Nutrafin buble counter/diffuser

[wendyv]

Hi everyone, I am working on my tank to get everything set up so it is working properly. Found out my carbonate hardness was too low, my ph was too low; also put in lots of light and algae was growing like crazy, so cut that back. Have been doing water changes every few days to harden up the water a bit; have to fine tune it; using half tap water and half rain water once I reach a happy medium; right now just using tap water. I had originally used my tap water and figured it wasn't growing plants so each water change after that I was using rainwater. My tap water is 150ppm Kh and the tester says that 100-125kh is right.
Anyway I bought the Nutrafin bubble counter/diffuser - looks like a ladder and want to eventual use it to put some co2 into my tank - 75 gal. I'm using two pop bottles and a smaller bottle at the end of them; then into this ladder. Someone once said that it wouldn't put lots of co2 into a 75 gallon and another said it would.
My question is - where is the best place to put this diffuser; I would think in the middle at the back; near the bottom of the tank? Also I guess you put the hose at the very bottom of this ladder?
Thanks for any information.
Wendy

[Rex Grigg]

Your tap water is fine. No reason not to use it.

Your CO2 system might work well on a 20 gallon tank but is not really adequate for a 75 gallon tank. You can tell how much CO2 you are getting into the tank by using the CO2 chart. I have a very nice and large one at my FAQ. But you need Adobe Acrobat Reader to use it or I can mail you an Excel file.

[anonapersona]

Your tap water is fine, stop tinkering with it, that doesn't matter, within a very broad range that you happen to be square in the center of.

As for the DIY CO2, even some CO2 will help, but you will want to go with pressurized before too long I'll bet. I've got CO2 on all of my planted tanks, Hagen systems of th 10 gallons, DIY on the 29, and pressurized on the 59 gallon. so, just start saving up, you'l need an All-in-One regulator ($90) a tank ($80) and tubing ($10) and you can use the Hagen ladder with that I think.

I'd put the Hagen ladder where it gets some decent current flow but it won't have leaves getting stuck in it. A side wall is good, you can see it, but don't notice it when you glance at the tank.

Are you in shape with nutrients? that is the big thing with the algae. You want a nitrate test kit, phosphate, too. And of course the pH and KH so you can calculate the CO2.

[wendyv]

Thanks so much everyone; using the tap water will be easier. Yes, I do have a phosphate tester, ph, kh and ph tester, nitrate I just bought a new one but a bottle was missing from the package; so will have to get it replaced but they did do a test before my last water change at the pet store and it was fine; using iron root tabs in the soil and leaf zone weekly in the water. I was going to get an iron test to see if I was adding too much iron but they were out at my pet store; it is on order; then I read on Rex's site that they are unreliable, so have to figure out what to do about that? Can't remember if you said Rex if there was another way of testing for iron or not; you had so much info. on there; will have to reread it:-). Anyway at the pet store they did a test for iron and it didn't show any; although I was dosing weekly with this Leaf Zone. Also went to my local hydrophonics store as I read on another side about making your own fertilizer using chelated trace elements (exactly the same mix I found here as what was on the site), potassium sulphate and potassium nitrate. Haven't mix up a batch yet; figure I wouldn't need the potassium nitrate since I have the fish and they produce nitrates but did buy some just in case. Want to use up this leaf zone first. Any info on this that anyone can tell me about?
Thanks for everyones help, it is much appreciated.
Wendy

[digger]

You must read this:
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_p...izer_intro.htm

[wendyv]

Thanks for the site. The Dupla drops that they mentioned are the ones that I saw on another site and got the information to buy the ingredients for them.
Wendy

[fishyboy]

Wendy just remember not to over do it with the CO2 cause you don't want your goldys to die.....

[wendyv]

No, I definitely don't want that to happen. Most people are saying though that I won't get too much co2 into this tank, seeing as it is so big. I just figured I would install it and if a little gets into the tank; any little bit would help.
Doing my tests today though; my kh was at 10 dropsX10=100 ppm and supposedly by the co2 chart you divide that by 18 which equals 5.6; then my ph was 7 and that works out on the chart that I have between 15-18 ppm of co2 in there already; which they say between 10-25 ppm is the right amount; so now I am really baffled.
As you know I have been on the Goldfish forum and this one trying to find out if I should put co2 in or not and most postings said that it would be almost impossible for me to have lots of co2 in the tank without aco2 supplement; and here I do these tests and by all accounts it looks like I have the right amount in there.
So I figure if I put this set-up I made on tomorrow and monitor it to see what is happening; maybe it will boost the plants to get them to grow fast; but I certainly have to make sure that my fish don't die.
My oxygen was at 8 mg at 26C which the heat was a bit high but lowering it a bit. 8 mg is suppose to be lots of oxygen, ammonia and nitrites were fine; phosphates were at 0.