Tetraplant Co2 - Is The Membrane Broken?

[dieselweasel]

Hello All

I recently bought, under the recommendation of a very knowledgeable aquarium shop manager, a tetraplant CO2 depot canister and diffusion tube. It seemed to be running OK for 3 days, one tube full of CO2 lasted the entire day. This morning, when the canister was depressed to release the CO2 into the difussion tube, a great big bubble followed by several smaller - but still relatively large - bubbles rose from the top of the membrane. Following that, a diffusion tube full of CO2 lasted only 4-5 hours, less than half the time it had lasted on each of the last 3 days. Has the membrane been broken or perhaps something else has occured??

(as well as answers for the above, am i better off trying a DIY set-up??)

Thanks!

 

[MoondustBob]

How big is the tank, and what lighting (watts) do you have?

 

[dieselweasel]

How big is the tank, and what lighting (watts) do you have?

The tank is 170 litres (120cm long)

The tank was bought second hand as an upgrade from a smaller tank. The lights were already in the hood and the wattage information has eroded. There are two strips, one bright white the other blue. I guess they are 60 watt plus (prob 80 or 100 as they are quite bright). The tank has around a dozen plants growing fast.

 

[MoondustBob]

You're using one of these? http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...products_id=484


The 'very knowledgeable aquarium shop manager' imo is only interested in your money as this co2 system is unsuitable for a tank that size.

In the long run, the unstable co2 will cause algae problems. You should consider going pressurized...

 

[aaronnorth]

Maybe the tube was already full so when you released some more gas, it just floated to the top as it had now where to go.