when to start adding co2

[panboy]

so today i got my coralife compact lighting of 96w for my 46g, this gives me about 2 wpg.

do u think i should add c02? would i notice a difference?

the plants that i have are water wisteria, amazon swords, crypts, anubias nana, and pennywort

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

i have amazon swords and i noticed a huge difference when i started adding co2, i added some as soon as i set up the co2 machine and im getting awesome growth out of it

 

[kent]

yeah,..i just added CO2 myself 2 days ago and I noticed my plants starting to sprout new leaves...

 

[panboy]

how many watts per gallon do each of u have?

 

[Colin_BC]

Your sitting right on that line where you can get away with or without CO2. Once I hit 2WPG, I was going to improve my spectrum of lights, but my LFS owner suggested that at the 2WPG point, the CO2 would be more beneficial to add than the better spectrum. I added CO2 at the 2WPG point and I did see a big improvement in the growth of all my true aquatic plants.

If I were in your situation (which I was), I'd go for the CO2 now. You will definately see a difference. I'd also, however, double (or knowing me, triple) the lights after getting the CO2 to give you a nice 4WPG (or 6WPG ). Then I'd bring on the Glossostigma, Alternanthera reineckii, maybe some riccia for a nice bubbly carpet effect, and what the hell, let's toss some cabomba into the mix just because we can.

Colin

 

[kent]

panboy, i only have 40W for my 30 gallon tank

 

[royal fern]

May I jump in here and ask a question. I just started using the home made CO2 pump. How do you keep the ph up? After 2 or 3 days it was 6.0. thanks for any info.

 

[Colin_BC]

It was never any issue for me.

Colin

 

[royal fern]

Do you mean that your ph did not go down, or do you mean that the low ph doesn't bother your fish?

 

[kent]

hey royalfern, I had the same situation when I added my CO2 3 days ago... My pH went down from 7.2 to 6.0 in the span of 5 hours after adding CO2... I took it out and adjusted the way i put it in the water. My friend advised me to put the end tube or airstone(if you're usign one) under the output arch of your HOB filter. I did what he said and my pH has been stable at 6.8

 

[ouchia]

yeah all you need to do is reduce the amount of co2 going into the tank. by putting the output under the waterflow, alot of co2 gets lost to the surface. you might also want to try just adjusting the amount of co2 that's allowed into the tank, you'd extend the life of your unit as well..

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

how many watts per gallon do each of u have?

im not sure i can check tomorrow, it might not be much but my tank gets sunlight all day

 

[Colin_BC]

I think because on my 30G I used a Nutrafin Natural CO2 System intended for up to 20G, I didn't experience any big pH swings. My pH wass always around 7 to 7.5. I do believe I remember the LFS owner telling me that the DIY units caused certain things to fluctuate in the aquarium, whereas the Nutrafin system is more stable. I don't remember what he said would fluctuate though with some DIY CO2 systems. I mentioned something to him that I could do my own with yeast and baking soda as a stabilizer, but he said the nutrafin refill packs stabilizer isn't baking soda. he suggested that even if I do go the DIY route at some point for CO2 that I still use the nutrafin packets instead of a home made mix.

Colin

 

[SoilGuru]

I have 96 W on a 45 gallon and I've just upgraded to 2x96 watts.

I do use CO2 and notice a BIG change to my plants, and fish. I have a school of rummynose tetra's, which are good indicator fish (their "heads" turn pale when they are stressed). They already were very red, but now are a deeper red. My pH has never been an issue, mainly cause I too add the amount of CO2 probably needed for a 20 gallon tank.

One thing to remember though, if you add CO2 and/or more light, for some of the plants, you need o do some trimmng and/or removing dead tissue, otherwise i could gunk up your tank.