How to set up co2?

mike0605

Member
Nov 2, 2009
197
0
16
37
Hoylake (Wirral)
Hi not been on for a long time

I am looking at changing my set up to a planted aquarium

I have tried adding plants to my tanks over the years but they have never survived

I am thinking of a co2 system to help plant growth but haven't a clue about them I have done a bit of research online but wondered if anyone could share any helpful advice

Thanks
 

Tener ds

Member
Mar 22, 2010
1,609
0
36
Crawley (uk)
Hi not been on for a long time

I am looking at changing my set up to a planted aquarium

I have tried adding plants to my tanks over the years but they have never survived

I am thinking of a co2 system to help plant growth but haven't a clue about them I have done a bit of research online but wondered if anyone could share any helpful advice

Thanks
use liquid co2.
i had gas form co2,plants grow very quickly but getting it stable was a pain,and ended up have BBA problems.also my fish seamed very doppy and inactive.now its gone and i use easycarbo,fish are more active and the plants are still growing and no BBA..:woohoo:
 

mike0605

Member
Nov 2, 2009
197
0
16
37
Hoylake (Wirral)
Thanks thats a good help can you get that online does it tell you how to dose the aquarium how often etc do you use bubble counter and all that equip? TBH that all confused me a bit with the suger and yeast thought that would be a bit too much messing
 

beencees

Member
Nov 5, 2011
448
0
16
Brisbane
Setting up a CO2 system is pretty straight forward. You can either buy a kit or just get the bits yourself (way cheaper) and away you go. All you need is a CO2 cylinder, a regulator with a solenoid valve, a bubble counter, diffuser and a permanent CO2 test kit. Depends on how heavily planted and what size your tank is but usually you would set it at 2-3 bps (bubbles per second). Your permanent test kit should show green. If it's blue or yellow you adjust the bps accordingly. Results are excellent with no detrimental effects. The reason for the solenoid valve is so you can set it on a timer so it doesn't run all the time. That way you set it to come on 15mins before your lights do and go off maybe half an hour before the lights go out.
HTH
 

LiViNgL@RgE

Member
Sep 9, 2009
31
0
6
Exeter, UK
use liquid co2.
i had gas form co2,plants grow very quickly but getting it stable was a pain,and ended up have BBA problems.also my fish seamed very doppy and inactive.now its gone and i use easycarbo,fish are more active and the plants are still growing and no BBA..:woohoo:
Do you use profito aswell??? Whats the growth like
 

jessonthenet

Member
Oct 16, 2010
723
0
16
Newcastle upon Tyne
Hi not been on for a long time

I am looking at changing my set up to a planted aquarium

I have tried adding plants to my tanks over the years but they have never survived

I am thinking of a co2 system to help plant growth but haven't a clue about them I have done a bit of research online but wondered if anyone could share any helpful advice

Thanks
Hi ,

Only helpful thing is that I have never used C02 in my tanks. Plants grow slower but providing you do enough water changes and keep lighting set to 8-10 hours and not too intense they grow fine. I don't even add fertilizers or iron the plants get enough from the water changes. I don't have many fish compared to plants so sometimes add a bit extra food in and plants turn greener in 2 days combined with a water change beforehand.


It depends on the plants. If you have plants that demand high lighting then they probably will need some CO2 and a little plant food. If I was going to add CO2 I would most likely use pressurised rather than liquid form and adjust the bubbles needed gradually to match the lighting. DIY CO2 is not worth the trouble as have tried that and it works, my setup ran for 2 weeks without being disturbed but your house smells like a brewery. I did not use it in my fish tank only testing. Liquid CO2 I wouldn't use as not all plants as far as I am aware cope well with it and more difficult to utilise than pressurised. Liquid CO2 may be good for eliminating BBA I just prefer to remove any BBA by hand.



I would try growing any plants without adding CO2 first and start with less demanding plants. If you cant grow plants that aren't demanding under low-medium light you will have trouble growing high demanding plants under high light using CO2. CO2 is pointless unless you provide the other stuff required and some plants don't appreciate high lighting.


Research the plants you want to keep first. What ph do they prefer, what lighting and just like fish try to keep plants together that tolerate the same conditions. What purpose are your plants for, breeding, aquascaping . Will the fish eat them, can they tolerate gravel, sand. Do you have plecs will they uproot them. How much time do you want to spend on trimming plants or having to move them around.

Plants that just attach to rocks or wood like java fern are easier. They don't require much light can be moved around and really don't need CO2. Vallis can grow like crazy with little light(good for large tanks) but roots in everywhere and can take over. If your plants do take well how much hard work do you want to create for yourself. CO2 will just make you have to do maintenance on the tank more often.


If you do decide to go for C02 you will have to watch your ph levels and not to leave it on at night so you don't poison the fish or add an airstone if you do.


I wouldn't say it was tricky just more to think about which personally I just prefer more simple, less worry and can be bothered to let the plants grow slower as you will appreciate the slower growth when everything takes hold in the tank. You end up getting a carrier bag and binning the stuff. I would be scared to add C02.
 

Dunny

New Member
Nov 25, 2010
2
0
1
Sydney
Setting up a CO2 system is pretty straight forward. You can either buy a kit or just get the bits yourself (way cheaper) and away you go. All you need is a CO2 cylinder, a regulator with a solenoid valve, a bubble counter, diffuser and a permanent CO2 test kit. Depends on how heavily planted and what size your tank is but usually you would set it at 2-3 bps (bubbles per second). Your permanent test kit should show green. If it's blue or yellow you adjust the bps accordingly. Results are excellent with no detrimental effects. The reason for the solenoid valve is so you can set it on a timer so it doesn't run all the time. That way you set it to come on 15mins before your lights do and go off maybe half an hour before the lights go out.
HTH

I agree completely, I’ve been running pressurised C02 for a few years now. Easy to set up, mess free, cheap (after initial outlays) & plants thrive. Admittedly though growing strong healthy plants takes more effort than just running C02. Water quality, lights & fertilisation all play a big part as well. Lighting is the key imoa. I have 2 40watt T8 bulbs & 3 54watt T5 tubes over my 5 foot plant tank, about 3watt per gallon. Balance is the key, light, ferts, C02, amount of plants & fish, water quality and filtration. Fermenting yeast & sugar is inconsistent & smells.
Water is kept at 26 degrees, PH as close to 7 as I can be bothered about. When I check KH & GH (rarely) C02 works out to be about 20ppm. Running timers on your lights, air stones & solenoid is important. Timing your air to turn off at the same time C02 goes on about 15 minutes before lights go on. C02 goes off & air goes on 15 minutes before lights go off. I also set my lights off for about 2 hours in the middle of the day, this helps prevent algae. Morning C02 on/Airstone off, 15 minutes later lights go on. 4 hours later lights & c02 off, airstone on. Darkness & oxygen, no C02 for about 2 hours. Then air off/C02 on followed by lights on for another 8 hours. I find this works for me as the lights are on when we are active in the morning, off while at work, then on again when home during the evening.
Fertilisation is very important in a C02 tank but is cheap if you’re willing to spend 5 minutes a year Making it. I follow the PMDD rules but only use it every other day but always after the weekly water change.
http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/pmdd.htm
I get my dry ferts from Dave who runs aquagreen.com.au in Australia but do a search & you can get it all online.
Like a said with C02 it’s a balance, but when you have the equipment set to timers you can forget about it, so easy. Watching plants pearl in your own tank is awesome. And as for the growth I sell/swap about $300 worth of cuttings, daughter plants or split ryzomes of Bulbitus, Anubius, Java fern ,Swords & mosses per month, from a 5 foot tank.