[robxc80]

hello everyone,

I'm a bit confused. I'm having trouble increasing the level of dissolved co2 in my tank. I think it might be my HOB Emperor 400 filter. i know surface agitation leads to the gas escaping and i think that may be the cause.

I use a hydor reactor and have a Rena XP3 canister filter in my tank as well.

The tank is a 60 gallon. My drop checker solution is constantly blue telling me i dont have the dissolved CO2 that i need.

Please help. Thnaks.

 

[Cbwmn]

IMO, you don't need the HOB at all. Just the XP3 is enuff.
Charles

 

[hbosman]

second that!

 

[whickerda]

If you do remove the HOB, which I also think is a good idea, keep a very close eye on your drop checker and tank inhabitants. I know from first hand experience it's easy to mistakenly go from low co2 to gassing the heck out of your fish and shrimp.

 

[robxc80]

i replaced my HOB filter to increase my dissolved CO2 levels as you all suggested. It became clear that i didnt have the water flow i wanted so i put in an Aqua Clear powerhead i had lying around. I have it placed above my hydor reactor to help push the bubbles around.

The problem is, i'm still having problems getting the dissolved CO2 levels taht i want. My drop checker still reads blue. I have an EHEIM drop checker that looks cheap. Maybe its the drop checker? It gives me a solutions where i add 4 drops to 1 ml of tank water and its suctioned in place against the glass.

should i replace my powerhead with a hydor?

Sorry, this is a complete newbie post but i really need to get my CO2 levels up. Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[Cbwmn]

I inject CO2 directly into the intake of my XP2 canister.
The impeller breaks up the bubbles & they’re invisible when expelled out of the spraybar..
I keep the bubble count slow so there’s no CO2 build up in the canister.
If it does build up, the canister will “spit” a burst into the tank with a fairly loud sound
and a bunch of bubbles come out of the spraybar.
No harm is done, I just turn back on the needle valve a bit.
I rely on the pH controller to keep the level at 6.7.
Just drill a hole in the intake tube and ty-rap a piece of hard tubing
that’s connected to your CO2 hose.
When I do a large WC, I turn the CO2 off so I don’t have to re-prime the canister.
Charles

 

[NJAquaBarren]

How many bps are you running? I didn't see that information. Can you provide a little more info?

-current bps?
-location of reactor, drop checker, outlfow
-co2 24x7, or shut off at night
-is the bubble checker the same color all of the time?

Does the behavior of the Hydor change when you increase bps - ie bubbles in the tank, more bubbles in the tank....?

AB

 

[Hoppy]

The only mistake you are making is to follow the manufacturers directions for the drop checker. You are just measuring the pH of the water when you do that. Instead, use distilled water, which you have added baking soda to, to give a KH of 4 dKH, in the drop checker. That makes it usable as a CO2 measuring device. None of the major manufacturers of "drop checkers" by any name know how they work, so you can't use their directions.

 

[mistergreen]

The only mistake you are making is to follow the manufacturers directions for the drop checker. You are just measuring the pH of the water when you do that. Instead, use distilled water, which you have added baking soda to, to give a KH of 4 dKH, in the drop checker. That makes it usable as a CO2 measuring device. None of the major manufacturers of "drop checkers" by any name know how they work, so you can't use their directions.

If major manufacturers know how drop checkers work, they can charge a lot more by adding a simple 4dkh water with the drop checker or as an addition product.