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Old 06-06-2003, 05:56 AM
Djay
 
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Default Pressurized CO2 update and 1 more Question

Purchased a 5 lb tank, regulator, needle valve all from sources from various
posts here and what was available locally. I made a DIY bubble counter and
after assembly everything is working beautifully and there are no detectable
leaks! Checked each connection with soapy water and fixed the original
bubble counter which was leaking nearly all the CO2.

Now I have about 55 CO2 bubbles/min bubbling into a reactor inside the tank.
The regularity and quantity of CO2 entering the reactor is quite a
remarkable improvement over DIY yeast.

Question... I am guessing that I will just measure my Ph to determine the
optimal bubble rate?

Thanks for all the help!

DJay


Original post...


I'm tired of doing the DIY Yeast CO2 constantly. I found a local place that
sells and refills CO2 containers at a reasonable price. Do any of you have
a regulator that you would recommend? While cheaper isn't always better,
I'm looking for a good value and good quality.

TIA,

DJay



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Old 06-06-2003, 07:08 AM
Djay
 
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Default Pressurized CO2 update and 1 more Question

Well heck... what I meant to say below was that I guess I will adjust the
CO2 bubble rate until the Ph crossed with the KH give me around 20 ppm CO2
saturation... My KH is 4~5 dH so for 20 ppm CO2, I should adjust the bubble
rate until my Ph reads 7.

DJay - been lurking for so long that I'm correcting myself!


"Djay" wrote in message
...
Purchased a 5 lb tank, regulator, needle valve all from sources from

various
posts here and what was available locally. I made a DIY bubble counter

and
after assembly everything is working beautifully and there are no

detectable
leaks! Checked each connection with soapy water and fixed the original
bubble counter which was leaking nearly all the CO2.

Now I have about 55 CO2 bubbles/min bubbling into a reactor inside the

tank.
The regularity and quantity of CO2 entering the reactor is quite a
remarkable improvement over DIY yeast.

Question... I am guessing that I will just measure my Ph to determine the
optimal bubble rate?

Thanks for all the help!

DJay


Original post...


I'm tired of doing the DIY Yeast CO2 constantly. I found a local place

that
sells and refills CO2 containers at a reasonable price. Do any of you

have
a regulator that you would recommend? While cheaper isn't always better,
I'm looking for a good value and good quality.

TIA,

DJay





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Old 06-06-2003, 04:32 PM
RedForeman
 
Posts: n/a
Default Pressurized CO2 update and 1 more Question

SLOWLY... do it very slowly... don't just turn it on and wait...

start at a few bubbles, then increase over a few hours... pH swings can kill
fish, as little as a .5 pH CAN do harm.. but if you're coming down from 7.5
to 6.5 I'd do it over a few days instead of a few hours....


"Djay" wrote in message
...
Well heck... what I meant to say below was that I guess I will adjust

the
CO2 bubble rate until the Ph crossed with the KH give me around 20 ppm CO2
saturation... My KH is 4~5 dH so for 20 ppm CO2, I should adjust the

bubble
rate until my Ph reads 7.

DJay - been lurking for so long that I'm correcting myself!


"Djay" wrote in message
...
Purchased a 5 lb tank, regulator, needle valve all from sources from

various
posts here and what was available locally. I made a DIY bubble counter

and
after assembly everything is working beautifully and there are no

detectable
leaks! Checked each connection with soapy water and fixed the original
bubble counter which was leaking nearly all the CO2.

Now I have about 55 CO2 bubbles/min bubbling into a reactor inside the

tank.
The regularity and quantity of CO2 entering the reactor is quite a
remarkable improvement over DIY yeast.

Question... I am guessing that I will just measure my Ph to determine

the
optimal bubble rate?

Thanks for all the help!

DJay


Original post...


I'm tired of doing the DIY Yeast CO2 constantly. I found a local place

that
sells and refills CO2 containers at a reasonable price. Do any of you

have
a regulator that you would recommend? While cheaper isn't always

better,
I'm looking for a good value and good quality.

TIA,

DJay







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Old 08-06-2003, 10:44 AM
Robert H
 
Posts: n/a
Default Pressurized CO2 update and 1 more Question

"Djay" wrote in message ...
Purchased a 5 lb tank, regulator, needle valve all from sources from various
posts here and what was available locally. I made a DIY bubble counter and
after assembly everything is working beautifully and there are no detectable
leaks! Checked each connection with soapy water and fixed the original
bubble counter which was leaking nearly all the CO2.

Now I have about 55 CO2 bubbles/min bubbling into a reactor inside the tank.
The regularity and quantity of CO2 entering the reactor is quite a
remarkable improvement over DIY yeast.

Question... I am guessing that I will just measure my Ph to determine the
optimal bubble rate?

Thanks for all the help!

DJay


Original post...


I'm tired of doing the DIY Yeast CO2 constantly. I found a local place that
sells and refills CO2 containers at a reasonable price. Do any of you have
a regulator that you would recommend? While cheaper isn't always better,
I'm looking for a good value and good quality.

TIA,

DJay


20 to 30 ppm is considered the optimum level. Some people run a little
lower, some people have gone a little higher. If you go by Chuck Gadds
chart and calculator which is on his site as well as mine, 20ppm would
be your target. If you go by the chart on the KRIB, its around 30ppm.
Anything over 35 ppm is dangerous for your fish. Yeast systems
typically average around 10 to 15 ppm, starting higher and then
decreasing, reaching its highest point in its first week.

CO2 diffuses about ten thousand times slower in water than in air.
This problem is compounded by the Prandtl boundary, (a unstirred layer
of water that surrounds aquatic plant leaves.) Gases and nutrients
must diffuse this layer to reach the plant leaf. It is about 0.5 mm
thick. The result is that approximately 30 mg/L free CO2 is required
to saturate photosynthesis in submerged aquatic plants. This is
according to reseacher David Huebert.

Whatever your target range is, you want to do it slowly and gradually
over one or two weeks. If you drop your pH down to fast at once, your
fish will go into shock. Done gradually, it acts as a natural ph swing
which fish can adapt to easily.

Even at only 10ppm though, it makes a noticable difference. I don't
know if you have heard about the Carbo Plus Co2 system, (a carbon
block that reacts with the KH to produce C02). 10ppm is typically the
maximum amount it produces in a 20 to 30 gallon tank. While you will
not see a huge amount of pearling it is enough to make very thin and
delicate plants have thicker more vibrant growth and of course you
never have to worry about over dosing. But if you are going to invest
in a pressurized gas system, you might as well get the most out of it
as you can instead of settling for a low but safe level.

I hope this helps

Robert Hudson
www.aquabotanic.com
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