - every sunday before simpsons.

 

[Walt]

Where did you find a 6 dollar needle valve?

I picked one up at a local heating and plumming store

Im still struggling to get to 30ppm...
I replaced 1 of the 2 uprise tubes with a powerhead, a small one 80gph, and its working great... no surface disturbance.... i also slowed down my 400gph powerfilter....
so i still have 1 uprise tube using an airstone, down at the other end of the tank.
My KH is 4.

I was running at 60bpm, and still couldnt get below 7.2ph.
I've now upped my co2 to 70 bpm... so we'll see what happens...
Im deff thinking of replacing the other airstone with a powerhead too...

Im thinking about getting another ladder too...cause at 70bpm, an occasional co2 bubble makes it to the surface before being totally injected..

Im sure running 2 would reach my goal... im also sure my not-ideal setup is whats keeping me from it, but i dont have the 'dough' at the moment to go with a canister filter.... but that'll prob happen sometime down the road as wlel, cause in sure the bio wheels in my power filter arnt helping me either..

Ahhh, the fun of tanks never ends... heh B)

Walt

 

[qwikimpss]

WOW! 35ppm with a single 2L bottle on a 90 gal?!? I just put another 2L bottle on my 29 gal because I was only getting 14ppm with just one, usint the same exact recipie you are running.

 

[pseud]

Thanks Canoe! Couple of questions:

1) How long after setting the CO2 unit up should I test the CO2 levels in the tank?

2) Where's a good place to get yeast from in the US?

3) Regular granulated sugar is fine, yes?

4) I ordered my lighting, so I wanna get the CO2 up and running. Tomorrow I'm going to read about KH and GH and buffering and buy a kit. I want to set the CO2 unit up so that I don't have to play around with it too much when the lights get here, so that I can just get some plants in there. Would it be a bad idea to start the CO2 injection before getting the lighting and plants in there?

Okay, so a couple turned into a few, but were you counting?

 

[Yenko]

Pseud, I can answer your questions:

1: It usually takes about 4-5 hours for my CO2 mixes to start; but it could be as much as 12 hours or as little as 40 minutes. I'd wait at least 6 hours after mixing up a yeast bottle.

2: You can buy yeast at grocery stores, or if you want to get fancy, you can go to a brewing shop and get brewer's yeast.

3: Yeah; any source of sugar works.

4: It's generally considered prudent to make lighting the last step in setting up a planted aquarium; most resources say you should have your CO2/Ferts dosed before the lights go on. Of course, if you're waiting on a light fixture to arrive before anything happens, I'd wait on starting the CO2 - Get all the supplies you need and do your research in the meantime.

 

[pseud]

Thanks Yenko.
(Nice use of the semi-colon too.)

 

[Jen]

WOW! 35ppm with a single 2L bottle on a 90 gal?!?

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I know... it surprised me to. When George gave me the instructions he said I may need to run a second bottle to get good enough levels.

My kH is 5, and the pH drops from 7.4 out of the tap to 6.6 with the co2.

 

[Walt]

Ok...
I replaced the other airstone with the same small powerhead, so i now have no airstones in the tank...
I hardly have any surface disturbance now, except for the powerfilter.
This allowed my ph to now drop to 7.0
my KH is 4.

This has me sitting at 11.8ppm.....

This is even with 80bpm, so i dont think there is anyway to get it lower with just one ladder, cause at this bubble rate, the ladder cant absorb anymore into the water..... ie the bubbles are making it to the surface....

Im pretty sure its gotta be the power filter with the bio wheels thats stripping it out at a rate thats just not allowing me to reach any lower....


So im gonna add a second ladder this week...
They are a cheap solution... 12 bucks...

We'll see how that goes.... and some day ill replace my powerfilter with a canister an pull the second ladder at that point...

Othe then going crazy trying to get the co2 into solution, the tank is looking Great!

Think this idea is worth a dern?
Also... what canister are YOU using?

Walt

 

[pseud]

Ugh, don't say that Walt. I have a power filter.

 

[Walt]

I hear ya... been fighting this game so far...
Im pretty sure its the biowheel portion of the filter though, since its always turning, creating alot of exchange with the air.....

My powerfilter is a Emperor 400, and has space for water to flow through 2 filters of your choice, then runs past the biowheels and bac into the tank...

I have one of those basic carbon filters in the first slot... but i cut a small hole in it and removed all the carbon, so it basically just a mechanical filter...
The next filter is filled with Eheim bio media.. then off it goes to the biowheel....

Im thinking i might pull off the biowheels, and put em into a bucket of tank water so the bio buddies dont die, and see what my ph does just to test the theory....

Its quite possible that i have enough bio buddies between the undergravel filter and the Eheim media to not even need the biowheels at all....

Walt

 

[Jen]

Hey walt. You're looking for a canister? I happen to have an extra one laying around the house here. I don't know where you are from, but I can ship it to the states for a decent price. I think I bought it off someone here for 50 CAD plus shipping, but I'd be happy so sell it to you for, say, 30CAD plus shipping. It's a rean filstar 1. I had it on my old 35 gal for about a week, and then I bought my 90.

If you are interested, let me know.

 

[pseud]

I hear ya... been fighting this game so far...
Im pretty sure its the biowheel portion of the filter though, since its always turning, creating alot of exchange with the air.....

My powerfilter is a Emperor 400, and has space for water to flow through 2 filters of your choice, then runs past the biowheels and bac into the tank...

I have one of those basic carbon filters in the first slot... but i cut a small hole in it and removed all the carbon, so it basically just a mechanical filter...
The next filter is filled with Eheim bio media.. then off it goes to the biowheel....

Im thinking i might pull off the biowheels, and put em into a bucket of tank water so the bio buddies dont die, and see what my ph does just to test the theory....

Its quite possible that i have enough bio buddies between the undergravel filter and the Eheim media to not even need the biowheels at all....

Walt

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I have a penguin 350. Pretty much the same model I think as the Emperor. Let me know how it goes, cuz I may need to do the same!

Also, look at this: http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/powe...er_tricks_v.php
It may help. They have one for the Penguin 330 that I think I'm gonna do with my 350.

But yeah, let me know how it goes taking those bio-wheels off!

 

[Walt]

Hey canoechiq, what an awesome offer!!
Im living just underneath ya n Colorado
Let me keep messing with this 'toy' for a few more days, and ill get back with ya..
Oh and, sweet pic of the moon! I had a Orion 10 inch dob scope for abit!
THANKS!!!

Hey pseud, even though adding air is what i DONT wanna do, i could indeed inject co2 into the Eheim bio media that way, now couldnt I...
Thanks for the link!!

Walt