George's Journal

[zig]

I'm now pressurized!

It works a treat, the diffuser seems more efficicient than the Nutrafins as I'm getting 30ppm CO2 with just 20 bubbles per minute. I'll post pics soon, setting up etc.

I'm off to the Yorkshire Dales for two weeks tomorrow so I won't be very active on the forum.

Any major issues that need a mod then PM Lateral Line. Hopefully there won't be.

Be good and keep it balanced everyone!

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Have a good holiday gf, hope you get the weather, have a good one........

 

[George Farmer]

I've just got time to show you my CO2 set-up before I go away for a couple of weeks.

This is how it came inside the box.


The regulator was fitted to the cylinder using a 30mm spanner. I re-greased the rubber seal and used some PTFE tape on the thread to ensure extra leak-proof. The CO2 hose was then fitted with the check-valve in-line. The check-valve ensures any possible back water doesn't damgage the regulator. The diffuser was positioned inside the tank and the hose end connected.


This is the regulator close-up. The top gauge reads the cylinder contents. 60 Bar is full (at 20C). The working pressure valve is adjusted to approx 1 Bar as read on the lower gauge. The needle valve is then adusted to the acheive the required bubble rate. Simple.


This is my whole setup. The entire process of installation took about an hour - not much more than when I first bought my Nutrafin units.

 

[jimbooo]

thanks for that gf225, quite simple to fit then. hmm got me thinking now

have a great break and lets hope you come back to a jungle in a box.

 

[George Farmer]

thanks for that gf225, quite simple to fit then. hmm got me thinking now

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I wouldn't be surprised if a few people take the pressurized plunge now. It is very simple. The only negative is cost - which I believe is more than balanced by the positives i.e. increased CO2 and pH stabilty resulting in improved water quality, more control and less maintenance.

Future plans will to increase cylinder size to a 1.5kg and fit a pH controller and solenoid.

Then all I need is the dimmable T5 lighting!

have a great break and lets hope you come back to a jungle in a box. :hey

Actually I've reduced my lighting to 1 WPG (1 x 24" Dennerle and 1 x 24" Arcadia) so I don't come back to a jungle - or even worse - an algae infestation. My logic is that if I continued with my normal lighting then I would need to keep dosing my KNO3 etc. if I didn't then the deficiencies would slow plant growth and consequently increase the chance of algae.

I don't trust anyone enough to dose ferts while I am away so I've reduced the lighting to compensate. I trialled the lighting yesterday and the plants were still pearling - not bad for 1 WPG eh?

I did my normal 50% water change but added a little extra KNO3 and micros to hopefully last the 2 weeks. I'm fairly confident I'll come back to a healthy tank

 

[smithrc]

Just a quick post from me for George...

Here is the thermostat controler that he'll be using to control the heating cable.
DIY'd my my own fair hands

Its nothing fancy, Just a re used heater with the heating element stripped out and hard wired to act as a switch for the socket.
It plugs into a wall socket and will switch the cable on and off around an adjustable temperature

Parts were £10 + an old heater (I've replaced the light for you too )

 

[George Farmer]

Exactly what I wanted mate. Thanks so much.

It's hard to believe that the Dennerle version costs over £100!

 

[guppygirl]

Hey gf225! Lookin' great.
But I was wondering, because I live in the US and the majority of our members live in the UK, what is the conversion of pounds and dollars, etc.
I'm taking a gander at the co2 system you've bought, and even though I'm taking a break from planted tanks, (too much frustration that my mom decided she would take care of the tank because it just wasn't working) I might take it up again next year or somthing.
Great job so far!
Robin

 

[Bloo]

Hey gf225! Lookin' great.
But I was wondering, because I live in the US and the majority of our members live in the UK, what is the conversion of pounds and dollars, etc.
Robin

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£1 = $1.80 (www.xe.com)

But you can't really compare prices as things are a lot lot cheaper in the USA - unless of course you import goods from Europe. But you can buy your own versions of top class brands there for a heck of a lot less.

Looking fab George !

 

[George Farmer]

Thanks guys.

I did a quick search on US pressurized CO2 kits. You could probably find much cheaper if you looked into it furthur.

http/aquatic-store.com/en-us/dept_32.html

 

[George Farmer]

I'm pleased to say that after my 2 weeks away my tank is in perfect health - fish and plant alike.

I ran 1 WPG lighting so I didn't come back to an algae infested mess and it worked. Not feeding the fish worked too - cleared up my small pest snail population a treat, although they left my Malaysian Trumpets alone which was a reilef.

This pic was taken this morning after a 50% water change and thinning out my Sag a little - even with 1 WPG it became rather overgrown. I'm also very pleased how my Crinum is slowly establishing. You can see the long-term CO2 test in the left corner of the tank, I'll probably remove this - it looks ugly. It only takes a few moments to test my pH anyway.



I've ditched my Dennerle Flipper diffuser and am running the CO2 directly into my external filter inlet. It works really well and there's virtually no noise. My new bubble counter allows me to easily monitor my bubble rate.

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

nice, its looking really well, i am soon getting a big tank around 55-80 gallons, and plan on having very high temp plants along with plenty of discus's i love the fish, and i was wondering where you got yours?

 

[George Farmer]

nice, its looking really well, i am soon getting a big tank around 55-80 gallons, and plan on having very high temp plants along with plenty of discus's i love the fish, and i was wondering where you got yours?

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Thanks. The Discus is from The Waterzoo in Peterborough.

 

[George Farmer]

New pics

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=105483

 

[Jen]

Glad to hear that you came back to a healthy tank. Although, with all you planning, I had no doubts.

A question about co2... what PSI are you running at? That seems to be the question that everyone asks when I inquire about tanks and regulators.

Thanks

 

[George Farmer]

Glad to hear that you came back to a healthy tank. Although, with all you planning, I had no doubts.

A question about co2... what PSI are you running at? That seems to be the question that everyone asks when I inquire about tanks and regulators.

Thanks

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Thanks. Planning is very important when running a planted tank. God knows what I'll come back to when I go overseas for 4 months! My wife, bless her, isn't too hot on maintenance. We'll see.

I think bubble rate is more important than PSI. A newly filled cylinder is normally 60 Bar, it is then normally brought down to around 1 Bar and then the bubble rate is adjusted using a needle valve. 1 Bar = 14 PSI.

I run just under one bubble per second - this gives me an average of 30ppm CO2 running 24/7. pH swings aren't an issue (+- pH 0.2)