20g, Rena xp3 & co2?

[FreshyFresh]

I wouldn't suggest that Gluteraldehyde is a good equivalent to CO2 gas being injected....

I've never seen them suggested as being equivalent, but then again, I know of no side by side equal comparison between an injected CO2 tank vs. one where only a glut product was used.

I have not read of a horror story associated with glutaraldehyde used in the hobby as well and have lots of substances, items, etc.. that could harm or kill a person or pet in my house that's generally got more kids and pets in it than I care to have. LOL.

Besides, my aquatic pets are kept squeaky, surgically clean as I use it.

 

[dougall]

It's used to sterilize stuff in hospitals, and is used instead of formaldehyde.

There are limits to what I will put into an aquarium, this is over that line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutaraldehyde

 

[FreshyFresh]

Fair enough!
I'm well aware of it's potential uses and hazards. So are big players in the business like API/Mars and Seachem. Yes, I know Flourish Excel doesn't say glutaraldehyde right on the bottle, but it's MSDS reads the same, basically word for word. API's "liquid CO2" says it's a glutral product right on the bottle. My point is, they're willing to put their names and reputations on the line over it's use and have LOTS to loose.

As a side note, if you've ever visited a plant the "makes" bulk CO2, you'd want to spit-out your carbonated beverage. Much of the CO2 we use in food/beverage/medical is collected as a by-product from petrochem plants.

To fishorama, sorry for the topic derail!!

 

[fishorama]

No derail!! All input is good!

I use glut in my no vallisneria (or stunted) 75g...but not on a regular basis (WCs, always & sometimes at other intervals, lol). My chemist husband is appalled it costs $15-20/gal...he says it should be pennies/gal. Me, I want someone else to quantify the solution & tell me the dosage. (we don't discuss this anymore, lol, but he's a better doser!).

I really was wanting to try out co2 tank & equipment I was given or have (not glut) in an animal-free tank just to get my feet wet, so to speak. Again, my husband says co2 tanks can become "torpedoes" in an earthquake so that is a concern...but not a serious 1 in the short term "learning curve"...I hope!! (aesthetics aside)...bungy cords?

I'm not looking for ideal lighting ATM, I just want to use what I have (w/maybe new bulbs...I know I need them). Let's just go from there.

 

[dougall]

You can still use CO2 with less light.. just growth will be limited by a lack of light... CO2 will never hurt plants.

If you are not having any animals in the tank at first, this would be the perfect time to try.. just remember you will need to be adding some form of nitrigen to the water too... depending on the type of plants, root tabs may suffice.

And, yes, be careful with the CO2 tank, I would suggest some sort of strapping that isnt elastic... the tension needed to keep the tank rigidly upright will likely cause a problem if the cord should fail.

as for torpedoes, you can likely get by without watching too much MacGyver.. they are more likely to fill a room with CO2 than shoot through a wall or window.

 

[FreshyFresh]

At least the cylinders will shoot a cool trail of dry ice snow as they torpedo out of your house! Got that going for ya. One of the fun features of rapidly depressurized CO2. Shearing the valve and regulator off the bottle would take some doing though. Like said, CO2 could displace enough oxygen to become an asphyxiation hazard depending on the situation, but the volumes the typical hobbiest uses? Meh.. Then again, I juggle glutaraldehyde bottles.

 

[fishorama]

LOL, Joel, I think any "snow" would be a bigger event here than earthquakes! We do see it once in a long while on the local mountain top.

My husband says co2 is heavier than air (or oxygen either) so we "should be" relatively safe with co2 tank in our sunken living room if disaster hits. He also says by CA law, gas tanks of any sort (cyanide to compressed air) need 2 straps or chains (at least 1 in many states)...not what most aquarists I know here do from what I hear & see. I'm almost sorry I asked, lol.

Dougall, yes, I know I need to be better at ferts than I am now. I'm not sure what plants I'll try first but root tabs may an easy starting point. How much of them get into the water column, I don't know. Dry ferts would be better I think, but it's my lack of consistency I worry about.

 

[dougall]

I would not rely on any ferts from root tabs getting into the water column.

Do you know water analysis for your water? you may get nutrients from there, you can also try an all in one fertilizer, but it is likely to be more expensive than dry and might not meet the needs of more denanding plants.

but give it a go... the plants will show you what they need where applicable.

 

[fishorama]

Thanks, dougall, I figured not much root ferts would get into water column; & I hope not much clay( if I go there). I'm sure I won't do EI dosing, I've tried but everyday of anything is not my style ;(.

My water is pretty soft (snow melt) 3 or 4 GH & KH, pH ~7.4? No nitrate. Chloramine from the water co is almost 1ppm (I use Prime). My tanks' nitrate is "usually" quite low but not 0. Yeah, it's an issue...but my husband overfeeds when he does feed, so that "helps"... with macros anyway. My tanks are pretty understocked & co2 experiment 20 long will have no fish, maybe a few snails, that can't be helped, lol.

I "used to" be almost religious in 40-50% weekly water changes but with drought & laziness, I know it's less. Maybe 30-40% every 10 days or so. My tanks are at least moderately to over-planted med-low light jungles. I only occasionally test.

 

[dougall]

Hopefully he's not planning to feed an empty tank?

You may do well with something like Thrive - http://nilocg.com/thrive

it's supposed to be dosed 3 times a week, but I would expect more forgiving than something like EI if you miss or are late with a dose.

And it's just a pump on a bottle, so it's no more difficult than using a soap dispenser, as long as you remember it's pretty simple.

You might want to consider some sort of GH booster for your water too, if it's terribly soft... but just see how it goes