# Hi, i'm new to CO2 Injection and could not find some things



## J'sRacing (Apr 25, 2012)

I'm doing CO2 injection on a 5gallon tank, that i would say is medium planted (density wise). The tank is no longer aerated as of 1 day ago, and the only movement of water in this tank is a marina slim filter S10. So far the fish have been doing well. The plants seemed to have grown substantially as well (plants are now growing straight up towards the light, and are spreading out roots all over)

As for what fish are in the tank and other setup info: 
few guppies
few tetras
2 cherry barbs

It is a yeast based CO2 setup with a bubble counter: Approximately 1 bubble every 1.5s diffused through a regular plain jane airstone. Before CO2 injection: pH was at 7.8, and is now currently sitting at ~7.3. Water temps are stabled @ 78deg fahrenheit (verified through a digital thermometer)

My concern is: i know guppies are top level swimmers. But out of the 4 guppies i have, 2 of them are some times gasping for air, but i can't tell if they are eating floating remnants of food. The tetras, cherry barbs and the other fish are not going up gasping for air. Should i be worried? Or is this just natural guppy behaviour? 

At night when the lights are off, i do aerate the tank again. 

Ammonia 0
Nitrates/Nitrites are all within spec according to the test kit.


Thanks alot!


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## ilam (Apr 28, 2011)

I don't know if there's a need to aerate at night, just make sure your filter is causing the water surface to ripple a little bit. I doubt you need to worry about the co2 loss with a yeast bottle on a 5 gallon. you know there's not enough oxygen when the lights turn off and the fish are at the surface.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I disagree with the above. Aerating the tank at night is wise as you cannot turn off the CO2 and 5 gallon is a tiny volume of water. I do agree that CO2 offgassing is not really much of a concern with a 5 gallon and I would also recommend ensuring there is good surface movement.


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I run an air pump at night. Plants take in oxygen when the light are off. If you cant turn off your co2 at night than it probably is a good idea to run an air pump. It also helps prevent Ph swings. If your tank is low on oxygen all or most of your fish will be at the top. Not just 1 or 2.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

A very simple solution for a diy co2 if you can't turn it off.....take the co2 diffuser line out out of the water every night when lights are off. Would be simple and wouldn't need to run a noisy air pump at night time. Given that this is only a 5 gallon tank. Keep it simple as it's a simple setup.

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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

jobber604 said:


> A very simple solution for a diy co2 if you can't turn it off.....take the co2 diffuser line out out of the water every night when lights are off.


 Great solution. No noise and saves power. Another alternative is to dose Metricide and not bother with the DIY CO2.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Great solution. No noise and saves power. Another alternative is to dose Metricide and not bother with the DIY CO2.


I agree. Scrap the DIY Co2 and just dose metricide for such a small tank. I'm already finding that my plants do better with metricide than injecting co2. Plus you won't have to battle BBA.


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## J'sRacing (Apr 25, 2012)

jobber604 said:


> I agree. Scrap the DIY Co2 and just dose metricide for such a small tank. I'm already finding that my plants do better with metricide than injecting co2. Plus you won't have to battle BBA.


Sorry, not sure on terminology, but what is BBA?

Update:

I left my CO2 on through the night and recorded the pH meter with a video camera through the night, pH of the water changed by .3 or so through out.

As for dosing metricide, i thought about that option, but i really dont want to be adding in stuff daily, i want this setup to be as natural as possible. (or maybe it's just my laziness  )


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