How often should I inject C02

maverick2402

AC Members
Feb 19, 2005
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Deptford,NJ
I 'm new to planted tanks and was wondering if there is a rule of thumb as to how often should I inject C02 into my tank or is there a schedule that I should follow.My planted tank newly set up and need some advise about when to inject the tank.
 
I inject CO2 constantly. If you have a professional CO2 kit, you can adjust the rate at which CO2 is produced. If you have DIY reactor, you can adjust your mixture.

I use the DIY with 3 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon yeast, and 1 liter of water.

We can help you better if you tell us how many plants you have, what kind of plants, and what kind of CO2 system.
 
I have a 20 gal. tank with a 65 watt Satellite power compact light.
The plants area as follows:
10- Corkscrew Vals.
2- Barteri rOUND LEAFS
2- Red Wendtii
1- Radican Marbled Queen
3- Diandra's
2- Wisteria's
I purchased a Plant Gro C02 natural system from Bigals
Another question I have is that when I bought the light it came with a 50/50 bulb and the owner of the LFS said that is better than switching to a different light bulb and that the plants would grow better.Is that true?
 
Since you are using DIY, there is no real way to shut if off. Well, I guess that you could unplug the hose from the canister, but that would get to be a pain....

Anyways, you will need to keep track of your PH for the first few weeks, until you know how long the mix will last for. If you allready have a low KH, you may want to buffer the water with some crushed coral, or baking soda, as to prevent a PH crash. If you have a high KH(like me), then you won't have to add anything to the water to prevent a crash.

As the co2 levels increase, your PH will decrease. When the solution starts to produce less CO2, your PH will begin to climb. The problem with DIY IMO is that is becomes unreliable, and you have a PH swing every few weeks. I use 2 2L bottles to try to prevent this. I run both at the same time, and switch them out alternately(bottle 1 gets changed first week, bottle 2 gets changed the next). This will prevent most swings, but is not totally reliable. You probably should check your PH every few days, until you get a feel for when the CO2 starts to run out.
 
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