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15-06-2009, 09:02
I noticed a lot of guys starting to ask about CO2, DIY CO2, cheaper options, the right options, the right amount etc etc with regards to injecting CO2 into a tropical tank. I've done a fair amount of online reading, spoken to a few LPS owners (useless bunch of characters they are!) and would like to share my experience, and advice.
This advice is based on my reading and chatting to people, and not based on my experience (yet) as I have only had a DIY CO2 going for 1 week now.
The first question you need to ask yourself if WHY do you want to add CO2? CO2 is a brilliant addition to a planted aquarium, but only if the following 2 criteria (in my opinion) are met. (1) you have enough light. Let's go back to Grade 6 , or standard 4, basics. Plants convert CO2 into the building blocks of life, i.e Carbon, through the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis, as the name suggests ('photo') requires good light, and light of the correct spectrum. As light is made up of varying wavelengths, you need to make sure you have the right TYPE of light as well. Secondly you need enough OXYGEN in order to sustain the current fish in your tank.
Let's face it, adding CO2 to your tank is adding a poisonous gas into your water, and unless you have sufficient oxygen in the water, your fish will suffer the most.
I have learnt 2 valuable lessons in life. The first one is (courtesy of my parents), "If in Doubt, DON'T DO". If you are in doubt as to whether you want to add CO2 or not, then rather don't until you are certain. If you are certain but don't know which system to use, then my second life lesson's comes into play, (courtesy of miss Rory Gilmore of Gilmore Girls!) "Draw up a Pro-Con list!!!!
All CO2's provide the same basic function. To add CO2 to water.
In my reading and chatting to people, there are very few CO2 injectors that are self controlled, meaning, they monitor the water themselves and add only what is necessary. Most CO2 injectors rely on the user regulating the amount of CO2 into the water. Unfortunately to date I have not found any instructions on how much to add, etc etc... which makes it a 'hit and miss' exercise.
Whether you go for a fancy expensive CO2, or the simple DIY CO2, at the end of the day... the amount that needs to be added is up to you!
There are many pros and cons to the DIY CO2... and many aquarists have heart failure if they learn you are using DIY. But I believe that if sufficient precaution is exercised, you can get just as much success out of a DIY as the more expensive injection kits.
When you google DIY CO2, there are any precautions, or worrys that are mentioned that you need to be careful of when doing DIY, and I'd like to share my own ways in which I tried to overcome these concerns.
The main concern with DIY is that it is very difficult to regulate the amount of CO2 being injected. This is true, and unless you take precautions, you will have no idea how much you are adding. What I did was by adding 2 simple devices (cost of R 50.00 total), I am now able to monitor. Putting CO2 through an airstone doesn't work effectively if you wanting to monitor. The bubbles are jut too small, and form a continuous stream of bubbles. I inserted a control valve into my airtubing, and terminated the tubing in a "bubble counter". The bubble counter allows me to count how many bubbles (which are now all the same size and released relatively a the same time), are released into the water. As I have mentioned, I do not know how much bubbles to add, but in order to prevent fluctuations, I just control the amount of bubbles that exit per minute. As the DIY kit starts to run out, I oen the valve a little more to ensure I have the same constant. Then, when I notice that I cannot open any more, I prepare a second bottle, let it stand over night, and connect it the next day.
The second concern is the container it is kept in. CO2 buildup inside the bottle can, in theory, explode the bottle, leaving an amazingly sticky, beer smelling mess all over the place. But let's be real here, a coke bottle is deigned to take a certain amount of pressure... and if your design is good, the bottle won't explode. When I drilled the hole into the bottle cap for the tubing, I used a drill that fits INSIDE the tubing. I then used the very soft flexible tubing, and because it is soft, it creates it's own seal into the bottle cap. Thus I did not need to use silicon to seal it in. I also did not stick the tube in very far, only about 10mm, so if too much pressure is built up, I'll simply pop the tubing off!
So how much CO2 should you add! The 2 million dollar question! Well, I am yet to find that out, and simply add what I think is right. It'll take a few weeks to get the correct amount for your specific tank... obviously you need to take water pH and hardness into account. What I have done this week is made sure that my pH remains constant. (Yes, it did drop to 6.8, but it now remains constant), made sure that the fish are happy, (they are actually a lot more energetic and happier now with the CO2 being put in than before! - altho I think it's because before I have pH of 8.2!). And now I monitor the plant growth.
So (1) I first check that my water has room to drop in pH... if your pH is at 6.2, adding CO2 in theory could drop it too low for your fish to live!
(2) I make sure my fish are happy, not gasping, and still living as normal behaviour.
(3) I watch for plant growth. My tank over the last week has shown super signs of growth, and I am very happy with the level of CO2 I am added, even though I do not actually KNOW how much I am adding!
My plants are growing, my pH is stable at a very good level for my fish, and my fish are very very happy. (to the point that I have my first successful batch of fry!)
Building CO2 can be very successful, if your conditions require CO2, and if you prepared to put the time and effort into your tank. Also bear in mind that putting a CO2 system in for 1 lonely plant is a waste!!
Adding CO2 will stimulate growth, meaning bigger plants, resulting in more oxygen. In theory you should add more CO2 as the plants grow, (adding more O2 for the fish too), but my plants have not reached that 'big' stage yet, so I'm not 100% sure on the theroy here!
Hope this helps.
Add comments or your own concerns guys...
This advice is based on my reading and chatting to people, and not based on my experience (yet) as I have only had a DIY CO2 going for 1 week now.
The first question you need to ask yourself if WHY do you want to add CO2? CO2 is a brilliant addition to a planted aquarium, but only if the following 2 criteria (in my opinion) are met. (1) you have enough light. Let's go back to Grade 6 , or standard 4, basics. Plants convert CO2 into the building blocks of life, i.e Carbon, through the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis, as the name suggests ('photo') requires good light, and light of the correct spectrum. As light is made up of varying wavelengths, you need to make sure you have the right TYPE of light as well. Secondly you need enough OXYGEN in order to sustain the current fish in your tank.
Let's face it, adding CO2 to your tank is adding a poisonous gas into your water, and unless you have sufficient oxygen in the water, your fish will suffer the most.
I have learnt 2 valuable lessons in life. The first one is (courtesy of my parents), "If in Doubt, DON'T DO". If you are in doubt as to whether you want to add CO2 or not, then rather don't until you are certain. If you are certain but don't know which system to use, then my second life lesson's comes into play, (courtesy of miss Rory Gilmore of Gilmore Girls!) "Draw up a Pro-Con list!!!!
All CO2's provide the same basic function. To add CO2 to water.
In my reading and chatting to people, there are very few CO2 injectors that are self controlled, meaning, they monitor the water themselves and add only what is necessary. Most CO2 injectors rely on the user regulating the amount of CO2 into the water. Unfortunately to date I have not found any instructions on how much to add, etc etc... which makes it a 'hit and miss' exercise.
Whether you go for a fancy expensive CO2, or the simple DIY CO2, at the end of the day... the amount that needs to be added is up to you!
There are many pros and cons to the DIY CO2... and many aquarists have heart failure if they learn you are using DIY. But I believe that if sufficient precaution is exercised, you can get just as much success out of a DIY as the more expensive injection kits.
When you google DIY CO2, there are any precautions, or worrys that are mentioned that you need to be careful of when doing DIY, and I'd like to share my own ways in which I tried to overcome these concerns.
The main concern with DIY is that it is very difficult to regulate the amount of CO2 being injected. This is true, and unless you take precautions, you will have no idea how much you are adding. What I did was by adding 2 simple devices (cost of R 50.00 total), I am now able to monitor. Putting CO2 through an airstone doesn't work effectively if you wanting to monitor. The bubbles are jut too small, and form a continuous stream of bubbles. I inserted a control valve into my airtubing, and terminated the tubing in a "bubble counter". The bubble counter allows me to count how many bubbles (which are now all the same size and released relatively a the same time), are released into the water. As I have mentioned, I do not know how much bubbles to add, but in order to prevent fluctuations, I just control the amount of bubbles that exit per minute. As the DIY kit starts to run out, I oen the valve a little more to ensure I have the same constant. Then, when I notice that I cannot open any more, I prepare a second bottle, let it stand over night, and connect it the next day.
The second concern is the container it is kept in. CO2 buildup inside the bottle can, in theory, explode the bottle, leaving an amazingly sticky, beer smelling mess all over the place. But let's be real here, a coke bottle is deigned to take a certain amount of pressure... and if your design is good, the bottle won't explode. When I drilled the hole into the bottle cap for the tubing, I used a drill that fits INSIDE the tubing. I then used the very soft flexible tubing, and because it is soft, it creates it's own seal into the bottle cap. Thus I did not need to use silicon to seal it in. I also did not stick the tube in very far, only about 10mm, so if too much pressure is built up, I'll simply pop the tubing off!
So how much CO2 should you add! The 2 million dollar question! Well, I am yet to find that out, and simply add what I think is right. It'll take a few weeks to get the correct amount for your specific tank... obviously you need to take water pH and hardness into account. What I have done this week is made sure that my pH remains constant. (Yes, it did drop to 6.8, but it now remains constant), made sure that the fish are happy, (they are actually a lot more energetic and happier now with the CO2 being put in than before! - altho I think it's because before I have pH of 8.2!). And now I monitor the plant growth.
So (1) I first check that my water has room to drop in pH... if your pH is at 6.2, adding CO2 in theory could drop it too low for your fish to live!
(2) I make sure my fish are happy, not gasping, and still living as normal behaviour.
(3) I watch for plant growth. My tank over the last week has shown super signs of growth, and I am very happy with the level of CO2 I am added, even though I do not actually KNOW how much I am adding!
My plants are growing, my pH is stable at a very good level for my fish, and my fish are very very happy. (to the point that I have my first successful batch of fry!)
Building CO2 can be very successful, if your conditions require CO2, and if you prepared to put the time and effort into your tank. Also bear in mind that putting a CO2 system in for 1 lonely plant is a waste!!
Adding CO2 will stimulate growth, meaning bigger plants, resulting in more oxygen. In theory you should add more CO2 as the plants grow, (adding more O2 for the fish too), but my plants have not reached that 'big' stage yet, so I'm not 100% sure on the theroy here!
Hope this helps.
Add comments or your own concerns guys...