how many bps??

1243 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Mr. Fisher, Nov 11, 2010

riddik1

Discussion Starter · Nov 10, 2010

i am wondering how what bps i should shoot for? at what point would i gas my fish? its a 40g with lots of plants...

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There's not really a good answer for that. Every tank is different.

Your best bet is to start out with a drop checker, and get it to turn green. Then you fine tune your CO2 slowly over the next week or 2. Once you get to the point where fish are showing distress, back it off slightly. If you have lighting that's a little bit lower, you can get away with a little less CO2 if you want to play it safe.

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chris.rivera3

· #3 · Nov 10, 2010

establishing BPS is irrelevant unless you have a drop checker...a drop checker will tell you how much CO2 you need to have in your tank

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HypnoticAquatic

· #4 · Nov 10, 2010

chris.rivera3 said:
establishing BPS is irrelevant unless you have a drop checker...a drop checker will tell you how much CO2 you need to have in your tank

i will completely disagree with that a dc is just a extra safety for peace of mind. when co2 was first used do u think they had it or knew what lvls were ok. i feel its as necessary as a ph controller just a extra. for the bubble rate it can/will vary due to bubble size, diffusion efficiency, surface agitation, plant mass ext ext. that being said i run mine 8-14 bps cant really tell as it comes out very fast its really a trial/error issue start slow then recheck every 15min or so and readjust if needed. if you do happen to start to gas your fish turn it off or back down to where they were ok and wait 30-60 and try again. i like to have my workin pressure higher to help deal with rise/decay more of a personal choice though.

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Sharkfood

· #5 · Nov 10, 2010

I also run my pressure a little bit higher. I usually see recomendations of 15 PSI, but my cheapo regulator is inconsistent at that pressure, so I run about 20 PSI which keeps everything running nice and stable. I also run at a bubble rate that is difficult to count. I get a little bit of blow through in my reactor which is likely the reason. On the upside though, I don't get much of a gas pocket at the top.

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Hoppy

· #6 · Nov 10, 2010

HypnoticAquatic said:
i will completely disagree with that a dc is just a extra safety for peace of mind. when co2 was first used do u think they had it or knew what lvls were ok. i feel its as necessary as a ph controller just a extra. for the bubble rate it can/will vary due to bubble size, diffusion efficiency, surface agitation, plant mass ext ext. that being said i run mine 8-14 bps cant really tell as it comes out very fast its really a trial/error issue start slow then recheck every 15min or so and readjust if needed. if you do happen to start to gas your fish turn it off or back down to where they were ok and wait 30-60 and try again. i like to have my workin pressure higher to help deal with rise/decay more of a personal choice though.

Once you have enough experience to recognize when the fish are looking distressed, and when you probably have enough CO2 for the plants, I agree that a drop checker is not essential. But, when you are starting out with CO2, you don't have that experience, and caution usually keeps you from adding as much CO2 as you should, for a high light tank. That is when a drop checker is essential - it helps "train" you, and encourage you.

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kevmo911

· #7 · Nov 10, 2010

Once you do start getting the drop checker to turn a healthy green, you can count your bps. Remember, though, that the bps will have to change whenever you do anything that could affect CO2 levels. Not all bubble counters are alike, and there are a large number of variables which will affect CO2 saturation. Best to figure out what works for your particular setup.

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riddik1

Discussion Starter · #8 · Nov 11, 2010

thank you

guess its one of those do it and see things! how can you see that there is enough co2 without a dc? will the plants all start pearling? what are the signs when there is too much co2 for the fish? besides death lol...

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kevmo911

· #9 · Nov 11, 2010

FIRST: order a drop checker. Then, while you're waiting for your checker to arrive in the mail:

Set your lighting and solenoid timer(s) to be on while you're home and awake. If you won't be there and aware the whole time, it's better to miss the beginning of the light/co2 cycle than the end. Try something like 1bps if you have a generic inline bubble counter. You can increase it daily (3b per 2s, then 5b per 3s, then 2b per 1s, etc), but pay attention to your fish. If they start hanging around at the opposite end of the tank from the co2, at the surface, "gulping" for breath, then turn it down. Quickly. Then, when you get your drop checker, and a 4dkh solution, start over, looking for a solid green rather than gasping fish.

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HypnoticAquatic

· #10 · Nov 11, 2010

pearling can happen without co2 there are many factors on that so dont go by that. start with 2-4 bps and slowly work your way up. fish can act differently by darting around "twiching" idk what the term would be then one of the last resorts will be gasping. should norm take about 30 to degas or so to get them back to semi normal. so just back it down from there when they show signs of stress and everything will be good u dont need it at 30ppm for good growth thats just the max that they can handel better way to think of it.

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riddik1

Discussion Starter · #11 · Nov 11, 2010

thank you. thats exactley what i needed to know!

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Mr. Fisher

· #12 · Nov 11, 2010

I agree with what hoppy said.

fwiw, fish can tolerate more than 30 ppm of Co2. some plants love more co2.

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