Help Reaching 30 Ppm Co2

[jaeger5]

Ok so, I want to make sure I'm doing things right as I got home the other day and my drop checker was ORANGE, with 1 or 2 casualties...
 
I've tested my water my self using a Hagen master kit and I've also taken it to my LFS for them to test, both results come back the same, KH is 10, PH (before adding CO2) is 7.6.
 
Looking at the different CO2 charts on Google image, I can see that my PH needs to be bang on 7 to reach 30ppm CO2.
 
When the CO2 comes on, usually after about 4 hours or so, drop checker is lime green, I test my PH and it reads 7 - 30ppm. Awesome.
 
From then on, the PH continues to drop, by the end of the day the drop checker is yellow, PH is at 6.6 and my ppm is all over the place. Not awesome.
 
My question is, how do you maintain 30ppm all day?
 
 
 
 

 

[Lunar Jetman]

What are you using to inject CO2? Sounds like you need to turn whatever it is down!

 

[DrRob]

Agreed. It needs to come on a couple of hours before lights on to bring the ppm up to 30 around lights on time and then run at a rate to keep it there for the photoperiod. I should go up faster with lights off as the plants won't be using it, so you'll need less.
 
What kit are you using?

 

[jaeger5]

I'm using a glass diffuser, tank is only 55L so there's not lots of room for anything else. It seems to do a MORE than adequate job of diffusing CO2 though. 
 
Okay, let's say I hit 30 ppm around the time the lights go on, how do I maintain that that though? The problem I have is that CO2 just keeps increasing, it doesn't level out. I've increased the surface agitation, if I increase it any more waves will start forming!

 

[DrRob]

Is this a DIY or pressurised gas set up?

 

[jaeger5]

Pressurised, FE.

 

[SO19Firearms]

IMO first thing to do is stop testing your tank water, you'll drive yourself nuts. If you've got 4dKH in your drop checker - just use that.

And as above, turn it down. Have you got a pic of your tank too? I've got some kind of feeling your CO2 setup is "too big" for your tank/plant mass...if that's possible.

 

[Lunar Jetman]

It seems to do a MORE than adequate job of diffusing CO2 though.

 
I'd say that's a bit of an understatement if you're losing fish due to excessive CO2.
 
Do you use a bubble counter? If so, what is the rate?

 

[jaeger5]

It seems to do a MORE than adequate job of diffusing CO2 though.

 
I'd say that's a bit of an understatement if you're losing fish due to excessive CO2.
 
Do you use a bubble counter? If so, what is the rate?

It doesn't matter, my entire tank has just gone to ****. The power head suction cup came lose, floated to the bottom and has just ****ed up my entire scape. Kicked up all the substrate, all the plants came loose, all the rocks have fallen over... my tank is litterally a cloud of mud and plants swirling around right now. Disconnected everything, gotta wait for it all to settle.

God damn.

 

[jaeger5]

Right... tank is back up and running. So again, how do I stay at 30ppm without a Ph monitor? Or is it impossible?

 

[levahe]

Just slowly increase the amount of co2 you are injecting over a couple of days until the drop checker is lime green. That's it really.
Have it come on 2-3 hours before lights on or as long as it takes for it to be lime green at lights on. If it becomes too high after say 5 hours, just set it to turn off then. Even if its 3 hours before lights off that's OK.