WHile we were down....

nursie

nursie

AC Members
Jan 15, 2005
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Peoria, IL
Real Name
michelle
I bought stuff on ebay....
a 5 gallon CO2 tank and a CO2 set up....
AND found a place to fill my tank.
So....how do I start this? I am setting up a 75 gal tank..so no fishies involved at present. I need to test water parameters...and then what?? ANy reccomendations on where in tank is best to put diffuser? Anything else I should know?
 
Bet you must be really excited. I know I was when I first set mine up.

The first thing I did was to make sure my water parameters were correct. You should check your kh and ph. You should have enough kh to be able to inject co2. You don't want your ph to crash (a kh of 3 is relatively safe). For now there's no danger, but once you start putting fish in your tank, you need to monitor kh and ph closely.

If your kh is low, try raising it with a little baking soda or try some crushed coral in your filter.

As for co2 diffusers, I use the Hagen ladder on my 29 gallon. But there are other more efficient diffusers that you can try. I'm sure that someone will chime in and help you out with that.

Have fun.

Lissette
 
I use the Hagen/Nutrafin ladder on my 72 gallon and really like it. I have no problem getting 30-40 ppm of CO2, but as Aquabum mentioned, there are more efficient designs. Also some of them can be used out of the tank which is good for less clutter.

This link might help give you an idea of the components of a pressurized system.

Hoa G. Nguyen's site
 
Captain, a question out of curiosity. How many bubbles per second do you have to push through that ladder to get your 30 - 40 ppm?
I've always wondered what it would take to achieve those numbers in a large tank with that diffuser.

Len
 
Len, right now I'm running about 2-3 bubbles per second. My PH is approx. 6.5 and the KH is between 4 and 5 degrees. This puts me at somewhere around 40-45 ppm, a little on the high side I think I'm going to turn it down a touch. The tetras look fine though.
 
Unless you are using a lab grade pH test kit, I wouldn't worry too much about your ppm. Most of the hobby level kits are inaccurate. If the fish are OK, I'd leave it alone.
I don't want to hi-jack the thread, but am wondering how often you have to clean the ladder and is it the standard (about 8") ladder that Hagen sells? I hear that they are difficult to keep clean.
I'm fascinated by the passive reactors, this type in particular.

Len
 
I haven't had to clean it. I used it for about 8 months with the first fill, then didn't use it for about 4 months. Just hooked it back up again. It's the standard ladder, not sure of its size exactly.
 
Captain Hook...are you using the hagen fermentation canister that comes with the ladder?

I am and the best i can get is 15 bubbles a minute and thats with it sat on a wine heater.

My O2 IS 19 PPM...and i have 3wpg lights,plus usin excel...you think thats enough?
 
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