CO2 - How many bubbles per second

This is a pretty difficult, if not impossible question to answer. There are a ton of variables, like surface agitation, type of filtration, how well your co2 is dissolving, plant consumption, and livestock generation. Just worry about getting to 25-30 ppm and keeping it consistent. If there is anything I've learned from planted tanks, it's that patience and consistency are vitally important.

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jellopuddinpop said:

This is a pretty difficult, if not impossible question to answer. There are a ton of variables, like surface agitation, type of filtration, how well your co2 is dissolving, plant consumption, and livestock generation. Just worry about getting to 25-30 ppm and keeping it consistent. If there is anything I've learned from planted tanks, it's that patience and consistency are vitally important.

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Hello jello what do you mean 25-30ppm? How do I calculate that.


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Pretty much agree with what jello said. Bubbles per second (BPS) are hard to compare between setups and even in the same setup the bubbles are not consistent. What's more you will soon need a high speed cam to count the bubbles per second. I recently measured the volume of several CO2 bubbles and got widely varrying results.

In general we estimate the concentration of CO2 in our aquariums (in ppm or mg/L) in 2 ways either using the pH KH chart , see link below

CO2/pH/KH table - Aquarium Plants - Barr Report

or by using a drop checker with a precisely made solution of 4°dKH and a pH indicator that turns green when the CO2 in the solution is about 30ppm. None of the 2 is a very exact measurement in practice. So since you have the drop checker I would work with that.

Slowly, very slowly increase your CO2 and observe the fish behaviour over a day. When they 'gasp' and are lethargic you have probably gone a little too far and need to lower it back to the previous setting.

There are at least 3 different ways that I know of. First, you're already doing. Keep that drop checker at a light, lime green and you should be close. This is assuming you have a known 4dkh solution in the drop checker and good water circulation. Second is to check your ph and dkh against a co2 chart. You can Google it and find plenty of options. Lastly, check your co2 at it's lowest (just before it turns on for the day) and again during your co2 cycle. You're aiming for a drop of about 1 and you'll be close.

Finally, you could just slowly increase the amount of co2 over consecutive days and watch your fish. Once they start to spend most of their time at the surface gasping, turn it back until they act normal again, then just a touch more.

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Many thanks I have just purchased a KH test kit as I didn't have one.

I have an iPhone camera and your right I can't count the bPS so what I do is record 1 minute on the phone then use a video editor to slow this down to half. Count the bubbles then divide by 60. .

Also if there is too much CO2 will the fish start dashing around? Wasn't sure if this was the CO2 or the light... The SAE just starting going a little crazy running up and down.


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Yeah, I had the CO2 tube + volume measurement in one hand, timer in one hand and counter in one hand... hmm ... so I understand how you feel.

The fish response really depens on the fish, and I mean the individual not just the species. Some are more sensitive than others. Some gasp like a hyperventilating person, some try to jump out of the water, some stay near the surface while others go to the bottom of the tank and just sit there. I guess it's down to a different coping strategy and CO2 resistance of every fish. SAEs can be a little bit frantic even under normal conditions. What other fish do you have in the aquarium ?