Newbie...CO2 question

[Detox]

Update....

First of all those Chemistry Kits are great. The tank has been setup for quite some time, in the magnitude of months. The reason for sudden questions was due to me wanting to add CO2 for optimal plant growth.

Once I looked at the CO2 chart last night I immediately shutdown the CO2 completely. Unfortunately, I did not do any water changes. Also, I lost 1 maybe 2 algae eating shrimp that I just bought yesterday (the other two are ok though)

Now for the good news.

My pH is now 7.4
My KH is 4

That puts my CO2 at 5 mg/l

As for plants I have 5 plants, not sure all of there names.

I think the ammonia levels were due to the water changes I did Friday late evening, when I was initially worried about the CO2.

Once again thanks for the response. My fish look much more livelyt this morning, and I really hope my Shrimp make it because they are already doing a great job on the beard algae.

 

[djlen]

Good....I was worried last night.
Now you want to just let the tank stabilize itself and make your changes in small increments, paying close attention to pH changes along the way.
I would suggest that you consider the Flourish Excel for carbon dosing as you have a tiny tank and pH swings will create a lot of stress for the fish.
If you decide to continue with the DIY CO2 you might consider one of those Hagen ladder type(passive) reactor for your tank.
I use one in my Hospital tank(a ten also) and it does a pretty effective job. Just watch the pH until you learn how your injecting/dosing affects it.

Len

 

[Detox]

Many thanks for all of the great help. My aquarium currently looks great. I am in the process of looking for just the Hagen ladder type thin but it is tough to find up here in Canada. Usually it require purchasing the entire system.

I was so worried about diffusing the CO2 that I think i over did it for my 10 gallon. Last night I put the CO2 back in, only this time I let it bubble free and only a few inches from the top. Today my pH is 7.0 KH 4-5 which puts my CO2 in optimal range, but I am keeping a really close eye on it.

Thanks again.