CO2 Setup for a Planted Tank

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Hello friends,

Can anyone recommend a CO2 unit for a 95 gallon planted tank? I have checked a few threads but none that I found have a complete list of whats needed.

I do not know if I can incorporate a CO2 unit into my Fluval 405 or does it just have lines that go directly into the tank?

[Sharkbait]

Here's what I have set up on my 90 gallon:

10lbs C02 cylinder
Milwaukee dual regulator
Solenoid Valve
Bubble Counter
Aquamedic 1000 reactor
Milwaukee PH Controller

Depending on how you want to bring the C02 into your tank, you may need some extra plumbing parts.

For me, I use a Fluval FX5 for filtration. The output is connected to the reactor and then the reactor's output is place above my filter's input. I've added a valve to control how much flow I want to take away from my filter output to use in the reactor.

I would not feed the C02 line DIRECTLY into your filter without dissolving it first. It is not dissolved gas yet and can damage your filter (carbonic acid). If you want to disperse your C02, the filter is a good way, but dissolve it through a reactor or something similar first.

The gear that I have was pretty easy to set up, and I am by no means a plumber.

The milwaukee stuff is good (as it comes in a kit), but I'm sure there are even better products out there.

[DiscusLoverJeff]

Thank you for the information. I appreciate you posting your setup for myself and others to get a general idea of what we need.

I am hoping to get this going soon and see if CO2 really will make a difference in my planted tank.

Everything in my tank is growing, I was just curious if it will make the plants greener or fuller. My root system with Eco-Complete is doing great, I have had many runners now that I have clipped and replanted, so the idea of needing CO2 is still an option at this point.

[jimg]

Here's what I have set up on my 90 gallon:

10lbs C02 cylinder
Milwaukee dual regulator
Solenoid Valve
Bubble Counter
Aquamedic 1000 reactor
Milwaukee PH Controller

Depending on how you want to bring the C02 into your tank, you may need some extra plumbing parts.

For me, I use a Fluval FX5 for filtration. The output is connected to the reactor and then the reactor's output is place above my filter's input. I've added a valve to control how much flow I want to take away from my filter output to use in the reactor.

I would not feed the C02 line DIRECTLY into your filter without dissolving it first. It is not dissolved gas yet and can damage your filter (carbonic acid). If you want to disperse your C02, the filter is a good way, but dissolve it through a reactor or something similar first.

The gear that I have was pretty easy to set up, and I am by no means a plumber.

The milwaukee stuff is good (as it comes in a kit), but I'm sure there are even better products out there.

+1 I have the same units. I run the reactor through the sump return line from my trickle filter.

[GrillMaster]

I am hoping to get this going soon and see if CO2 really will make a difference in my planted tank.

Night an day Jeff!! As long as your diffusion is good, you will be trimming your plants once a week... Make sure you have enough plants in there to begin with so the algae doesn't compete with em. :)

[1shooter]

I thought my plants looked good but after I added co2....wow what a difference.

The tank costs about $15 to fill and last for about a year. I pretty much run the same set up as mentioned above but with a DIY co2 reactor.

Take a look at the attached link. Thats pretty much how my reactor looks.

http://www.rexgrigg.com/diy-reactor.htm

[born2lovefish]

I have used ph controllers in the past. Personally, I would save your money and just go with a drop checker.

[Sharkbait]

I disagree. Ph controllers are different from drop checkers. When using C02, it's important to be able to control the amount injected - a lot is at risk if too much is put in. Besides, for a fish that depends on stable PH parameters, I couldn't think of a better piece of equipment.

Drop checkers just check what your ppm of C02 is at. While it's good to know if you have any dead zones in your tank, it doesn't keep your PH stable.

[born2lovefish]

I disagree. Ph controllers are different from drop checkers. When using C02, it's important to be able to control the amount injected - a lot is at risk if too much is put in. Besides, for a fish that depends on stable PH parameters, I couldn't think of a better piece of equipment.

Drop checkers just check what your ppm of C02 is at. While it's good to know if you have any dead zones in your tank, it doesn't keep your PH stable.

It is not that I do not respect your opinion on ph controllers, but I feel I must express my personal experience with using them in the past.

I have used the Milwaukee ph controller(about $100 new) and a Jenco ph controller($225+ new) in the past. I also have used drop checkers, which I currently use now on all my planted tanks.

Ph controllers and drop checkers are both used to 'measure' co2 concentration, weather dirrectly or through relation. Personally, here are the reasons why I like drop checkers, which is based on using ph controllers in the past.

-The cost of a cheaper (Milwaukee) ph controller new goes for about $100
-When the ph probe goes bad over time, plan on spending about $50 on a replacement
-Ph controllers take up space(not much) outside of the tank and need a power outlet. Also, you have two extra chords running around under your tank because of them.
-They need calibrated to remain accurate, which requires solution at another cost

Drop checkers are cheap and easy to use. I have less than $20 in materials for the ones I made for all my planted tanks, which includes the solutions I needed for inside them.

It was mentioned that drop checkers just check your ppm of co2 and that they do not keep your ph constant. If your goal for adding co2 is to keep your ph contant(which is related to co2 contentration), than buy a ph controller. If your goal for adding co2 is to maintain the proper co2 concentration for growing healthy plants, than go with a drop checker.

As I have learned over the years in the hobby, there are different methods for achieving the same result. What works best for one person, may not work better for someone else, which may partly be due to a person's water makeup.

For more info on ph controller or drop checkers, I suggest checking out plantedtank.net.

[Harriett]

I disagree. Ph controllers are different from drop checkers. When using C02, it's important to be able to control the amount injected - a lot is at risk if too much is put in. Besides, for a fish that depends on stable PH parameters, I couldn't think of a better piece of equipment.

Drop checkers just check what your ppm of C02 is at. While it's good to know if you have any dead zones in your tank, it doesn't keep your PH stable.

I have to agree with sharkbait on this one. I ran my 180 planted the way born2lovefish is recommending for a couple years, as a matter of fact and was fairly cavalier...until I had a CO2 dump [as my CO2 20 lb canister finished emptying] and nearly lost a tank full of favored discus--we spent hours 'walking' the discus back and forth to get O2 into their gills while we oxygenated the hell out of the tank and changed water to correct the dump. I realized at that point that I had simple been lucky, previously...I invested in a good pH controller and in the last 5 years have not had any issues or been concerned that any would pop up. I have enough stress without worrying over this issue, LOL. One of the best $200 investments I have spent on equipment for this hobby so far.
Best regards,
Harriett

[born2lovefish]

I have to agree with sharkbait on this one. I ran my 180 planted the way born2lovefish is recommending for a couple years, as a matter of fact and was fairly cavalier...until I had a CO2 dump [as my CO2 20 lb canister finished emptying] and nearly lost a tank full of favored discus--we spent hours 'walking' the discus back and forth to get O2 into their gills while we oxygenated the hell out of the tank and changed water to correct the dump. I realized at that point that I had simple been lucky, previously...I invested in a good pH controller and in the last 5 years have not had any issues or been concerned that any would pop up. I have enough stress without worrying over this issue, LOL. One of the best $200 investments I have spent on equipment for this hobby so far.
Best regards,
Harriett

Harriett,

That is a very good point to bring up. Personally, I have never had a co2 tank dump towards the end though. As an engineering student, I came up with a $3 fix for this problem. My bubble counter is made out of a glass water tube with a rubber stopper used for hamsters. It basically looks like a test tube bubble counter. If I turn my needle valve open a few more turns from normal operation and allow a large flow through, it simple pops the rubber stopper off of the bubble counter and the gas vents to the outside and does not dump into my aquarium. While I have designed for this and tested it, it has never went off towards the end of a tank. Like I previously said, what one person does may not work for another person. This personally has worked well for me in my planted tanks with and without discus.

[2wheelsx2]

To prevent an end of tank dump, you can also get a dual stage regulator like a Victor. Single stage regs cannot function properly at the reduced pressures of the cylinder when the liquid CO2 is all gone and it's all gas. born2lovefish's system is cheap and elegant, with the only concern being a sudden rise in CO2 in the room if it's small (for your own safety).

I run a 20 lb tank with a Rex Regulator and Clippard solenoid, brass check valves, a 2 outlet manifold so one goes to my FX5 running a ceramic diffuser under the outlet and the other going to an UpAqua atomizer hooked up to my 2028. I run a timer such that the CO2 is on 15 minutes before the lights come on and turns off 30 minutes before the light goes off and then I have another timer which turns on an AC70 powerhead with a venturi to offgas excess CO2 when the lights are off. I check my CO2 levels with a drop checker.

I think there are many ways to skin this cat and you have to find a method that works for your setup.

[tacks]

Hi I have a 150 planted tank. I have had planted tanks for over 15 years. I use a controller and a drop checker and feel you really should have both. Just my 2 cents Ed