"Best" pH and CO2 dosing ?

Guttboy · 08-06-2003, 04:35 PM

Hi everyone....

Well the CO2 system and pH (milwaukee) controller are working GREAT on my tank.

The pH gets down to 7.0 at night now and around 7.2ish in the day.

Right now it is at 7.1 with a KH of 5 degrees.

Using Chucks calculator...it states I am at 11.91 ppm for CO2.

Is this good? Should I allow the pH to go down more? Perhaps to 6.9 or so? I have fish in the tank...right now 8 White Cloud MM's and 7 Ottos, 40 glass shrimp.

Mike

PS....My temps go from 72 in the evening to 75 in the daytime if that helps as well.

Saluki · 08-06-2003, 04:48 PM

I would let the pH drop a little more. The ideal CO2 concentration is about 15ppm. Your fish are all well-suited to more acidic water. Just be careful to keep your CO2 below 25 ppm. At that level, O2 levels drop to a point where it becomes harmful to your fish.

With a KH of 5, your ideal pH would be 6.9 to 7.0.

Deuce868 · 08-06-2003, 04:54 PM

How long did it take for your CO2 level to get up there Guttboy? I started my CO2 last night and I am trying to see how long I should wait for the PH to drop before i crank up the CO2 some more.

Guttboy · 08-06-2003, 05:07 PM

Deuce,

What system for dosing are you using? I have a milwaukee sms 122 controller and the Milwaukee setup for regulator with a reactor 1000.

Ok when I started it off I was doing 5 bubbles per min with really no luck. I turned up the velocity on the filstar to make the reactor better? Well then I upped the CO2 to a bubble per min. This dropped the pH slowly from 7.6 to 7.4 to 7.3....you get the pic...got up several times during the night to watch. Now I noticed this morning (had a late night flight so could not monitor) that the pH was 7.0...got up and left the bubbles at 1 per sec. pH after having the lights on for now 5 hours has risen slightly to 7.1.

I will keep it on 1 per sec til I see a change tonight...got a late flight so will check in AM.

I am sure this is way too much co2 bubbles but we shall see

Some of the plants are pearling pretty well...couple of bubbles here and there.

Mike

Comments everyone? would appreciate the help.

Deuce868 · 08-06-2003, 05:12 PM

I have to set it manually. No controller here. So I am teaking the fine tuner on my setup. I have it around 1 bubble per sec and left it over night, but I did not see a drop in the ph this morning. You can see a pic of my powered reactor in my journal posts. The reactor is on the left side of the tank.

I think I need a new ph test so I will grab that on the way home today and check it out.

Guttboy · 08-06-2003, 05:20 PM

Doomer,

I have to say that the pH controller was the BEST money spent so far...now there is no guess work in the CO2 dosing. From what I have read that the CO2 levels do NOT effect the KH only if it gets to the pt that they will start causing rocks to leach (same principle in my marine tanks with a calcium reactor....co2 makes carbonic acid in the water which in turn causes the calcium to release into solution). I dont have such substrate so I am ok.

Id love to know if guys are dosing CO2 and what their counts are?

I am not familiar with your reactor...saw the pic in there...new to plants myself.

Mike

Steve Hampton · 08-06-2003, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saluki

I would let the pH drop a little more. The ideal CO2 concentration is about 15ppm. Your fish are all well-suited to more acidic water. Just be careful to keep your CO2 below 25 ppm. At that level, O2 levels drop to a point where it becomes harmful to your fish.

No, this isn't quite right. CO2 and O2 levels are independent of each other. High levels of CO2 can causes fish problems relating to the inability to rid CO2 from their blood through the gills into the tank water. A tank with CO2 levels of 100ppm or more can still have O2 levels well above 100% too. The important part to understand is that CO2 doesn't displace O2 in water...in air yes, in water no. But, the warning is still valid, keeping CO2 levels under 25ppm is a very good recommendation especially to someone just beginning with CO2 injection. Later, if you have moderately hard water you may find that pushing CO2 to 30-35ppm works fine too, but it's extremely wise to limit CO2 to 25ppm at the start.

rossi32s · 08-06-2003, 11:00 PM

Steve I was just about to write the smae exact thing :lol:

08-06-2003, 04:35 PM	#1
Guttboy Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA Posts: 752	Hi everyone.... Well the CO2 system and pH (milwaukee) controller are working GREAT on my tank. The pH gets down to 7.0 at night now and around 7.2ish in the day. Right now it is at 7.1 with a KH of 5 degrees. Using Chucks calculator...it states I am at 11.91 ppm for CO2. Is this good? Should I allow the pH to go down more? Perhaps to 6.9 or so? I have fish in the tank...right now 8 White Cloud MM's and 7 Ottos, 40 glass shrimp. Mike PS....My temps go from 72 in the evening to 75 in the daytime if that helps as well. __________________ Mike 100 Gal Planted, two Filstar XP3, Milwaukee SMS 122 pH controller, Milwaukee reg/bubble, compressed CO2, reactor 1000, 7 WCMM, 12 Ottos, 14 neons, 1 SAE, 3 German blue rams, 2 Florida Flag Fish 10 Gallon...20 Endler's live bearers planted, peat/kitty litter/sand substrate 15 Gallon...Just Schultz Aquatic Plant soil

08-06-2003, 05:07 PM	#4
Guttboy Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA Posts: 752	Deuce, What system for dosing are you using? I have a milwaukee sms 122 controller and the Milwaukee setup for regulator with a reactor 1000. Ok when I started it off I was doing 5 bubbles per min with really no luck. I turned up the velocity on the filstar to make the reactor better? Well then I upped the CO2 to a bubble per min. This dropped the pH slowly from 7.6 to 7.4 to 7.3....you get the pic...got up several times during the night to watch. Now I noticed this morning (had a late night flight so could not monitor) that the pH was 7.0...got up and left the bubbles at 1 per sec. pH after having the lights on for now 5 hours has risen slightly to 7.1. I will keep it on 1 per sec til I see a change tonight...got a late flight so will check in AM. I am sure this is way too much co2 bubbles but we shall see Some of the plants are pearling pretty well...couple of bubbles here and there. Mike Comments everyone? would appreciate the help. __________________ Mike 100 Gal Planted, two Filstar XP3, Milwaukee SMS 122 pH controller, Milwaukee reg/bubble, compressed CO2, reactor 1000, 7 WCMM, 12 Ottos, 14 neons, 1 SAE, 3 German blue rams, 2 Florida Flag Fish 10 Gallon...20 Endler's live bearers planted, peat/kitty litter/sand substrate 15 Gallon...Just Schultz Aquatic Plant soil

08-06-2003, 05:12 PM	#5
Deuce868 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 105	I have to set it manually. No controller here. So I am teaking the fine tuner on my setup. I have it around 1 bubble per sec and left it over night, but I did not see a drop in the ph this morning. You can see a pic of my powered reactor in my journal posts. The reactor is on the left side of the tank. I think I need a new ph test so I will grab that on the way home today and check it out. __________________ ---------- Eheim Pimp Member # 117

08-06-2003, 05:20 PM	#6
Guttboy Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Albuquerque, NM, USA Posts: 752	Doomer, I have to say that the pH controller was the BEST money spent so far...now there is no guess work in the CO2 dosing. From what I have read that the CO2 levels do NOT effect the KH only if it gets to the pt that they will start causing rocks to leach (same principle in my marine tanks with a calcium reactor....co2 makes carbonic acid in the water which in turn causes the calcium to release into solution). I dont have such substrate so I am ok. Id love to know if guys are dosing CO2 and what their counts are? I am not familiar with your reactor...saw the pic in there...new to plants myself. Mike __________________ Mike 100 Gal Planted, two Filstar XP3, Milwaukee SMS 122 pH controller, Milwaukee reg/bubble, compressed CO2, reactor 1000, 7 WCMM, 12 Ottos, 14 neons, 1 SAE, 3 German blue rams, 2 Florida Flag Fish 10 Gallon...20 Endler's live bearers planted, peat/kitty litter/sand substrate 15 Gallon...Just Schultz Aquatic Plant soil

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08-06-2003, 04:48 PM	#2
Saluki Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Springfield, Illinois, USA Posts: 70	I would let the pH drop a little more. The ideal CO2 concentration is about 15ppm. Your fish are all well-suited to more acidic water. Just be careful to keep your CO2 below 25 ppm. At that level, O2 levels drop to a point where it becomes harmful to your fish. With a KH of 5, your ideal pH would be 6.9 to 7.0.

08-06-2003, 04:54 PM	#3
Deuce868 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 105	How long did it take for your CO2 level to get up there Guttboy? I started my CO2 last night and I am trying to see how long I should wait for the PH to drop before i crank up the CO2 some more.

08-06-2003, 11:00 PM	#8
rossi32s Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (5/100%) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: On the net usually Posts: 266	Steve I was just about to write the smae exact thing :lol: