High Co²

[zub-typer]

Hello,

Hopefully someone can help me sort this one out...
I cannot seem to lower my CO² levels or my drop checker may have an error...

I have recently set-up a new tank (approx. 75 gal / 350 Ltr);

I got my regulator through the post the other day, set it up and put in the drop checker.

I left it running overnight at about 1 - 2 bbls / sec and in the morning it had turned green.

I then reduced to 1 bbls / sec.

However after about another 5 hours the drop checker was showing yellow. - that was on Sunday and its not tuesday, i've had the Co² switched off and Air on, even did a 40% water change and the drop checker is still showing yellow....

Do these drop checkers fail if the CO² goes too high, or do they not go back the other way ?

I plan to replace the solution in the drop checker tonight to see what happens (Hopefully it will go back to Blue/Green and proove that the soulution is faulty)
I will also run the CO² only during lit periods now, and switch off at night, on a constant 1 bbl / sec to start off with and do my adjustments more slowly.

NOTE: I currently have no plants in my tank... will this make a difference as they are not using the CO² up.... i.e. should i need to increase CO² injection once plants have been added to the tank.

Help apreciated.

Z

 

[SuperColey1]

Do you have fish in the tank? If so they should tell you if yellow is the true reading or not. yellow for a few hours = dead fish!!!!!

Are you using 4dKH + bromo blue or the solution that came with the drop checker.

is your DC positioned close to the diffusor?

CO2 is a way of providing the nutrient C in the same way that Potassium Sulphate provides potassium. Therefore the more plants there are the more Carbon is required. The more carbon used the more needs injecting to maintain 30ppm(ish) - green.

So you should be reaching 30ppm quite easily as there is none being used. There will be some lost at the water surface through gaseous exchange.

AC

 

[zub-typer]

No, No fish in the tank yet, was wanting to stablise the CO2 first.
I'm using the solution that came with the drop checker.
My drop checker is a fair distance from the diffusor - approx - 40 -50 cm's.
I have virtually zero surface agitation, although been running air to try and get the CO² down and back to green.

Thanks for your help,

Z

Do you have fish in the tank? If so they should tell you if yellow is the true reading or not. yellow for a few hours = dead fish!!!!!

Are you using 4dKH + bromo blue or the solution that came with the drop checker.

is your DC positioned close to the diffusor?

CO2 is a way of providing the nutrient C in the same way that Potassium Sulphate provides potassium. Therefore the more plants there are the more Carbon is required. The more carbon used the more needs injecting to maintain 30ppm(ish) - green.

So you should be reaching 30ppm quite easily as there is none being used. There will be some lost at the water surface through gaseous exchange.

AC

 

[aaronnorth]

the drop checker reads the level of CO2 2hours after ( it takes a long tiim to change) so did you wait long enough?

 

[zub-typer]

The Co² been off since Sunday night !

So, its been yellow for around 48hrs....
During that 48hrs I have also done about 40% water change and had Air running....

Today I have refreshed the solution in the drop checker and its blue at present.
CO² is switched off.
I'll wait until around 2000 and see if it has changed colour.... hopefully not..
I will then begin to 'slowly' introduce CO² again @ approx. 0.5 bbl /sec until 2200.
CO² will ####down with lights overnight and come on in morning again.
Hopefully when I get in from work it will have started to change colour.... i will then increase the bbl/sec very slightly.. and continue to do so over the rest of the week until it stabilises.

I recon I just over saturated the tank with CO² before and burnt out the solution.

thought and suggestions welcome,

Z

the drop checker reads the level of CO2 2hours after ( it takes a long tiim to change) so did you wait long enough?

 

[aaronnorth]

oh right!

dont think you can 'burn out' the solution, 1 BPS doesnt sound a lot either, i run 3BPS on my 13g!!

are you sure it is 4dkh solution you are using?

 

[hellohefalump]

it does sound like you're having a problem with the drop checker solution (like others have said - is it definately 4dkh?)

You can get CO2 out of water by running an airstone. In my 100gal, my CO2 will drop significantly if I turn off the CO2 and run an airstone overnight.

 

[zub-typer]

In brief - I don't know if the solution is 4dkh.... it is the supplied solution, I'm ordering a tetratest KH kits right now..

That's it been in again for about 2 hours and its still sitting @ blue.

 

[piper]

Have you got the JBL drop checker ?

 

[zub-typer]

No,

It's one off of Ebay, from HK...

Got up this morning and its still blue... Good !
It should be as it was only on for 2 hrs last night @ 15bbls/min..
It switched off at 2200 and came on again this morn. @ 0600, an hour before the lights to allow build up of pressure in the system, so it has started difusing by the time the lights come on @ 0700.

Can someone give me an indication as to how long it should take for the CO² to start difusing again after the system comes on after being off overnight...

Mine came on (soleonid opened) at 0600 this morning, and when I left the house @ 0645 it had not build up enough pressure to start diffusing into the tank.

However, I am running a very low B/s... approx 15 b/m.

Hopefully; it will be difusing when I get home and I can start slowly increasing the Bubble count over the next few days until it stabilises.


Thanks,

Z

 

[aaronnorth]

IME it takes about 10mins but that depends on how much you are injecting, more you inject, more pressure, diffuses quicker.

 

[zub-typer]

Ok,

So I got home this afternoon and its diffusing away quite happily @ approx 15 bbls / min.

As hoped; the drop checker is still blue !

So I will increase to approx 25 bbls / min for tomorrow; and see how it gets on with that.

Thanks for all your help..

Z

 

[plantbrain]

You need good surface movement. Enough so the water surface does not break quite.
This allows some off gassing to occur, which is fine,m but also allows a lot of O2 to enter into the tank.

Would you keep fish in a tank without any surface turn over without plants?
No......low O2 is not good for fish.

Yes, we trade off the loss of some/small amount of CO2, but we get much better mixing= more CO2 to plants, breaks up boundary layers etc.
We also get plenty of current and O2 for the fish.............

We can adjust the valve to add a bit more CO2 to make up for it, not a big issue.

The drop checker(DC) is a slow fairly rough gauge in response to CO2, it will take 2 more hours to respond in most cases and then is only as accurate as the color perception change you can see with your eyes.
There is also a lot of variation in CO2 in a planted tank, even a well mixed high flow tank.

I've measured CO2 ppms at various locations using a special CO2 meter that responds in about 3-5 minutes to less than 1 ppm accuracy.
There's a very wide range of ppms in larger tanks and with higher light values.

The DC only measures one point and it's 2 or more hours behind and is maybe accurate to +/- 5-10ppm depending on your color skills.

Keep these things in mind.
Watch plants, watch fish etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[zub-typer]

I've increased the bbls' to approx. 20 - 25 bbls / minute.

The System was off from 2200 - 0600 this morn. and when I got up at 0630 it was diffusing!!

I'm sure that drop checker has a green tinge to it...

I increased the surgace agitation but moving the filter return closer to the surface but not actually breaking it, its just moving it and causing a kind of whirl pool above the return.

I'm hoping that the drop checker is still Green and Not yellow when I get home... and that things will get easier when I get my KH test kit !!


Got a couple of java fern and a couple fish in now...

so Watching plants, and watching fish,

Thanks for your help...

Z