Red Sea Co2 Pro System

[nicklfire]

i'm going to be going to the lfs tomrrow and picking up this kit and wondering if any one else here has used this complete system by red sea. I have not heard much about it, nor could find many reviews online. I like red sea and many of their products but dont know much about the co2 side of there business. Any input would be valuable.

co2 pro system listed below:

http/www.redseafish.com/co2_pro.asp

 

[Dave Spencer]

It looks as if it will do the job. Like most off the shelf systems you may well want to replace the diffuser somewhere down the line. They are usually big, ugly things that are not as efficient as ceramic diffusers.

are you aware of the latest method for measuring CO2 with a glass dropper?

Dave.

 

[nicklfire]

actually no i'm not, what's that about.

This will be the first endevour into injected co2

 

[Dave Spencer]

First off you will need one of these:

Add 6g of Sodium BiCarbonate to 5l of RO. Mix 10ml of this solution with 90ml of RO. This gives you a reference solution of 4dKH. Put a few ml of this in the glass dropper with a couple of drops of Bromo Blue which comes with the dropper. The solution will now turn blue.

With the dropper inside the tank, the CO2 levels in the aquarium water equalise with the reference solution across the dropper air gap, altering its pH. You will have 30ppm of CO2 when the solution turns a yellow green colour, which should correspond to a pH drop of 1.

Dave.

 

[nicklfire]

so a diffuser is different then a reactor?

I just thought diffuser ... diffuse... co2 into the water...
lol

But maybe that's the reactor lol.

But the diffuser on my co2 pro system would be the "CO2 Indicator" ??

 

[Dave Spencer]

so a diffuser is different then a reactor?

A diffuser usually sits inside the tank and breaks the CO2 up in to microbubbles for better diffusion in to the water. This is considered the most efficient method of CO2 diffusion.

http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...p;cPath=196_197

A reactor usually sits inline on a canister filter discharge hose, so it is one less piece of kit in the tank. It is the grey plastic tube on the left in this picture:

Both items are essentially doing the same job.

But the diffuser on my co2 pro system would be the "CO2 Indicator" ??

When using CO2 there are two "indicators". The link to the kit you are buying shows a bubble counter which is used when you are adjusting CO2 levels during initial set up. You can see the bubble rate increase or decrease, allowing fine adjustment.

It also comes with a CO2 indicator (I showed a picture of a nicer looking glass version) which will tell you the levels of CO2 dissolved in the water. However, this will only be accurate when using a 4dKH reference solution. This will all make a lot more sense when you have the kit in your hands, but it supplies all the hardware you will need except, it appears, the CO2 and a non return valve in the CO2 line.

Hope this helps

 

[nicklfire]

ok i understand most of that. Still a little fuzzy with why the co2 indicator in my kit wont work all the time but i'll wait till i get the system like you said. Chemicals means nothing to me at this point.

I did some searching for the ceramic diffusers and understand what you mean now, but the diffuser that i get with the kit is no bigger then the guage and is about 1/5 of the size of yours...

But i guess the real test is when i get it all up and going, maybe the ceramic just has a way higher diffusion ratio plus it's clear

I think maybe in just a month or so i'll just buy your diffuser you said, a solinoid and ph controller then i dont have to worrk about co2 levels correct? lol

A reactor usually sits inline on a canister filter discharge hose, so it is one less piece of kit in the tank. It is the grey plastic tube on the left in this picture:

I just re read that... now i understand. that seems like a much better option but i already got a uv sterilizer inline with my canister output lol. do i attempt to do somthing on the input now

 

[Dave Spencer]

Sorry if it seems like I am trying to over complicate the issue!

The kit you are getting will be fine as it is. The CO2 level indicator you get with the set up will recommend you use tank water with it, but this will give a relatively inaccurate reading because it will contain all the various other things in the tank that affect pH. Using 4dKH is not perfect, but is far and away the best for the price.

The only other thing you should have is a non return valve, which will cost pennies. Your kit may have one, but I couldn`t see it.

I have a solenoid on both my systems, but this is not a necessity either. I just don`t see the point in injecting at lights out when it is not necessary, plus I like my gadgets. if you want one, you could always save up without feeling pressured in to buying one straight away.

The pH controller is, to my mind, a gadget too far. if you have a reliable CO2 reading from your indicator, there is no need to worry about the pH because it will be steady with the CO2 on, and possibly rise a small amount overnight with the CO2 off. I set my CO2 up three months ago and haven`t touched it since.

Hope this helps a bit and saves you money.

Dave.

 

[nicklfire]

ok i understand that clear enough, next question.

where am i supposed to get Sodium BiCarbonate and brumo blue.... just for this little tester. Do lfs carry this usually, along with the glass pipe..

 

[Dave Spencer]

The BiCarb is just baking soda, but make sure it is pure, rather than having gluten etc added.

The Bromo Blue is what comes with most pH test kits (ironically, it is yellow in the bottle). You may find this an interesting read now that you are getting in to the world of CO2:

http/www.barrreport.com/articles/2661-dr...rs-why-how.html

You don`t have to buy a glass dropper, the Red Sea one will work fine. The glass is more of an aesthetics and having too much money thing.

Dave.

 

[nicklfire]

wow very interesting article, i like how it said they might be selling a premade 4dKH solution.

well i'll definately try that tactic, glad i got this information before leaping into the injected co2.
I just gotta find some RO now... maybe the shopping store will have some.

will post again in my journal after i get my kit
wish me luck