nutra fin

[abstract]

Is it possable to shut off a nutrafin?

short of removing the tube from the bottle, no....and if you did so you would lose pressure and the oxygen getting in the bottle alone is not good for the process..not to mention each time you do this CO2 is still being produced and then released/wasted into the atmosphere

 

[Danno]

Then what is the point of getting a CO2 system that doesnt use a professonal CO2 Tank?

 

[jimbooo]

because the co2's free and does exactly the same thing as a pressurised bottle just not as controllable.
(when i say free i mean the cost of a bag of sugar a month.)

 

[Danno]

Im just saying, the sugar yeast mixture will just keeps going....that will eventually kill you fish ebcause on the pH dropping

 

[houndour]

Professional Co2 units that use pressurised tanks are really expensive...£80 upwards. I think if you have a really big tank and take planting seriously then this is fine. But in my opinion is overkill for a small tank like mine.

The only good thing about the nutrafin system is that you simply don't have to make a CO2 thing out of a coke bottle. For £20 I was happy to pay for the convenience. It also comes with the diffuser that keeps the bubbles in the water for longer.

You say the pH will keep increasing? How long does is take to increase? I've had my CO2 running for a week now and my Co2 hasn't risen yet.

If it wasn't safe then people wouldn't keep raving about DIY CO2 systems, cos they surely have the same problem as the nutrafin one that they can't be switched off unless you remove the tube.

The only concern I have and I keep forgetting to ask is that at night Plants take in O2 and give off CO2. So at night wouldn't there be a bigger build up of CO2?

 

[jimbooo]

ph drops because you are adding co2.

i think your confused here. wether the co2 is going in from a diy kit or a bottle the same effect will be seen.

you have more chance of a massive ph drop with the professional kit as the co2 is available instantly in large ammounts.

the yeast method doesn't work fast enough to cause fast ph drops and if it drops too much just unscrew the lid and it will stop.

i have 3 nutrafin units on my 40 gallon, they've been running for 3 months or so and PH is 6.7

you can get a ph regulator for the professional kit which will keep it in check but really only necessary if it's a huge tank with lots of co2 going in.

sorry hondour to answer your question yes the co2 will build up over night. some people run a small gentle airstone at night whilst your plants are getting established but personally i dont bother. fish are more than happy.

you may want to get one of theselink

it will give you a constant reading of co2 levels and PH of your water. well worth a purchase.

 

[houndour]

Oh thats a good idea to run an airstone at night. A lot easier than removing the tube every day!!

I already have an airstone thing, I might put it on timer for the night.

 

[houndour]

I read that those permanent Co2 testers aren't really accurate, but they give a instant indication for if things do start to go wrong. I think I might get one.

 

[jimbooo]

if you change the reagent every 14 days as stated on the packet they are pretty accurate. i have a proper ph test kit and use that to double check the JBL one. the readings are always within .1 of each other.

as to the airstone make sure it's really gentle you dont want the surface to be agitated more than necessary. a slow trickle of bubbles will do the trick.

 

[squirrelrabbits]

On this topic: does anybody know if the Hagen unit will work in a tank that is using a UGF? I have one set up and there is surface agitation from the airstone at one end of the tank. I have a Hagen c02 unit newly set up at the other end of the tank (20 inches away--it's a 15 gallon). The Hagen setup directions don't say anything about removing air pumps/stones/bubbles from the tank. Do I need to ditch my UGF?

 

[Lateral Line]

Anything agitating the surface will reduce the effectiveness of any CO2 system. CO2 is not very soluable, it comes out of solution very easily.

Professional CO2 systems often include a night time shut off, as much as anything, that is to stop wasting gas. Sure, the pH can drop if you keep adding CO2, but in practice, in all but the most unstable poorly buffered water, the effect is small.

 

[Mr Miagi]

So if i were to purchase the nutrafin co2 system, should i turn it off at night. I dont want to suffocate my fish.

 

[abstract]

you can't really turn it off...you will be wasting co2 as we've stated..and anyhow there is plenty of oxygen for the most part...

 

[Waterloo Kid]

The amount of CO2 and oxygen in the water is largely independent. It's not like the CO2 displaces the oxygen from the water. A rise in CO2 levels doesn't mean an automatic drop in O2. Your biggest worry will be a pH drop due to low KH. If your water pH drops overnight due to CO2 input then you are either using too much CO2 or your water has a low KH value and cannot buffer correctly.
Just leave the CO2 generator running and check the pH in the morning before lights on and just before lights off in the evening. That'll let you know if you have a problem or not.

WK