It will work significantly better with a canister filter. The aquaclear 70 is quite powerful for a 30 gallon tank, so it wouldn't be surprising if you're losing a ton of CO2. You could try to turn down the flow of the hob and raise the water level so it's just beneath the lip of the filter. After a few days, test the ph with the co2 on and off. Perhaps you'll see a bit of a change.
How much does a HOB filter offset CO2?
I'm having possible CO2 issues specifically related to one of my tanks, and I'd like to ask a general question:
Knowing that surface turbulence helps release CO2 and add O2, how much better an idea is it to use a canister filter than a HOB filter in a planted tank with CO2? (In my case, DIY CO2)
P.S. I have a HOB aquaclear 70 for my 30g cube. pH and KH have not appeared to change between before and after lighting periods (though I have been using an API KH kit rather than the recommended Seachem KH kit). I'm currently using a powerhead at the bottom of the tank as my diffuser. I realize a glass/ceramic diffuser would work better, or even possibly a bell at a high flow area, but this *should* be working, and I'm not sure it is. Any comments welcome!
Knowing that surface turbulence helps release CO2 and add O2, how much better an idea is it to use a canister filter than a HOB filter in a planted tank with CO2? (In my case, DIY CO2)
P.S. I have a HOB aquaclear 70 for my 30g cube. pH and KH have not appeared to change between before and after lighting periods (though I have been using an API KH kit rather than the recommended Seachem KH kit). I'm currently using a powerhead at the bottom of the tank as my diffuser. I realize a glass/ceramic diffuser would work better, or even possibly a bell at a high flow area, but this *should* be working, and I'm not sure it is. Any comments welcome!
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As snausage mentioned, the amount of CO2 loss is significantly reduced with a canister filter, but you can still use a HOB filter. I would get a drop checker to monitor the amounts of CO2 you are actually getting dissolved into your water column (be sure to use a 4 dkH reference solution). Also as snausage mentioned, it would be best to keep the water level so that surface agitation is minimized.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
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