DIY CO2 - Need help

[elaw]

Hey All,

I've really appreciated reading your posts and getting feedback. I'm really loving my tank but am switching to a new system and have been interested in keeping my plants and discus happy and want to do a co2 system but on the diy path due to a lack of funds.

What is the best way to know how much CO2 is too much? I hear that fish will have labored breathing. Is a drip per sec too much or do i just get a test kit and have the water tested every week or so?

Also, does anyone have any success with their systems and any horror stories?

[Offpath]

You will not be able to do DIY CO2 on any tank big enough to house discus. In general, most people don't really have success with DIY CO2 in anything larger than 30-40 gallons. Measuring by bubbles per second is pretty much useless because the amount of gas in a particular volume is dependent upon pressure, and it doesn't account for the size of your tank, what percentage actually dissolves in your water, or how much outgassing you have.

If you want to get into CO2, I'd recommend buying an actual CO2 tank + regulator. To measure the amount of CO2 you have in your tank, buy a drop-checker and ignore the instructions that tell you to use tank water. Instead, either make or buy a 4dkh solution and use that along with the indicator. You can find a ton of info on all of this over at the forums at plantedtank.net.

[elaw]

Offpath - I am setting up a 50 gallong planted. I'm struggling with the amount of lighting, water temperature and whether to add CO2. Here is what i'm thinking, 2x39W lighting fixture with a tank temperature of 83 degrees. I'll be sticking with plants (swords, crypts..etc) that do well in this higher temperature range but they will obviously grow slowly. I am wondering if I do a yeast CO2 system, even if just for the beginning will this help my plants get started, even if its not meant for tanks this size? I have found a drop checker to us but just dont know that much. I really don't want to invest in a long term CO2 system.

[White Worm]

Live plants are going to require long term involvement with CO2 and possibly some type of fertilizers if you want to keep them healthy and growing. The upfront investment can seem steep sometimes but it is cheap after that. So easy too with timers. My lights and C02 come on and go off by themselves and I just add dry ferts Mon-Sat and a water change at the end of the week. DIY is such a pain and can get messy if you are not careful. With my routine, I have to trim stem plants each week because they are reaching the surface of my 72g. I can also leave things on their own like my 1 week vacation to California 2 weeks ago. Was gone for a week and all was good except I lost some rummy nose. Those little suckers seem pretty fragile compared to other schooling fish. Drop checker is the best way to easily visualize the level of C02 in the tank.

[scottthomas]

I have kept live aquarium plants for years with no CO2. I realize there are certain plants that require CO2, but there are many that will live and grow without CO2 just fine.

[russren]

I have been running a 90 gallon, heavily planted tank with co2 for about 10 yrs Don't bother counting bubbles, you get what you get. Just be sure and measure the ph and water hardness, then look at one of the online conversion tables to get co2 concentration. One reason I think I have had success with such a large tank is I have the tank tightly covered, with not much water disturbance. I currently us a tunze water jet co2 reactor to get the most out of my diy reactor, but used an airstone for years. You WILL get better growth with the diy, but no where near enough co2 to harm the fish. FYI, my 90 has 260 watts of compact fluorescent, crypts, amazon, rotala and a few others. I don't get high enough co2 for many plants to thrive, but I have settled for just a few that work well for me.

Give the diy a shot, you don't have anything to lose. Just make sure you have plenty of plants in the tank to take in the co2, or the algae will get it. You will need to get on some low dose, regular fertilization program too. My three discus love the plants, and aren't affected by the co2.