# [Wet Thumb Forum]-CO2 questions and more...



## imported_shannon (Apr 26, 2005)

Hello all. I just signed up with you today, and I'm looking forward to being a part of this community. Anyway, I'll get right to it here....I have been keeping fish aquariums for about 4 years now and I've always had plants in my tanks, but have never been very serious about taking care of them. I have always been more interested in the fish. I've found that my interest is shifting more towards the plants over the last few months, especially after reading books by Takashi Amano (of course!) and realizing what a beautiful art form the planted aquarium is. I set up a 55 gal. a couple weeks ago, and I'm really trying to do this one right. I would like to attempt a "nature" style aquarium. So far, I have about 1/2 flourite, 1/2 small gravel in there, a Penguin 350 filter that hangs on the back, and a 260 watt Aqualight made by CoralLife, (from a previous saltwater reef tank I had). I know this light has enough watts for what I want to do, but is the spectrum okay for growing freshwater plants? I really hope so, because that light was expensive. I suppose what I'm most worried about is the CO2 thing. I don't know anything about CO2 devices, or how to set them up, or what you have to put in them to make them work. If someone could please tell me how exactly these work, and where I could get a good one, I would really appreciate it. Or if there is already another article or post that explains this, please direct me there. I thank you for any help I can get!! =)


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

there are 2 main types of co2 systems: pressurized and diy (do it yourself).

pressurized: this is the best way to go, but it is also expensive. with this, you use a co2 tank filled with co2. you then buy a regulator which has the valves that turn the co2 up and down. the co2 then travels through tubing (usually regular aquarium air hose) to somthing in the tank that acts as a diffuser. you need a diffuser because large bubbles of co2 do the plants no good. 

DIY: this is the yeast sugar reaction. this is the least expensive to set up, and it works well. all you do is take a 3 liter coke bottle, or any bottle of similar size. you then drill a hole in the cap. this hole is for you to insert air tubing through. make sure that the hole is slightly smaller than the diameter of the air tubing. this will insure a air-tight fit. you then squeeze the tubing in. if you want to also use some type of sealent you can. epoxy works well. just smear it on the outside of the air tubing before you insert it. 

now you have a coke bottle with a hose coming out. you will need a place to stick the hose so that the co2 gets to the tank. you can just use a bubble stone for now. attach the bubble stone and stick the tubing in the intake of your filter. this might take a small hole being drilled in the intake. or you can always just stick the bubble stone in the filter where the water is held. 

wow, i hope you understood that all. 

ok now you need to produce the co2. take the cap off the coke bottle and add 1.5 cups of regular sugar. then all 1 teaspoon of yeast. this is the regular yeast you buy in a supermarket. shake it a little to mix the yeast and sugar. then add warm water. fill the coke bottle 2/3 the way to the top. now attach the lid back on to the bottle and your set. 

it does take a while to start working, so don't be worried if it takes an hour or so to start working. if co2 never comes out, you probably have a leak in the lid where you attached the tubing.

ask questions if you need to. i'm not the best at explaining things. 

now about your lighting. is it a compact florescent bulb? also, do you know the color rating of the bulb? it should say somthing like 50/50 or 10,000k or 6700k.


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

Russell answered your CO2 question so I will just add to it. If you don't have the bucks to get started in a pressurized CO2 system You can use two, 2liter bottles of DIY CO2 like Russell said. In a large tank like your 55gal Its hard to keep a constant level of CO2. By using two bottles and staggering them to keep a maximum of CO2. By this I mean start one bottle one week then the other bottle the next week. Then alternate each week with new solution. This will help keep your CO2 at a constant level. I used this method in my first 55gal plant tank. I also used ceramic air stones to defuse the CO2 in the tank. They work and cheap. IF they ever get clogged up, you can clean them by soaking them in light bleach solution.

If your light was used for a salt tank, the bulbs are probably not the kind of bulbs that plant need. You need to replace them.

Hawk


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## imported_shannon (Apr 26, 2005)

Thank you so much for the CO2 lesson, it really helped. I think I can comprehend everything, but I'm going to shop around and do some more research before I jump into buying CO2 equipment. The pressurized one sounds like the way to go; I'm sure I'll end up using that. About the diffuser for the pressurized one...do you mean something like a simple air stone? Or is there some other type I would have to use?

Yes, the lighting is compact flouresent. It has 2 65w 10,000k and 2 65w true actinic lamps in it. I have used one of these on a smaller planted tank I had once, with lots of amazon swords, crypts, java moss, and I think some melon swords. All the plants did very well under this lighting. I have been looking at a light made by the same company that is meant for freshwater aquariums and has 4 65w 6700k lamps. Maybe that would be the better way to go?


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

well your fixture and ballast are ok. i hope all you ment was changing the bulbs? anyways, if i were you, i would keep the 2x 10,000k bulbs, but i would get rid of the actinic bulbs. these should be replaced with 2x 6700k bulbs. yes, the actinic bulbs will work, but they have little value in a planted aquarium.

and for diffusers, here are a few that robert (owner of this site) sells.










and










both of these cost 49.99. you can also build these yourself. check out the build it and they will come section of this forum.


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

just a little fyi, the words reactor and diffuser mean the same thing. somthing used to mix the co2 into the water. 

both of these are power reactors, meaning they use a pump. these are the most efficient.

there are also passive reactors which do not use a motor and diffuse the co2 naturally. these are things like the Hagen ladder and bubble stones.


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

> Originally posted by russell:
> just a little fyi, the words reactor and diffuser mean the same thing. somthing used to mix the co2 into the water.
> 
> both of these are power reactors, meaning they use a pump. these are the most efficient.
> ...


While by definition a reactor is a diffuser, I think what's commonly being accepted is that a reactor is constructed to use some form of forced water injection, while a diffuser is being used to describe a passive means (glass airstones, bubble ladder, etc...) of getting the CO2 dissolved.


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

I may be wrong but I think a reactor dissolves CO2 into the water by trapping the bubbles in turbulent water. A diffuser just brakes up bubbles into smaller bubbles so they can dissolve before they float to the surface. I agree with Bill.

Hawk


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## imported_russell (Sep 14, 2004)

ya, i think both of you are right. reactor uses power and diffuser may not.

so shannon, got any more questions? we will be glad to help


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Man, there's been so many threads on pressurized CO2 setup on all the forums lately. I wonder how long before magazines like FAMA start having a CO2 vendor heading in their back classifieds section.


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## imported_shannon (Apr 26, 2005)

Thank you so much for all the input everybody. This site is such a big help for me. I think I am just gonna drop the money on a pressurized CO2 system. Anyone have any suggestions for good brands? I'm looking for something that I won't have to mess with too much...something automated would be nice. 

I did decide to go ahead and replace those actinic bulbs with the 6700k bulbs. For some reason I was thinking I had to buy a whole new fixture. Duh....


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## Hawkeye (Aug 20, 2004)

Do you think FAMA can fit any more ads in their mag!!? I have a hard time finding the articles.

Hawk


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## Jason Baliban (Feb 21, 2005)

I just got a letter from them saying they switched publishers.....we will have to wait and see what they look like.
jB


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## Kyle V (May 8, 2005)

Shannon,

Hi there. I'm new to this too, and I literally just finished going through the high-tech setup process. I researched everything for ages, and decided to go with the JBJ regulator w/ needle valve (to micro-adjust the amount of CO2 that is released from the canister), bubble counter (so you can actually count the number of bubbles per second/minute), and solenoid (electronic valve that can be plugged into a timer or 'control' device to regulate the on/off of your CO2). 

The only other brand that I'm familiar with is Milwaukee. There are threads here that talk about the differences between the two, but untimately the JBJ has a check valve (so water can backflow into the regulator), and the Milwaukee does not. 

Either of the two regulators can be bought online for $80-$100, and they come with the accessories I mentioned above. 

As far as a reactor, I got the Aqua Medic 1000. It's one of the best out there, and although you can make one yourself without too much effort, I didn't know what I was doing so decided to buy all the components for my first setup. 

The only other things you'll need are a CO2 tank (from a local welding store, home brewing store, or fire extinguisher store), some CO2 resistant tubing, and a pump to work everything. As far as the pump is concerned, you can either set everything up to your canister filter if you have one, or just get a simple powerhead to do the job. 

The short answer:

You will need a CO2 tank, a regulator, a reactor, and a pump. If you don't want to think about it at all (not recomended), you can also get a pH control device (pretty expensive) that will automatically shut the CO2 off when your pH gets down to a certain level.

Good luck!


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