Aquaone Ar850 Co2 Install

[TarkMalbot]

I have added a small CO2 set into my 165 litre Aquaone tank but I can't help but think that the spray bar and return into the tank adds that much air to the water it will be working against the CO2. Is there anything I can do to the standard setup without resorting to making the power head and spray bar redundant and installing an external filter?

 

[techen]

What colour is your drop checker?

 

[SLIM]

I have added a small CO2 set into my 165 litre Aquaone tank but I can't help but think that the spray bar and return into the tank adds that much air to the water it will be working against the CO2. Is there anything I can do to the standard setup without resorting to making the power head and spray bar redundant and installing an external filter?

Yes. Simply reduce surface agitation a little. The more surface agitation the more it works against your co2. You want a little agitation but not too much. Push your spraybar under a little more.

 

[TarkMalbot]

The CO2 has only been in a few days and am turning it up slightly each day to try and stabilise the levels but the indicator is still blue at the moment.

In reply to the spray bar suggestion you can't be farmiliar with the AquaOne filtration system.

 

[SLIM]

No I wasnt to be fair. Keep turning up your co2 day by day til you get that nice lime green colour.

 

[TarkMalbot]

Ok thanks. I would say it has less than 150 litres and it running at 10 bubbles a min. I will turn it up to 15. how long does it usually take before I see a change on the indicator? My only other question is where I should have the indicator? I have the CO2 diffuser in the bottom corner under the water return in the opposite end to the power head suction and have the indicator in the top next to the power head. Am I correct in thinking you should check it in the morning before the lights go on as this will be the time that the CO2 is highest due to the plants not photosynthesising when the lights are out?

 

[TarkMalbot]

Oh and here is how it looks at the moment:

 

[SLIM]

Drop checkers normally take 2 hours to respond or change colour if you've turned your co2 up. I used to keep my drop checker about 3 or 4 inches below the water line. Diffuser really needs to be at the bottom of the tank under a filter outlet or powerhead for distribution. I assume you have good 10x flow? The longer the co2 bubbles are in the water the better the diffusion. Also you want your co2 to come on 2 or 3 hours before lights on so your waters co2 levels reach 30ppm (lime green) before lights on. And turn off with your lights. As im sure you already know

Just realised you dont have a solenoid do you?

 

[liamhuckle]

You normaly want between 1-2 bubles per second

 

[shoulders]

is that a 95g co2 cannister ? if so i dont think it will last long in a 165 litre tank

 

[TarkMalbot]

No it's a cheapy so didn't have a solenoid. LFS said to leave it on 24/7 for the moment??

And the canister is 95 grams and is said to be designed for up to 150 litres and I was told it should last a month or two. If I sort out the aeration to be less I assume I will use less CO2?

1-2 bubbles a second sounds a lot as the instructions said to aim for between 10-20 a minute. For the safety of the fish I will slowly increase it and see how I get on.

 

[SLIM]

Co2 really shouldnt be running through the night as plants dont absorb co2 when lights are off, they actually give off co2 thus less oxygen for the fishies.
Yes less aeration and surface agitation = less co2 needed
Nobody can say you need 1 - 2 bubbles per second as this all depends on several factors.
Surface agitation, light, plant mass, flow and co2 diffusion to name afew. Every tank is different.
Slowly up it, say 2 or 3 times a day until you get that nice lime green.
Dont take too long finding that sweet spot or your get algae! This is called the yoyo effect which is what you dont want.

 

[TarkMalbot]

I have been doing some more research in regards to bubbles per second etc etc and agree that you can;t just go by what someone else has.  Water hardness and PH will affect the CO2 content.  At present it has been turned up from 10 bubbles per minute to 20 bubbles per min and I will see if I can get the indicator to go green.
 
I am looking at changing the trickle filter system to an external filter system to avoid extra aeration.
 
At the moment I may run an air pump at night to get rid of some unwater CO2 and look at a solenoid I can use with my setup.


Would this be suitable?
 
http/www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CO2-magnetic-Valve-Solenoid-Valve-Night-Time-Cut-off-/151010889265

 

[SLIM]

Yes mate thats fine.

Why dont you just buy a regulator with a built in solenoid (approx £50) and buy a CO2 fire extinguisher (approx £25) job done and this set up will last 6+ months. Thats what I would do in your postion.

 

[TarkMalbot]

Ok I will look into that.
 
I am also looking at getting another Aquamanta EFX 400 and running that with it.  I did look at the Eheim Classic but i wasn't sure what the best media setup would be and the many options confused me a little.  I know where I stand with the Aquamanta and running at 1400 lph would be turning the tank over 10 times.