co2 for large planted tank

[Nate Dogg]

need help with my 6ft planted tank. I have 2 36 inch 4 bulb t-5 lighting and a fx5. I want to add co2. currently I have only ran it once and almost gassed my fish, I was using a little 1 inch air stone. my questions are
1. approximately how many bubbles per second
2. what diffusor should I use, is the air stone ok I do get small bubbles
3. how long sould 5lb of co2 last
4. what exactly is a drop checker

 

[Fat Homer]

need help with my 6ft planted tank. I have 2 36 inch 4 bulb t-5 lighting and a fx5. I want to add co2. currently I have only ran it once and almost gassed my fish, I was using a little 1 inch air stone. my questions are
1. approximately how many bubbles per second
2. what diffusor should I use, is the air stone ok I do get small bubbles
3. how long sould 5lb of co2 last
4. what exactly is a drop checker

1. - This normally is dependent on the how demanding your plants are for Co2, but normally people say aim for 30ppm in a planted tank

2 - Can you show us a pic of the air stone? But as a reference, here is the type of Ceramic Diffuser i use on my plants for those super micro bubbles





3- Can't really tell you since it all depends on each persons tank, and how much Co2 you pump out... so really only trial and error will get you a more definitive answer...

4- Here is a pic of a Drop Checker for your reference... although there are different kinds, but this is basically what one looks like..



As for what it is, basically with a drop checker, when you buy it, it comes with the glass tube, a color chart and a mixing solution...

So what you would do is;

1) mix up some distilled water with i think bicarbonate soda till you get a KH reading of 4

2) add the necessary amount of KH 4 water into the Drop Checker

3) Add in the mixing solution provided with the drop checker

4) carefully place drop checker in tank and give it a few hours to register how many PPM of Co2 there is on your tank based on the color of the solution inside...

Blue normally means not enough Co2, Green means just right, and Yellow normally means too much...

So by having a drop checker in your tank, it will in essence help prevent you from gassing out your fish, coz you would be able to visually tell if you are possibly running too much Co2 in your tank...

Hope that answers some of your questions...

 

[Fat Homer]

I should also have added, since you have a 6ft tank, it maybe a better idea to use an in-line diffuser with your Co2 setup to help circulate the Co2 a little better...


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[xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx]

For a tank that size I recommend either a rex griggs style co2 reactor, or a cerges style reactor. Simply put because your tank is 6 foot long any kind of co2 diffuser whether it's a in-line or stand alone will NOT be enough to circulate throughout the entire tank, not to mention how much co2 you'll be losing because of a diffuser. With both the rex grigg, or cerges style of reactors you'll get 100% diffusion of the co2 with no loss.

Now because these 2 styles of co2 reactors require different GPH (gallons per hour) in order to achieve success without back flow pressure causing failure, the cheaper of the 2 would be the rex griggs reactor because it's based on do it yourself (DIY) using pvc piping from homedepot or lowes. Info on how to build a rex grigg co2 reactor can be found here: http://www.rexgrigg.com/diy-reactor.htm


The FX5 canster filter is perfect for using a rex grigg co2 reactor....

I suggest getting a 20lb co2 tank for your tank because of the size of your tank anything less with gas out rather quickly, I plan on using a 10lb co2 cylinder (tank) for my 55 gallon heavily planted tank and it'll last me around a year before it needs to be refilled. I know that people when they're first getting into the planted tank side of the hobby they tend not to want to spend the money on the best items for their tanks, but believe me it's well worth spending that extra bit of money in the beginning because it WILL lessen the chances of failure.

On my 55 gallon I plan on using 2 co2 drop checkers, one on each side of the tank so I'll know that my co2 is being circulated throughout the entire tank. Now here's my questions for you....

What size is your tank?
What type of planted tank are you going for, low tech/low light, medium light, or high tech/high light?
What types of plants do have have in your tank right now?
Do you plan on adding more plants, and if so what plant types are you thinking of adding to the tank?
What substrate are you using?
Are you using any fertilizers in your tank, and if so what kind?