DIY Co2 overload

[sarcare]

I know everyone said it was impossible to overdo the co2 with a diy co2 set up, but I think I have. I used a one gallon juice container and a whole bunch of sugar and yeast and water and baking soda and it has been going gangbuster for a while.

This morning I tested my ph and it was down to 6.4 with a kh of 5, which according to the chart is 60 ppm of co2. I am afraid to return my fish to this tank because the qt tank has a ph of 8. I put an air stone to provide more oxegen into the water--will that bring the ph back up?

I'm still scared about putting my fish back into the tank--any suggestions?

 

[kcooley]

i beleive you are supposed to check Ph for measuring the co2 content at before lights off. this will give you the highest Ph reading. any kind of surface splashing or bubbling will let the co2 out of the water

 

[djlen]

First of all, that's why they write recipes for DIY/CO2. Two things can occur when you add more of anything than the recommended amount. You can get a heavy burst of gas initially and endanger fauna.
And that burst can use up all of another ingredient that is necessary for the continuation of the reactor to produce gas and within a few days you get nothing, leading at times to a rise in pH which, you guessed it, stress the fauna.
Rather than remove the fish from the tank in case of a large pH drop, a large water change would equalize and re-set the tank for you. Then you can add an air stone to gas off excess gas until you can make up another bottle of yeast/sugar that will give you a more even flow/bubble rate.
When first beginning with CO2 of any type it is best to start it in the morning and monitor pH every 2 hrs. during the day. If you have greater than 20 - 25ppm/CO2 at lights out you will need to run an air stone over night or leave the lights on until your flow is adjusted downward, with in your case a more appropriate mix.
If you get a reading in the 20ppm range at lights out, the odds are that you will be safe over night. Then check the pH at lights on to verify.
Any time you see fish in distress.....gasping at the surface of listless and laying on the substrate an immediate water change can usually remedy the situation rather than moving fish around.

Len

 

[RockabillyChick]

the recipe i use:

1/4 tsp. yeast
2c. sugar
1tbsp. tomato paste (this provides food for the yeast, as it can't live very long on just sugar)

fill the container 3/4 of the way with warm water. let it sit open for a couple hours before attaching it to your CO2 reactor, as the yeast will use O2 at first before it really gets started, and it can't take a couple hours to start producing CO2

 

[sarcare]

I'm going to go out and get a 2l bottle and make a new batch of co2--I like that recipe.

My ph has been at 6.8 for a while now, but the KH rose to 6 for some reason. I didn't think it was supposed to change. Maybe there was something in the plants that I added that raised the KH. That puts me at about 29 ppm co2 at lights out, which means I will be adding an airstone. No gasping for air, or any unusual fishy behavior, but to be on the safe side I will be changing the co2 as soon as I get the other one ready to switch off.