CO2 Ladder

[Sime]

Hi, I've moved my nutrafin CO2 today to a different wall of the tank. The bubbles are coming outevery 8 - 10 seconds regularly but they are coming out faster than before and when they reach the top of the ladder they go straight up and pop on the surface without a trace.

Is the CO2 still getting into the system ok?

Simon

 

[iggy01]

Sime, have you changed the mixture at the same time as moving the ladder? Sometimes the initial bubbles after the mixture has been changed can do this.

You will know if the Co2 is still gettting in the system by checking the KH & pH for the Co2 reading.

 

[Sime]

yes i did change it as it had ran out. thre are no bubbles anywhere once they've come out of the ladder and burst, just wondered if they would still be effective.

i'll test my KH and pH tomrrow.

 

[fishwatcher]

how does pH and kh tell you about the CO2?

 

[fishwatcher]

Sorry... didn't mean to take over the post.

 

[smithrc]

KH PH and CO2 are all linked together - one cant change without another changing.

With Co2 - the KH will remain the same but the more CO2 that goes into the water the lower the PH will become (numerically).

HTH

as for the bubble ladder - it sounds like you will be using the air in the pipes up. once the co2 comes through the bubbles should start to dissolve

either that or there is not enough water flow past the ladder so the water near it has absorbed all the co2 it can

 

[fishwatcher]

If I recently added an airstone (it makes a lot of bubble and moves the water alot, too) could that have caused my PH to jump up?

 

[iggy01]

If I recently added an airstone (it makes a lot of bubble and moves the water alot, too) could that have caused my PH to jump up?

Yes, adding an airstone will cause a rise in pH. This link may help you.

Good luck!

 

[Sime]

thats a good link iggy, thanks.

my pH is 7.8 and my KH is 6 - does this as if the CO2 is getting in ok to you?

Simon.

 

[fishwatcher]

Hey Sime,
Just wondering if your betta and neons have problems with each other?

 

[Sime]

luckily no, they did have a nip at him to start with, but leave him alone now. the beta does chase the rams sometimes but there's plenty of hiding places in the plants so they tend to stay away from each other.

 

[iggy01]

thats a good link iggy, thanks.

my pH is 7.8 and my KH is 6 - does this as if the CO2 is getting in ok to you?

Simon.

Sorry Sime, with a pH of 7.8 and a KH of 6 you only have around 3 mg/l of CO2. That's what you would expect in a tank without any CO2 injected.

Are you sure the top is secured tightly on the Nutrafin canister?

Could also be a bad mixture. Did you use the same yeast etc as previous mixtures?

 

[Sime]

thats strange, its only been in for 3 or 4 days - does that make any difference? i mixed it as instructed by GF225 - everything's sealed tight ive just checked.

 

[iggy01]

I would have thought after 3-4 days you'd have some serious CO2.

Are the bubbles still flying up the ladder? When you have good CO2 bubbles, they usually move up the ladder slower and become smaller as they go up.

When you did your blackout you increased surface agitation. Is surface water movement now back to normal?

 

[Sime]

theres no surface movement now. the bubble are quite big and dont realy get smaller up the ladder, one every 5 / 6 seconds now. the fly out of the top of the ladder and burst - then no signs of them.

my pipe is in the middle outlet on the ladder.