determination of co2 content

E

ersteb

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Mar 10, 2008
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I am running a 30g planted tank with 2 goldfish and 6 ottos swimming happily about

i have co2 injection which is on for 11 hours a day...i would say that it is running at the rate of 1 bubble every 3 seconds

i also have 60w pc lighting that runs the same time as the co2

i do co2 tests via kh and ph values....the latest tests showed a kh of 5 and a ph of 6.4 which should give me a co2 well into the danger zone....

i buffer the tank with bicarbonate of soda to raise the kh

now i read in these forums some injections rates of many bubbles per second. i fear to know what my tank would be like if i did that much...

so i gues my question is to all you out there who successfully inject co2...what bubble rate, duration and wattage per gallon do you have on your tanks to achieve optimal (safe) co2 levels.

thanks,

Ed
 
The only reliable way is to look at how much the pH drops when you are injecting. The KH/pH/CO2 charts only work if CO2 is the only acid and bicarbonate the only buffer in the system, rarely true in real aquaria. You have to take into account what your actual pH is at equilibrium CO2 and compare it with what the chart says it should be, and use your judgement a bit.
 
ersteb said:
so i gues my question is to all you out there who successfully inject co2...what bubble rate, duration and wattage per gallon do you have on your tanks to achieve optimal (safe) co2 levels.

thanks,

Ed
Click to expand...

Your also going to need circulation level, plant and animal mass, growth rate of plants and diffusion method in order to make any comparison. A drop checker will provide the information your looking for.
 
ersteb said:
I am running a 30g planted tank with 2 goldfish and 6 ottos swimming happily about

i have co2 injection which is on for 11 hours a day...i would say that it is running at the rate of 1 bubble every 3 seconds

i also have 60w pc lighting that runs the same time as the co2

i do co2 tests via kh and ph values....the latest tests showed a kh of 5 and a ph of 6.4 which should give me a co2 well into the danger zone....

i buffer the tank with bicarbonate of soda to raise the kh

now i read in these forums some injections rates of many bubbles per second. i fear to know what my tank would be like if i did that much...

so i gues my question is to all you out there who successfully inject co2...what bubble rate, duration and wattage per gallon do you have on your tanks to achieve optimal (safe) co2 levels.

thanks,

Ed
Click to expand...

I have a densely planted 29g that is nearly the same specs as you.
55w PCF & 18w T8
About 60 Bubbles every 25 sec. Gives me 25-28ppm C02
I've run a drop checker. Makes life a lot easier
Here is some good info
http://www.barrreport.com/articles/2661-drop-checkers-co2-indicators-why-how.html

You should have your C02 levels up before lights on too.
 
doesnt a drop checker essentially do what the ph/kh/chart comparison does? I cnat imagine it working any differently
 
Nope - a drop checker uses a pH indicator in a precisely buffered solution to reflect the drop in pH due to the presence of dissolved CO2.

It works independently of the tank's KH and pH. If the tank has dissolved CO2 in it, it reaches equilibrium with the air in the drop checker, which then reaches an equilibrium w/ the drop checker's solution. The pH indicator present in said solution changes color as pH drops.
 
Squawkbert said:
Nope - a drop checker uses a pH indicator in a precisely buffered solution to reflect the drop in pH due to the presence of dissolved CO2.

It works independently of the tank's KH and pH. If the tank has dissolved CO2 in it, it reaches equilibrium with the air in the drop checker, which then reaches an equilibrium w/ the drop checker's solution. The pH indicator present in said solution changes color as pH drops.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind this is only accurate as long as the solutionin the drop checker is in the proper dkh range. Personally I agree though that for the $15.00 a drop checker is not only more reliable, but way easier to monitor than pH kH levels and charts.
 
1 bubble every 3 seconds is an extremely low bubble count...I cant even count them they are so fast on my 60
 
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