View Full Version : Is one 2L bottle of DIY CO2 on a 55 enough?
I know that it is suggested to have 2 bottles and I was preparing to do so. I put one on last weekend and was going to do the other one this weekend. I was planning on doing this so that I could change them on alternating weeks to keep things a bit more stable. The thing is though, with just the one bottle, my pH has already gotten to the desired pH of 7.0. (My KH is 5. These two things indicate a good level of CO2, yes?) Should I still add the other bottle? I am afraid that it will cause the pH to dip even lower and also put in too much CO2. :confused: What do you think?
Richer
02-28-2003, 6:28 PM
Add another bottle, your currently sitting at around 14-15ppm of CO2, try shooting for a level of around 20-25. Are you using anything else to lower pH? (ie. peat, driftwood, etc. would do it). The pH+KH charts work well, but only work if nothing else is lowering pH as well.
HTH
-Richer
tfish, Richer is right. You want to shoot for at least 20-25ppm CO2 in the morning and at night just before lights out. When the solution in your generator bottle is getting weak you'll find that the pH will climb during the day when the plants are using the CO2.
I have a 55 and started with one bottle....wasn't enough....went to two....still, the pH was only about 6.8. My goal(for my kH) was 6.5. Added another bottle and got the 6.5 in the morning but it went to 6.8 by lights out. So I tried an experiment. I have 2 AquaClears on my tank. They create a lot of surface disturbance which leads to the CO2 being gassed off. I tried shutting one of them down and bingo, I now have the pH I need. I have found that you have to tinker some and make gradual changes til you get the parameters you want. Tom Barr says, and I'm paraphrasing here...."don't worry about the wimpy fish, they'll be fine". I've had my fears, but figured I'd do it slowly and it's worked for me.
So I guess what I'm saying in a long-winded way is if you're getting your 20-25ppm at 7.0, leave it alone. If your not, don't be afraid to add another bottle in tandem with the first. And then monitor the pH 2,3,4 times a day if it makes you feel more secure.
The 20-30 is so important, and gets even more important if you have a lot of light in the tank.
Len
tfish
03-01-2003, 11:14 AM
Sounds good! I'll put on a 2nd bottle today and watch closely!Thanks for the advice.
Matak
03-01-2003, 12:15 PM
Why not go for a 4 litre (1Gal) jug instead? Also, you might want to try a gelatine/sugar recipe instead.
Slappy*McFish
03-01-2003, 12:44 PM
I use two 3liter coke bottles on my 55...works great.
Slappy McFish (I like your name! :p ) What recipe do you use?
Slappy*McFish
03-01-2003, 2:46 PM
lol..I use about 2 cups of sugar, 1tsp breadmachine yeast, and a tsp of baking powder, then I fill my 3liter bottle up about 3" from the top with warm(100F) water and shake it up...starts bubbling CO2 in 10-15 minutes. In my 10 gallon tank, with a 2 liter bottle, my Echinodorus Rose pearls like crazy.