CO2/Water Changes/PH

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Aqualung

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Jan 31, 2004
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I am about to hook up a DIY CO2 bottle on my 40 BR, and have a question concerning water changes and ph fluctuation.

My water comes out of the tap at 6.4 ph, and is 7.0 after 24 hours (which is the same as the tank water). GH is about 100ppm, and KH is about 120. I always age my water to avoid any ph fluctuations.

This is my first time using CO2. I am only using one bottle at first, running through an airstone. I don't yet know what my ph will be with the added CO2, but it should be on the acidic side. My concern is with ph fluctuation during water changes, as I have fish that are quite sensitive to changes in ph. If I add aged water, it would bring the ph up (or at least it makes sense that it would). My solution to this would be to age the water just long enough to match the ph, and then do the water change - but would this work, or would the ph fall below the normal level due to the added CO2 in the tapwater? Help, I'm confused about this!
 
Air stones can be dangerous when used with a DIY application. They cause back pressure when they load up with the snot-like gunk that typically applies when using DIY CO2. I suggest an alternate way of dispersing your gas into the aquarium for both safety and efficiency reasons.
I have water that is 7.4 out of the tap and tank water that stays at 6.4 consistently, through pressurized CO2, even with a 40 - 50% water change. I wouldn't be too concerned about your paramaters and their affect on your fish.

Len
 
Thanks for the advice Len, that's good to know.

I ditched the airstone and found a "muffler" piece that came with a cascade internal filter. It is a small, hollow plastic ball that seperates - I put a small piece of sponge in there. Will this work ok? I don't think it will clog as easily as an airstone would. I've got it rigged up now, but I'm not seeing any CO2 production yet.
 
If you do the mixing correctly, you should see bubbles within a couple of hours...max!!
I used to get bubbles in 15mins.
Check for leaks with some Windex or soapy water around the top of the bottle where the air line is attached.
The easiest way to check for production is just stick the end of the air line in the tank and wait for bubbles. They will start slowly and increase over time.

Len
 
Hmmm........no bubbles yet, and it's been a little over 2 hours. There doesn't seem to be any pressure in the bottle yet. I'm using the Jell-O recipe. I'd check for leaks, but without any pressure I don't see how I can. I guess I'll go give the bottle a thorough shaking, perhaps that will help.
 
I still didn't get any bubbles, so I added a bit more yeast and capped the bottle. There doesn't seem to be any pressure building up at all. My yeast is old, so I tested it and it's still active. I followed the Jell-O recipe in the CO2 sticky. The only thing I did differently from the directions was leave the bottle in the fridge for two days while the sealant set. Could this be the problem? From what I've read it shouldn't be taking this long. If it doesn't start doing something by the morning, I think I'll try out the non-Jello recipe.
 
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