Help with CO2 Reactor

peterinwa · 01-29-2003, 08:50 PM

Yesterday when I got my KH test kit I found my CO2 to be at 8 (pH 7.4 and KH 7 = CO2 8).

Yesterday I just had the hose running into an air stone at the bottom of the tank.

To raise the level, I made a simple reactor. I placed a 4 1/2" light-weight clear plastic flower pot dish upside down in the water at the very top. Rising CO2 bubbles filled it to hold it up there.

I thought I had the perfect reactor for my little 10 gallon as the dish filled up to about 85% full, but no more. To me, that meant that the CO2 was dissolving. (Earlier I had made one with the bottom of a clear plastic drinking cup. It was not big enough and every once and a while a big "gulp" of CO2 would escape to the surface of the tank -- undissolved.

Now I am very disappointed to find that after a full night the pH, KH, and calculated CO2 numbers are exactly the same. I don't see how this could be.

Any ideas what to do next? I know that there are better types of reactors, but since no CO2 is escaping to the surface it would seem to me that mine is perfect. (Obviously not!)

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lanstar · 01-30-2003, 04:35 PM

Sounds like observations of your CO2 reactor confirm is it doing its job just fine. If it never overflows, the CO2 just can't be going anyplace else but into your water.

Considering how difficult it is to get absolutely 100% spot on measurements of KH/pH to plug into "The Table", if I were you, I'd figure my real CO2 concentration was somewhere between 5 and 15 ppm.

In other words, your CO2 levels may very well have increased some...

If the plants are pearling nicely and everything is green and growing, I wouldn't make any drastic changes.

If you want to measure your CO2 with higher confidence in the answer you get, you could look into a good CO2 test kit. (Lamotte's very high quality kit sells for $15-$20.)

Good Luck!

Tim

peterinwa · 01-30-2003, 05:22 PM

Thanks Tim. I also learned something else evidently significant.

I figured as long at the generator was producing CO2 and filling the reactor that's all there was to it. But yesterday I refreshed the generator and over night the pH went down from 7.4 to 7.0. Now the CO2 is around 20, so that's great.

The KH went down slightly, but so little that I think I can basically monitor the pH (the easiest test!) to know when to refresh the generator.

Peter

P.S.

Now the reactor is bubbling over and I'm losting CO2, but at 20 it's high enough.

01-30-2003, 04:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
lanstar Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Joplin, Missouri USA Posts: 224	Sounds like observations of your CO2 reactor confirm is it doing its job just fine. If it never overflows, the CO2 just can't be going anyplace else but into your water. Considering how difficult it is to get absolutely 100% spot on measurements of KH/pH to plug into "The Table", if I were you, I'd figure my real CO2 concentration was somewhere between 5 and 15 ppm. In other words, your CO2 levels may very well have increased some... If the plants are pearling nicely and everything is green and growing, I wouldn't make any drastic changes. If you want to measure your CO2 with higher confidence in the answer you get, you could look into a good CO2 test kit. (Lamotte's very high quality kit sells for $15-$20.) Good Luck! Tim __________________ Chief 51, Engine 511, Engine 513, Rescue 511, respond to an algae outbreak at...

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01-29-2003, 08:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
peterinwa Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 67	Yesterday when I got my KH test kit I found my CO2 to be at 8 (pH 7.4 and KH 7 = CO2 8). Yesterday I just had the hose running into an air stone at the bottom of the tank. To raise the level, I made a simple reactor. I placed a 4 1/2" light-weight clear plastic flower pot dish upside down in the water at the very top. Rising CO2 bubbles filled it to hold it up there. I thought I had the perfect reactor for my little 10 gallon as the dish filled up to about 85% full, but no more. To me, that meant that the CO2 was dissolving. (Earlier I had made one with the bottom of a clear plastic drinking cup. It was not big enough and every once and a while a big "gulp" of CO2 would escape to the surface of the tank -- undissolved. Now I am very disappointed to find that after a full night the pH, KH, and calculated CO2 numbers are exactly the same. I don't see how this could be. Any ideas what to do next? I know that there are better types of reactors, but since no CO2 is escaping to the surface it would seem to me that mine is perfect. (Obviously not!)

01-30-2003, 05:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
peterinwa Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 67	Thanks Tim. I also learned something else evidently significant. I figured as long at the generator was producing CO2 and filling the reactor that's all there was to it. But yesterday I refreshed the generator and over night the pH went down from 7.4 to 7.0. Now the CO2 is around 20, so that's great. The KH went down slightly, but so little that I think I can basically monitor the pH (the easiest test!) to know when to refresh the generator. Peter P.S. Now the reactor is bubbling over and I'm losting CO2, but at 20 it's high enough.