Co2...24/7 or not?

jmarsh3253

jmarsh3253

AC Members
Apr 11, 2007
101
0
0
I have a 55G rather heavily planted tank for Discus. My pH is 7.5, KH is 10-12 degrees...175-210PPM. Should I run the Co2 24/7, or in conjunction with my lighting...on at 9:00am, off at 8:00 pm? Which causes the smallest variation in pH overnight? I want to try to keep it as stable as possible for the Discus. Additionally, I have my Rena canister's spray bar on the back glass, pointed down to minimize surface turbulence so not to off gas the Co2. Will there still be enough water movement for oxygenation...I also have a HOB Aquaclear 50? Thanks for your help.
 
if the surface turbulence is low then the CO2 will be effective

i run mine 24/7

if overnight running is too much you'll soon see the fish hanging near the surface for air

this website will help you measure it, i suggest first thing in the morning to see what level you have overnight: http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm

if you are worried about it then run an airsotne on a timer to run during hours of darkness
 
..Just my opinion, and what I have learned from this website over time...

CO2 injection should be turned OFF at night.

The plants can't utilize the CO2 at night, and it gasses off at night. CO2 at night is a waste of CO2.

A simple, cheap timer can be used to regulate the proper amount.

DIY CO2 is another story....



___________
 
Ralleh said:
If you are turning it on and off, you will get wild pH swings.
Click to expand...
This is very true. The ph is directly affected by co2. You will have less of a swing in ph( which the fish are more affected by than co2) if you leave the co2, and run an airstone at night to keep the tank well oxygenated. This is what Ive been doing with my 180 gallon for over a year now, and not a single fish has been seen gasping at the surface.
 
the pH swing relative to co2 is not harmful to the fish..the gh does not swing the difference is the carbonic acid created from the co2..the drop in ph is related to the rise in carbonic acid..when you turn the co2 off at night the carbonic acid also drops and the pH rises.

the kH and Gh are not affected. the water is is still stable.(relative to having the proper kH which should at least be 3-4 degrees.

you will have more issues with pH if you have low kH and the ph is not stable.in this case the pH will swing due to the lack of stability and this is harmful for the fish.

I agree..turn the CO2 off at night and save it for the day.
 
I think turning it off at night is another one of those things that becomes accepted wisdom that really isn't right. I leave my CO2 on 24x7 and it works great. My pH is about 6.6 in the morning and about 7.0 at night. With a KH of 4ish, that is nearly spot on 30ppm CO2 in the morning - a PERFECTLY safe level for the fish.

One of the best discussions on the topic - I have posted this before.

http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/night.html
 
Well, all I can comment with is from my personal knowledge( and it is quite possible that I could be wrong) and since Ive been running pressurized co2 I have always left it running. I also use a ph controller with no issues. I have had this setup going on 3yrs now. I personally believe that the tank parameters will stay more stable by leaving the co2 running all night, whether it be ph swings or oxygen levels. I also bought a 50lb co2 tank, so maybe I dont have to worry so much about wasting it. Although, there are many aquarists who do turn it off at night with great success. This is just my way and it works also.

yeeha,
mark
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom