# Co2



## Mikee (Dec 13, 2010)

Hi everyone i am not entirely new with freshwater but id thought id come here to ask some expert advise. I have a 2ft tank i think 15g or so with a coralife 65w (6700k) for light and a small aquaclear pump. Right now i just have my dark sand in and 2 medium sized driftwood (branchy) pieces with moss tied to them with some cotton string. Ive been using R/O water mixed with tap and currently i just have red cherry shrimp in there. Eventually i will get some more plants and some small fishes to school. 

My question is how important is CO2? and how many drops per second do you need so you dont over do it. I already have a 5 or 10lb CO2 tank that i used on my salt water tank for my calcium reactor that i dont use anymore with solenoid and regulator. I think i even have a diffuser kicking around. I am thinking about hooking it up to this tank what do you think?


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## Mikee (Dec 13, 2010)

I have this Amazon.com: Korallin Calcium Reactor 1502 Package 2: Kitchen & Dining and i want to use the co2 tank with regulator and solenoid on it but i need a bubble counter still how could i add one?


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I just used a pop bottle as a bubble counter, put the line in from the co2 into the water, and have the outflow higher above the water level so you can count how many bubbles per second.

It's a simple DIY, but it works well enough.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

The thing by the reactor with the blue top and bottom is a bubble counter.


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## EDGE (Aug 24, 2010)

bubble per second is all relative to the plant load. The best thing to do is get a drop checker and use the color chart to determined the level of CO2 in the water. I run my CO2 fairly lean to slow down plant growth but still have noticeable growth. A drop checker doesn't help me much because I gauge the CO2 on plant growth speed. I run around 2 bps in a 75g. I don't want a heavily planted tank to have 1 echinodorus leaf come up every 2 to 3 weeks but not crazy high where I have to prune stem plants every week either. Right now, the echinodorus average 1 leaf per week.


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## Mikee (Dec 13, 2010)

ok i have everything setup i was using a home made bubble counter one of those glass spice ones and just drilled 2 holes in the top but i could not get any co2 to get through diffuser.. the only way i could finally get co2 through is if i turned the co2 up alot but then i noticed that the bubble counter was leaking co2 so i turned it down and i had no more bubbles..so i took the bubble counter out and just ran it C02-CHECK VALVE-DIFFUSER and bubbles come out fine. i got the psi at 20 and the need valve just opened a little and i get bubbles through the diffuser. 

Do i need a bubble counter? cus in my diffuser i can see how many bubbles are coming up before they hit the white ceramic part. and it stays pretty constant right now.


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## Mikee (Dec 13, 2010)




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## neven (May 15, 2010)

do what others have said an get a drop checker, it is really the easiest way to fine tune the tank's co2 level. Also are you mixing r/o water due to hardness or PH (or both)? i know vernon's water differs drastically depending on the time of year and the source


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## Mikee (Dec 13, 2010)

ok ill have to look into getting a drop checker. what should my PH level be? i have a milwaukee ph controller. i just use it because its cleaner what should i be using?


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## kelownaguy (Jan 1, 2011)

pH target is mostly a function of your kh.
30 ppm co2 is desirable.More may stress your critters.

This chart is fairly accurate as long as you are not adding a bunch of pH adjusters.
How to measure co2 in a planted tank | Aquariums Life

I would not worry about a bubble counter if you have a ph controller.
Mine is set at 6.60 w/kh at 3.5-4.
I use a drop checker as a backup,but,have not found it necessary.

FWIW,even the simpliest co2 reactor is more efficient than a diffuser.
I made my first one w/a drinking water bottle and a powerhead.
Wanna buy a bubble ladder?


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