Co2 Diy System

[wolfwolf]

I have a 20 gallon tank with one two liter bottle hooked to a bubble counter and an fine bubble airstone to deliver the Co2. I have a HOB filter. In the middle of the light cycle my CO2 is ~8ppm. Before I used the Co2 system I got ~0ppm. I have always dosed with Excel. Since adding the CO2 I 've cut the excel dose in half. My plants appear to be doing better after 7 days. Buying another filter is out of the question (to reduce the surface agitation). Should I be happy at 8ppm or do I need to go with two 2 liter bottles?

Would two bottles get me to 16ppm?

By the way the DIY recipe for creating co2 is great! 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon yeast

 

[SuperColey1]

How do you know it is 8ppm?

AC

 

[wolfwolf]

I have a test kit. It is a liquid based test. I add five drops of part A and then one drop of part B until I see a color change. Each drop is equal to 2ppm CO2.

http/www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11400/product.web

 

[aaronnorth]

i doubt that test kit is accurate, you have on average 6ppm of CO2 already dissolved in the water, and it would be almost ompossible to have 0ppm for obvious reasons - fish is one of them.

 

[Nick16]

get a DC. invaluable as you can glance at it in 2 secs.

 

[wolfwolf]

What is a DC?

Well given the nature of the test it could have trouble with accuracy. The color match is very subtle.

So how does everyone else know there co2 level

I have a red sea indicator, but it has -, A smile face, and a + sign. Is the smile 15ppm? 30 ppm?

 

[Nick16]

get a drop checker (DC) from ebay for about a fiver, mine came with the solution as well and quick delivery.

then when you haveput it in your tank after about 2 hours the colour will represent the amount of co2 in your water,
blue=insufficient
green=perfect
yellow=too much.

 

[SuperColey1]

I think the red sea indicator is a DC?

Drop checkers are often known by other names of:
Permanent CO2 test
Permanent CO2 indicator.

The latter is the best description.

You use 4dKH water and some bromo blue in them and the colour will be bluw. when in the tank it will change according to the CO2 concentration within the water. So if the CO2 is roughly 25-35ppm then it will be green. blue will be less and yellow will be more.

When I say indicator is the best description what I mean is that it is indicating an approximate range that the CO2 is at rather than saying the ppm is X ppm. It is also a delayed reaction due to the time it takes for gaseous exchange therefore you are always reading the colour for a couple of hours previous.

So in answer I think your smiley face thing is similar however I do not know how it works so it may not be as reliable.

AC

 

[wolfwolf]

Based on that description my Red Sea product is indeed a Permanent Co2 Indicator. The color is a greenish blue so I would guess that my Co2 would be slightly lower than "perfect".

I will have to experiment with a second 2 liter bottle.