Couple Of Questions About Pressurized Co2

[Amunet]

Our freezer is pretty small and usually filled to the brim so don't think that will be an option for us heh. That is a good trick though


I have a question about a diffuser. I'd like to use some kind of filter or power head or something for it, but I'm not sure which brands will allow me to do this? I read on one website that a Hagen Elite underwater mini filter is a good option... but don't think I've ever seen one of those sold in any store here.
BUT I dunno if that would be good for our tank b/c well.. it's 125gal long. SO yeah, any suggestions on what we could get would be great!

 

[aaronnorth]

pH controllers work by cutting of the gas supply at a set level. so if you set the it to cut off when it gets to pH6 the CO2 will be cut off. Now we know that NO3 can cause a pH drop along with a lot of other substances such as humic acid, nitric acid, PO4 etc - all produced naturally by plants, or added by us. So without even injecting CO2 there will already be a fall in the pH.
Also what happens if our pH is already low? say pH6.5 - That means after adding only approximatley 15ppm the CO2 will be cut off. this will then lead to poor plant health and possibly algae problems.

If you are worried about pH crashing then add something to boost the kH, keeping it around 4 will be enough, although i know a few people who run their tanks with 0dkH

If you need links on what equipment to buy, check out the link in my sig.

 

[kcharley]

another tip, and i don't think many people know about this, but... if you place the co2 bottle into the freezer the night before you get it refilled, it will hold a much larger volume when filled...

And i agree, be careful about it, but don't be scared of it... They have about an 3/4 inch thick steel housing that can take about 1200psi... but yeah... that is not to say that they are not dangerous...

oh... also, be careful about how you store it at home... if it has directions for being stored in an upright position.. well.. umm... you may want to follow those instructions..

Whoa. Is that safe? Why would you intentionally condition the vessel to hold more than for which it was designed? That seems inherently dangerous to me.

I'm not trying to bust your chops, Carter. It just seems unnecessarily dangerous. Do you have any scientific proof of the safety of freezing the tank?

Thanks for the education.

Greg

 

[jonp]

Based on what I have read elsewhere I wouldnt be worried about the tanks turning into scuds, more what that volume of the gas can do to you and your health in an enclosed space such as inside a car......

 

[kcharley]

Based on what I have read elsewhere I wouldnt be worried about the tanks turning into scuds, more what that volume of the gas can do to you and your health in an enclosed space such as inside a car......

Jon,

I'm sorry I don't understand what you are telling me. I wouldn't expect freezing the tank to damage it. I would expect a frozen tank to be more brittle, and thus more susceptible to an impact fracture, than one an unfrozen tank. That would be my concern, especially while transporting it.

Plus if it holds more when frozen, won't the tank be overfilled once it thaws? I suppose the pressure relief valve would offer some protection and prevent a violent rupture.

Shouldn't I just buy a bigger tank if I want more gas?

Greg

 

[Amunet]

Great discussions I must say! yay! heh

Still wondering about the diffuser though if anyone has some input on that?
One side of the tank is going to have more plants than the other, so that's where I want the diffuser to go, BUT I want enough CO2 to reach the other side of the tank as well for those plants. There's a pretty good current that comes from the filter output. It's not on the side that's going to have most of the plants, so would it be better to put the diffuser on that side so the current can push the CO2 rich water to the rest of the tank?

 

[Carter]

diffusers. well there are three types.

You have your standard glass diffuser, which is the most common,
The motor driven diffuser that is solely dedicated to diffusing the Co2 into the water,
And then the one that is connected to your filter...

your choices are open and it is really up to you

 

[Amunet]

I'd like to use a motor driven one as you said... like use a powerhead or a smaller little filter.
Hopefully tomorrow we'll find out if that welding place sells what we want

 

[Carter]

external filter or internal?

 

[jonp]

Based on what I have read elsewhere I wouldnt be worried about the tanks turning into scuds, more what that volume of the gas can do to you and your health in an enclosed space such as inside a car......

Jon,

I'm sorry I don't understand what you are telling me. I wouldn't expect freezing the tank to damage it. I would expect a frozen tank to be more brittle, and thus more susceptible to an impact fracture, than one an unfrozen tank. That would be my concern, especially while transporting it.

Plus if it holds more when frozen, won't the tank be overfilled once it thaws? I suppose the pressure relief valve would offer some protection and prevent a violent rupture.

Shouldn't I just buy a bigger tank if I want more gas?

Greg

Greg

sorry if I wasnt particularly clear there - all i was trying to say is make sure you have it strapped down safely in transport and that nothing can knock the valve array. If this gets damaged in an enclosed space the released gas can give you all sorts of lovely problems with breathing etc. and also create a dense mist that displaces O2.

Jon

 

[Carter]

guys, i think we are over stepping the mark here... yes they are dangerous, but i would not expect anyone to be driving down to their LFS at 80mph like a rally car driver...

we all have a seat belts in the car, so use it. Place the cylinder into a box and tie it down with the seat belt...

Unless you got yourself into a car accident, i don't think we should be worrying about the damage that might be caused to it whilst driving normally... and besides, if you were in a car accident, i think the Co2 cylinder would be the last thing on your mind...

 

[aaronnorth]

guys, i think we are over stepping the mark here... yes they are dangerous, but i would not expect anyone to be driving down to their LFS at 80mph like a rally car driver...

we all have a seat belts in the car, so use it. Place the cylinder into a box and tie it down with the seat belt...

i agree. Buy a cardboard box, you could position on the floor in front of the passenger seat. Aywhere will do as long as it doesnt roll. Even if it is layed down on its side in the boot it wont roll in a cardboard box. I have heard of one case where it exploded - why? The person placed it in the back of an truck so it knocked a part off causing it to explode,

about the diffuser. Buy a ceramic diffuser, and position it in the flow of a powerhead, either at the opposite end of the tank, or below it. Or you could attach the CO2 straight to a powerhead, see here for more details:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...13829&st=45

 

[Amunet]

Thanks aaron.... I dunno if I really want to create more current in the tank using a powerhead. Will have to see what the petstores have in terms of smaller internal filters. If I can't find anything then I'll buy one of those glass ones off ebay.

As for us checking that welding place... they're not freakin open on weekends! BOOOO
Did take a look at fire extinguisher places in the phone book and one of them advertises that they do CO2 refills. They're around where the LFS is too... (about 25-30mins away from us)... so yeah, if the welding place is a no go, then we'll see about this.

 

[killudead]

i have been doing some checking.
I ended up getting this one.
JBJ Dual Gauge CO2 Regulator w/ Solenoid + Bubble Counter + Built-in Check Valve
i got it on amazon for a steal. 85.00+sh. now they are like 125.
anyway, i am getting my tank and following these install instructions.
Starting the System
Set the working pressure on the Pressure/Safety Regulator to approximately 15 psi.
Switch the Reactor Pump on.
Slowly open the Needle Valve until you get a bubble rate of approximately 60 bubbles per minute.
Monitor the carbon dioxide levels and adjust accordingly to your desired injection rate.

NOTE: For best results, the carbon dioxide injector should be shut off at night. This is because the photosynthesis process ceases when the light level diminishes. In fact, during the night plants can actually release carbon dioxide back into the water.
thats my all i got

 

[waterdrop]

Thanks aaron.... I dunno if I really want to create more current in the tank using a powerhead. Will have to see what the petstores have in terms of smaller internal filters. If I can't find anything then I'll buy one of those glass ones off ebay.

As for us checking that welding place... they're not freakin open on weekends! BOOOO
Did take a look at fire extinguisher places in the phone book and one of them advertises that they do CO2 refills. They're around where the LFS is too... (about 25-30mins away from us)... so yeah, if the welding place is a no go, then we'll see about this.

...next we'll be asking for pix of you in the fire ext. place and the welding place and of the guy filling the tank .. I'd be saying that seriously except that I've never been known to actually click a shutter button myself yet, lol.

Just to say of course that I'm enjoying following along and its all the tiniest details, whether important or not, that make it entertaining!

~~waterdrop~~