# [Wet Thumb Forum]-CO2 questions again please



## HawkHunter (Jun 25, 2003)

Hey pplz,

i got a 1 gallon fish tank with 1 columbian shark in it and 1 plant in it (i dont know what its called but its got black furry hair all over it and its dark green - really cool)

Recently we added a differnt plant.. and it came with a hemaphridite snail (unnoticed) which made 100's of babies.. so had to move the plants into a fish bowl, flush the tank and buy a dojo loach to go into the fish bowl while the fish tank went through a nitrate/nitrite cycle.

The plants are getting CO2 injection from a 2.5 gallon mix of water sugar and yeast, directly, (no needle valve or regulator or anything.. just a pipe connected to the bottle) I have noticed that the plants have bubbles coming out of them in the morning when i turn on the 15 Watt light bulb.. but my dojo loach doesnt seem very active at all..

My question is, is it possible that i could kill my fish with CO2 injection not being controlled by anything? is there anyway for me to measure ppm of CO2 in my tank? whats leathal co2 levels for a fish?

My PH levels are REALLY low in the plant tank (that the loach is still getting rid of the snails for me in) and im a bit worried.. any advice/help would be appreciated. THX

Trevor

sup sup


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## HawkHunter (Jun 25, 2003)

Hey pplz,

i got a 1 gallon fish tank with 1 columbian shark in it and 1 plant in it (i dont know what its called but its got black furry hair all over it and its dark green - really cool)

Recently we added a differnt plant.. and it came with a hemaphridite snail (unnoticed) which made 100's of babies.. so had to move the plants into a fish bowl, flush the tank and buy a dojo loach to go into the fish bowl while the fish tank went through a nitrate/nitrite cycle.

The plants are getting CO2 injection from a 2.5 gallon mix of water sugar and yeast, directly, (no needle valve or regulator or anything.. just a pipe connected to the bottle) I have noticed that the plants have bubbles coming out of them in the morning when i turn on the 15 Watt light bulb.. but my dojo loach doesnt seem very active at all..

My question is, is it possible that i could kill my fish with CO2 injection not being controlled by anything? is there anyway for me to measure ppm of CO2 in my tank? whats leathal co2 levels for a fish?

My PH levels are REALLY low in the plant tank (that the loach is still getting rid of the snails for me in) and im a bit worried.. any advice/help would be appreciated. THX

Trevor

sup sup


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## Ron Nelson (Apr 2, 2003)

It is possible to kill the fish due to the ph changing to fast and I would guess that any fluctuations in a one gallon tank happen very quickly. In something that small I think I would use Florish excel instead of risking the fish's well being. If you want to figure out your co2 levels have a look at http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm
Chuck has put together a little info on the ph/kh/co2 relationship and has a calculator on the webpage.

Good luck,
Ron


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## HawkHunter (Jun 25, 2003)

OMG!!!

i have 560 ppm of CO2 in my fish bowl.. i dont have anything to adjust my ph ... im just gonna stick the end of the air hose from the asy. pump and put it in the bowl to hopefully adjetate the CO2 out of the tank.. tomorrow morning ill check my KH/PH again and see if my fish is still alive.. thx tons

trev

sup sup


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## HawkHunter (Jun 25, 2003)

oh and i just found out that black hair on my plant is probably algea.. but thats ok.. not worried about that problem.. it actually looks cool.. and i dont consider it a problem right now.. =)

sup sup


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## Ron Nelson (Apr 2, 2003)

Umm yeah that's a little high.







Even one-tenth that amount is still almost double the amount you are looking for.

Ron


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## HawkHunter (Jun 25, 2003)

small tanks kick butt =) few hour later.. and the ph/kh levels are MUCH better.. dojo loach is swiming once again feasting on snails.. even moved my columbian shark out of his tank (nitrate just a little high) over to the bowl temporarily... thanks again guys

i think ill keep my furry algea though cause it looks super cool =P

trev

sup sup


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

In that size tank and with that few plants I doubt you need CO2 at all. If I may you may want to get a good test kit and check your nutrient levels. You can keep the algae if you like (in fact I know people who will donate new kinds







), but I think its important you understnad the cycle so you can control the growth.

*James Hoftiezer

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## Vicki (Jan 31, 2003)

Just on the chance that you're not pulling our collective legs, and in case you really didn't know--your Columbian Shark (Arius jordani) is going to be a little cramped in there at his adult size, which is up to two feet in length. I agree that you don't need CO2 for such a setup--especially in light of the fact that your CO2 bottle is more than twice the size of your tank.

http://www.wheelpost.com


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Vicki:
> Just on the chance that you're not pulling our collective legs, and in case you really didn't know--your Columbian Shark (Arius jordani) is going to be a little cramped in there at his adult size, which is up to two feet in length. I agree that you don't need CO2 for such a setup--especially in light of the fact that your CO2 bottle is more than twice the size of your tank.
> ...


http://www.wheelpost.com
[/QUOTE]









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## HawkHunter (Jun 25, 2003)

yes.. i realize that it may sound like im pulling your leg.. and if i had a digital camera id take a picture (its hilarious to see this 5 gallon water bottle beside my 1 gallon aquarium and 1 gallon fish bowl)

Now, dont quote me on this.. but we in 2 weeks are buying a 50-62 gallon aquarium (cant remember exactly what size).

Also, a Nursery Pro 5000 High Volume Pump 4338 GPH at 10 feet (gonna put 10 foot of hose in the cabinet)purly to make a current (even now he swims non-stop and a many websites say they prefer a current)

I have ordered 9 Mangrove plants, Instant ocean 150gal bucket, hydrometer, cured live FIGI ROCK (16lb's), 2 undergravel filter kits intended for a 30 gallon tank, sand, and aquarium gravel.

On back order is 1 Salarias Fasciatus(lawnmower blenny[algea eater]), 1 Taeniura Lymma(blue spotted[stingray]), and 2 more Arius Jordani(columbian shark/blackfin shark[catfish]). We are recieving the 2 arius jordani's this weekend, the other 2 are waiting about 6 more weeks before we recieve them (to allow the nitrate cycle and undergravel filter to take hold).

I REALLY want to go with an undergravel filter, as i have a vacume for cleaning it already, and i think with the mangrove, it will offer a "more like real" environment for them.

I took out the hose that was providing CO2 for the plants on your suggestions (although when i did first add it, my plants shot up for a week), thankfully i didnt kill any of my beloved pets =)

I also just added the fist shot of sodium for the columbian shark and he seems to have settled down a little bit, and if you havnt geussed i plan to allow him to enter in to a full marine environment (on many webwriter's opinions, a good idea)

The one gallon tank is now housing a few feeder fish for the arius jordani, even though its still doing its nitrate cycle. I test the water 2x's a day (since about 6 hours before this thread started) and do 5% water changes pretty much every time as well, so as not to have lethal nitrate level's (nitrite has not been measureable for about 28 hours)

The dojo loach finished the escargo treat that had erupted in the bowl, he is now munching on a pellet that the columbian shark also eats.

Plans: 1)this week nitrate cycle in 1 gallon tank will complete (probably by friday night), and the arius jorani will be x-fered there temporarily from the 1 gallon fish bowl. I plan FREQUENT water changes to keep on top of the huge load that will be on that tank.
2)Sat., purchace aquarium/supplies clean/setup aquarium with live rock etc., and 1/3 of the water is being supplied by a person i dont really know, but they live near me and also have 2 marine tanks set up. He is also loaning me 6 Domino Damsels to help speed up tank cycle @1.5 weeks.
3)during large tank nitrate cycle, (estimated @ 3-4weeks) introduce salt to freshwater 1 gallon tank, slowly converting them to brackish water.(loach will stay in fish bowl, wife plans a 10 gallon tank for him snails, and plants only)
4)assuming there is little/no nitrite/amonium in the large tank, introduce the 3 arius jordanus to marine water.
5)monitor them carefully over another 3 weeks. If succesful, ill order the ray and the algea eater, maybe some coral or more plants.. i dont really know after that.. some of the pictures of your guy's tanks rock.. VERY floral and i like em =)

I am looking forward to your thoughts and opinions everyone.. if you see a problem please offer a solution, and remember im still pretty newbie with all this fish stuff eh?

sup sup

[This message was edited by HawkHunter on Thu June 26 2003 at 11:08 AM.]


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2003)

How long is the 50-62 gallon tank? 4 feet? I hope it's longer, having a 2 feet fish in a 4 feet tank sounds hmm a bit cramped.

A freak of all aquaria issues.


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## HawkHunter (Jun 25, 2003)

they dont get more than 14" (the Arius jordani-columbian shark). The Algea eater is 8" max size, and the sting ray varies quite a bit, but i havent seen a site that has it lager than 10 inches.

i made a mistake in the tank size (as i said i wasnt sure of it) but the dimensions are 72"L x 22"H x 18"W.

I found a calculator that says its roughly 125gal tank.

thanks for your consern though =)

sup sup


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## Guest (Jun 27, 2003)

Great to see that your getting a nice size tank. I'm always concerned about cramping fish in small tanks. Glad you understand.

A freak of all aquaria issues.


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by HawkHunter:
> Nursery Pro 5000 High Volume Pump 4338 GPH at 10 feet


Did you type 1 too many digits in the pump GPH?
I hope so! That would blow the side off any size tank!!

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