# Question about co2 and drop checkers



## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

I am just curious to see what people think..... I have my co2 running on the 33g long tank through a glass diffusor, it's approximately 1 bubble every 1.5 seconds. The drop checker has 4 drops reagent with 4dkh solution, it is currently dark green. lighting is 2x 65w pc at 10hrs daily and fully stocked with 4 amano, 12 eb rams, 7 cardinals, 30 endlers and 1 bushynose pleco.

Should I up the co2, and what colour is not safe for the drop checker?

Sorry for the noob questions but I have never used proper solution for my drop checker until last week, what does it mean when it is dark green?

Thanks for anyone that can help!!!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Yellow is pushing it. That means you have more than 30 ppm. However, the drop checker is just a reference, as it takes time to reach equilibrium. Dial up the CO2 ever so slowly while you are at home and watch the fish. If you see any distress (rapid breathing, going to surface,) immediately dial it down and increase surface agitation. Are you starting your CO2 before the lights? If not, at those lighting levels, it's tough to get the CO2 up without choking the fish. Try turning the lights on 15 minutes after the CO2 comes on. Also the glass diffuser may not be the best method at those lighting levels. You may want to use an atomizer or reactor, or inject CO2 at more than one point, or chop the mist up with an HK mini.


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hey Gary, I should've mentioned the yellow I was getting was from using regular tap water, I didn't realize that you needed 4 dkh solution... Now that I have 4 dkh solution the drop checker is dark green, what colour is bad?

I should raise my lights to see if it makes a difference also try to get another timer for co2. Maybe raise the bubble count to 2 bubbles per second? I do have a powerhead for agitation I should build a co2 reactor as I love diy....


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Yellow with 4kdH means greater than 30 ppm.

Yes, raising the lights a bit would help. Definitely get a different timer for the CO2, then you can up the rate a bit more. I use 15 minutes before lights and 30 minutes before lights off and use powerheads to create good surface "boiling" without splashing. EDGE showed a great picture of how the surface should look when injecting CO2. Tom Barr also spoke of this at his talk at VanAqua.

I don't count my bubbles, I just turn the knob a little at a time and wait the the checker to equilibrate (take an hour or so, that's why you have to go slow) and also monitor the fish. And if I'm not getting the growth I want or I have bba I up a little bit more. You may also want to tweak your photoperiod down a bit. I play with all the parameters one at time a little at a time to get where I want with it. And as the plants grow it, you'll have to tweak it again. I got so much growth and was injecting so much CO2 at one point in my 20 gallon I added an airpump at night to off gas the CO2 immediately.


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

Here you go

3 months after set up photo - Oliver Knott the aqua creator photos at pbase.com

Even in a non planted tank, water should be almost like 'boiling' to help with the gas exchange.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks Eric. I love that photo.  I've modelled all my tanks after that look since you showed that pic.


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

no prob. forgot to mentioned, that tank doesn't get CO2.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Yeah, I'm starting to lean away from CO2 also as it's too much work with all that pruning.


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

Ok so I will do that and for flow stick my tunze stream pump in there!! The last part was a joke as all the fish will be pinned to one side....

I have a 1 inch ball in my reef tank but that's alittle different than a planted tank, especially with all those small endlers they will be swimming for their lives...


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

tang daddy said:


> Ok so I will do that and for flow stick my tunze stream pump in there!! The last part was a joke as all the fish will be pinned to one side....
> 
> I have a 1 inch ball in my reef tank but that's alittle different than a planted tank, especially with all those small endlers they will be swimming for their lives...


Yeah, that's the reason I haven't done the Sureflow mod to my Maxijet in my cube, as in the 125, with the sureflow mod, no fish swim in front of it except the plecos, who love it. The cories and the geos get blown around like kites.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

i aim for a lime green solution colour


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

neven said:


> i aim for a lime green solution colour


So what does dark green mean?

More co2?


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Dark green means < 20 ppm CO2. It depends on what you're trying to do. As long as the plants are doing well, I am satisfied. I don't aim for a specific colour. When I was runnign the 20 gallon, I shot for light lime green as Neven suggested but in my 125 full of plecos, I shoot for dark green, which means less CO2....because the tank is lower light and I don't want to choke out my plecos.


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks again Gary, so green is good dark green is less co2 and light green is more co2 but either way there is co2....

Yellow is too much co2!

In my shrimp tank and 33long it's both dark green, so I may tweak it to see what my fish are comfortable at!


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Yep, you got it. Just do it slowly so you don't kill anything.


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