DIY CO2 in very overstocked tank!

F

FishN00b

AC Members
Sep 27, 2007
6
0
0
46
Hi there. I have a planted 15g fish tank with 4 goldies and 2 snails. I want to add CO2 to it, but I'm not sure if I should because I fear that I might intoxicate the fish with CO2 if it rises to dangerous levels. So my question is if this could happen and if the CO2 produced by the fish and snail is enough to support a heavily planted tank. My 15g tank has 50 watts of CFL's and fluorescent light over it.

P.S. The goldies were a gift from an uncle of mine and I don't have money or space in my house for a bigger tank (underage and unemployed) and my LFS won't accept my fish so getting rid of them is not a possibility.

Edit - Im doing DIY CO2 from yeast and sugar
 
Last edited:
Why? four goldfish in that tank should produce more CO2 than you would ever need, not to mention fertilization from fish poo. BTW you should find somebody with a pond and donate the goldfish to them.
 
Not trying to hijack you thread but fish can really make CO2??? I never knew that!! What kind of fish make CO2? Only gold fish?
 
Coral Keeper said:
Not trying to hijack you thread but fish can really make CO2??? I never knew that!! What kind of fish make CO2? Only gold fish?
Click to expand...

well generally speaking any organic compound makes some CO2 when it breaks down. Fish poo does. Also fish produce CO2 when they respirate just like we do when we breathe, just on a much smaller scale. im not really sure how much CO2 you would get from four goldfish in that small of a tank, but it sure seems like it would be a lot if they are decent sized goldfish.
 
They respire (is that the right word) it...In goes water and it passes over the gills, oxygen is absorbed into the blood stream via the gills (kind of like our lungs) and then the water is released along with the CO2 that was exchanged...

4 very large fish in a small tank should produce a good amount of CO2 on their own.

Which brings me to the point that it would be best to start looking for a new home ASAP if you haven't already...
 
Coral Keeper said:
Not trying to hijack you thread but fish can really make CO2??? I never knew that!! What kind of fish make CO2? Only gold fish?
Click to expand...
if they breath they make co2 from humans to fish


dwag88 said:
Why? four goldfish in that tank should produce more CO2 than you would ever need, not to mention fertilization from fish poo. BTW you should find somebody with a pond and donate the goldfish to them.
Click to expand...
fish cant even start to get to the co2 levels we use in tanks. even if there was little to no water to move in.

FishN00b said:
Hi there. I have a planted 15g fish tank with 4 goldies and 2 snails. I want to add CO2 to it, but I'm not sure if I should because I fear that I might intoxicate the fish with CO2 if it rises to dangerous levels. So my question is if this could happen and if the CO2 produced by the fish and snail is enough to support a heavily planted tank. My 15g tank has 50 watts of CFL's and fluorescent light over it.

P.S. The goldies were a gift from an uncle of mine and I don't have money or space in my house for a bigger tank (underage and unemployed) and my LFS won't accept my fish so getting rid of them is not a possibility.

Edit - Im doing DIY CO2 from yeast and sugar
Click to expand...
what plants do you have? all the posts i have seen goldfish will eat plants.

its very very very hard to od on co2. co2 isnt toxic per say. you get to a point if you have too much co2 it pushes out the o2 so there is no oxygen for the fish to breath.

another thing is why 4 goldfish in a 15 gal tank?
 
Right now I have anubias, java ferns, java moss and anacharis. Only one goldfish seems to nip on the java fern here and there.

The goldies were a gift that I got 1 1/2 year ago. I didn't choose them or want any fish. My uncle just came one day to my house and set up a 15g tank for ME -.-" I couldnt say no because the tank was already there full of water with fish and everything. By then, I didn't know anything about fish caring. I didn't know about cycling, overfeading, regular water changes, right temperatures, etc. And yet, the goldies are with me.

And as you can see, I'm still in high school, unemployed, busy most of the times and I don't get money from my parents. My house is very small (i live in NYC), and even if I had the money to buy a 55g tank, I wouldnt have any space to put it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom