[Sucram Nosiren]

alright so i ordered a diy co2 kit (d501) and was wondering a few things.
Lets say i have a 36 gallon tank i want to fill it with plants and also have at least 15 guppys
how much can i crank the co2 before fish start getting affected and what all do i need to keep an eye on
what test kits should i have on hand and how do i set up/buy a solenoid to work with the kit that i purchased
thanks in advance

 

[natemcnutty]

alright so i ordered a diy co2 kit (d501) and was wondering a few things.
Lets say i have a 36 gallon tank i want to fill it with plants and also have at least 15 guppys
how much can i crank the co2 before fish start getting affected and what all do i need to keep an eye on
what test kits should i have on hand and how do i set up/buy a solenoid to work with the kit that i purchased
thanks in advance

Where to start

First and foremost, there are great stickies in the Equipment subforum here, and you can read up on a lot of this stuff there.

DIY is not a good choice if you want to "crank the CO2" to the max before suffocating your fish. In a 36 gallon, you'll probably be changing it out weekly, but since you already bought it, you can at least use it to get you a feel for if you want to invest in a pressurized setup.

Rather than targeting the max CO2 your fish can handle, it might be worth considering what your goal is. Are you light limited at all? Are you just looking for maximum growth? Most on here seem to have settled on 30 ppm as a good target for safe but healthy growth. I personally shoot for 15 ppm with DIY CO2 in my 6 and 20 gallon tanks to simply aid growth and color and allowing me to stay light limited.

For test kits, a pH test (do a before and after) will show how much of a drop is due to CO2, or you can use a drop checker with a known dKH. To determine how much of a pH drop you need, you can use the calculator here: http://rotalabutterfly.com/co2-ph-calculator.php

For a solenoid, it's worth investing in the ones designed for our application. The really cheap ones run hot and can get stuck open regularly. To set it up, you'll run tubing from the DIY to the solenoid, then run tubing from that through at least one check valve (I prefer two) to your diffuser.

 

[Sucram Nosiren]

Thank you , lol i had no intentions of actually cranking it up i was just joking because i dont yet know how much it needs and what i think is a little could end up being alot . and for light i just ordered a two 24 inch 24 watt bulb t5 fixture but could add a compact fluorescent if needed

 

[Hoppy]

Is your tank a bow-front, 21 inch high, 30 inch long tank? Which 2 x T5HO bulb lights do you have? (Manufacturer, model, etc.)? That lets us make a good guess about how much light intensity you have. And, once we know how much light you have, it is possible to say how important it is to have a lot of CO2 in the water.

 

[IntotheWRX]

alright so i ordered a diy co2 kit (d501) and was wondering a few things.
Lets say i have a 36 gallon tank i want to fill it with plants and also have at least 15 guppys
how much can i crank the co2 before fish start getting affected and what all do i need to keep an eye on
what test kits should i have on hand and how do i set up/buy a solenoid to work with the kit that i purchased
thanks in advance

i think i killed my guppies from too much co2. they will swim near the surface of the water and gasp couple of breaths. it took many weeks of gasping until mine got sick and died within 3 days. my tetras didn't change their behavior so im not sure if it was the co2 that killed the guppies. three baby platties were born at the same time. i did a water change and my momma platty jumped out. i don't measure anything so i don't know.

 

[Kubla]

i think i killed my guppies from too much co2. they will swim near the surface of the water and gasp couple of breaths. it took many weeks of gasping until mine got sick and died within 3 days. my tetras didn't change their behavior so im not sure if it was the co2 that killed the guppies. three baby platties were born at the same time. i did a water change and my momma platty jumped out. i don't measure anything so i don't know.

So, if you learned something from that it might be helpful to share it.

 

[IntotheWRX]

So, if you learned something from that it might be helpful to share it.

i would say mainly check out the fishes, see if they are gasping. if they are gasping, they got about 2-3 weeks left to live unless you change your co2 levels.

 

[natemcnutty]

i would say mainly check out the fishes, see if they are gasping. if they are gasping, they got about 2-3 weeks left to live unless you change your co2 levels.

Or don't make your fish gasp for air at all... I don't see how you can estimate your fishes life expectancy through CO2 poisoning...

Just be more patient, take things slowly, and watch for changes all along the way. You should notice a change in behavior before they are actually gasping. It's gradual changes while monitoring.

 

[Sucram Nosiren]

Is your tank a bow-front, 21 inch high, 30 inch long tank? Which 2 x T5HO bulb lights do you have? (Manufacturer, model, etc.)? That lets us make a good guess about how much light intensity you have. And, once we know how much light you have, it is possible to say how important it is to have a lot of CO2 in the water.

yes its a 21 inch tall 30 inch wide bowfront the light i have on the way will have 2 24W 6500K bulbs unsure what brand .. the fixture is an odyssea 2 bulb 30 inch that takes 24 inch bulbs

 

[IntotheWRX]

Or don't make your fish gasp for air at all... I don't see how you can estimate your fishes life expectancy through CO2 poisoning...

Just be more patient, take things slowly, and watch for changes all along the way. You should notice a change in behavior before they are actually gasping. It's gradual changes while monitoring.

this is my first tank and im riding on a very steep learning curve. many times i dont learn something until i hit failure. first mistake is always a lesson. i believe thats how life works.