I am new to using CO2, what all do I need? Online I saw the CO2 system, reactors, diffusers, bubble counters... Which one do I exactly need and with your experiences which product would you recommend for a 55 gallon tank? I know I want to use a CO2 tank insted of the the other types systems.
Wanting to start using CO2, any suggestions for a 55gallon?
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CO2 addition may not even be necessary for you. What kind of plants do you plan to use or are currently using? What kind of light do you have? CO2 addition is not necessary for low tech set ups, and you can still grow lots of plants in them.
Not near by tank right now but I think its a coralife 120 or so watts. I also have eco complete substrate. I have tried many plants (really bad at the names) normal amazon swords, micro swords, numerous others that linger for awhile, but dont tend to grow much or grow for a bit then die. I keep the light on for 8 hours or so a day an add nutrients. I just added a crypt of some sort and have a java fern that is lingering. My PH is also a little on the basic side, I can test it when I get back home.
Do you test your water quality? ... Not to be rude, but it really sounds like you don't know much of what you are doing. I would suggest you do some more research on the plants you buy since they all have different requirements, just like purchasing flowers for a garden. You wouldn't buy shade plants and put them in the sun. Or like corals...same thing.
But in all honesty, everyone overthinks it. They are just plants! Good quality water and light.
I would suggest investing in quality lighting. I keep a regular bulb that came with my tank plus a coralife that has a blue and white bulb. I keep the regular bulb on for 8 hours then the coralife on for about 3 hours during that period. Resembles normal day with like a high noon if you want to call it. Consitent light is good also. Timers are helpful.
Also just curious...do you have green water from all the crap you are dumping in there plus dying plants and light?
Anyway good luck
But in all honesty, everyone overthinks it. They are just plants! Good quality water and light.
I would suggest investing in quality lighting. I keep a regular bulb that came with my tank plus a coralife that has a blue and white bulb. I keep the regular bulb on for 8 hours then the coralife on for about 3 hours during that period. Resembles normal day with like a high noon if you want to call it. Consitent light is good also. Timers are helpful.
Also just curious...do you have green water from all the crap you are dumping in there plus dying plants and light?
Anyway good luck
If I were you I would decide on what plants you want to keep in your tank. Than research what the plants needs are. I wouldn't rush into buying stuff and than regret it later. Also I would figure out how many watts your light fixture is and the type of bulbs you have.
Howdy,
Let's start from scratch: What's your temp, pH, kH, gH, nitrates, phosphates, filtration media and pump flow rate? How old is your light bulb, and what Coralife bulb do you use?
In all honesty, if you are already having problems with hardy plants like swords, crypts, and Java fern, then a CO2 system will not be the silver bullet for you ... it rarely is. It's cheaper and smarter to customize your plants to your water chemistry unless you have some exotic wishes.
Bring it on and we'll help.
HarleyK
Let's start from scratch: What's your temp, pH, kH, gH, nitrates, phosphates, filtration media and pump flow rate? How old is your light bulb, and what Coralife bulb do you use?
In all honesty, if you are already having problems with hardy plants like swords, crypts, and Java fern, then a CO2 system will not be the silver bullet for you ... it rarely is. It's cheaper and smarter to customize your plants to your water chemistry unless you have some exotic wishes.
Bring it on and we'll help.
HarleyK
Just to let you know, your "quality" light, isn't very good for planted tanks. That blue half is actinic, and not very usable by freshwater plants.Loach Master;5029397;5029397 said:
Well like i said i wasn't meaning to be rude, but when you don't know the name of the plant it might be kind of hard to keep them alive. Especially with the hardy ones listed.
I currently have a 75 gallon planted tank with a fluval mechanical co2 system. It says up to 40 gal but I didn't want to add too much c02 to drastically affect the pH. Seems to work great.
I already described my lighting wich also seems to work wonderfully.
I have both lighting and CO2 on timers. No sense in running excess CO2 when the lights are off.
My filtration is simple. Two hot magnums off the back. One is a biofilter with rock from the tank and a sponge over the container. THe other is carbon. I clean both filters once a month and also do 20 percent water change once or twice a month.
I manage to keep my pH between a range 5.8-6.2. I have a variety of plants from the Amazon and discus. I check my pH often and when I do water changes i add buffered RO.
The plants are thriving and the fish look great and healthy.
So to apologize for any attitude, I am sorry if I offended anyone.
I do however think that dumping in a ton of nutrient supplements along with decaying plants would cause a problem. To offer a nicer suggestion, i would suggest doing water changes with RO initially to get the pH down. If there are no fish, you can do it faster. Once you know what the plants and fish are you would like to keep, I would adjust the pH, light and nutrient requirements based on that.
Also, if you are adding a lot of nutrients, I would avoid tap water depending how your city's water is and just use buffered RO to avoid too high of levels that can cause unwanted algal blooms or bacterial growth.
Also, if you do have green water or a lot of decay, try to take as much out and use a hot magnum with micron and diatom powder. Works wonderfully to clear up the tank.
Also would recommend using stability product as a bacteria supplement to get the biosystem going.
And to address your question about C02 system for 55 gal. I would go with the Fluval Mechanical C02 Kit for up to 40gal. Also get timers.
Best of Luck
I currently have a 75 gallon planted tank with a fluval mechanical co2 system. It says up to 40 gal but I didn't want to add too much c02 to drastically affect the pH. Seems to work great.
I already described my lighting wich also seems to work wonderfully.
I have both lighting and CO2 on timers. No sense in running excess CO2 when the lights are off.
My filtration is simple. Two hot magnums off the back. One is a biofilter with rock from the tank and a sponge over the container. THe other is carbon. I clean both filters once a month and also do 20 percent water change once or twice a month.
I manage to keep my pH between a range 5.8-6.2. I have a variety of plants from the Amazon and discus. I check my pH often and when I do water changes i add buffered RO.
The plants are thriving and the fish look great and healthy.
So to apologize for any attitude, I am sorry if I offended anyone.
I do however think that dumping in a ton of nutrient supplements along with decaying plants would cause a problem. To offer a nicer suggestion, i would suggest doing water changes with RO initially to get the pH down. If there are no fish, you can do it faster. Once you know what the plants and fish are you would like to keep, I would adjust the pH, light and nutrient requirements based on that.
Also, if you are adding a lot of nutrients, I would avoid tap water depending how your city's water is and just use buffered RO to avoid too high of levels that can cause unwanted algal blooms or bacterial growth.
Also, if you do have green water or a lot of decay, try to take as much out and use a hot magnum with micron and diatom powder. Works wonderfully to clear up the tank.
Also would recommend using stability product as a bacteria supplement to get the biosystem going.
And to address your question about C02 system for 55 gal. I would go with the Fluval Mechanical C02 Kit for up to 40gal. Also get timers.
Best of Luck
Just to let you know, I have the blue light on because the combo makes my fish look awesome! THe plants get plenty from the other bulbs