[Wallywonka]

Hey guys. Con someone give me a link or quick answer.
I have a 60 gallon planted tank .. Lightly planted right now... and my questions is how many bubbles per second should my new pressurized co2 setup run at . This is my firs time doing this I don't want to over gas my tank or waste co2

Thanks

 

[Higher Thinking]

Well every tank is going to be different and there really isn't a set amount of bbp, even for tanks of similar size. How are you diffusing you CO2?

 

[Wallywonka]

I am going to go the route of feeding my co2 line into the intake tube of my canister filter.... How is this method viewed upon here ?

 

[Higher Thinking]

Ummm can't really speak for everyone. I know that some people do it, but I think most go with an inline reactor of some sort. I have heard that CO2 can corrode your impeller if injected directly into the intake, but I don't think that's actually true. I guess I would just run with your idea and see how it goes. Do you have any CO2 monitoring device to use? Like a drop checker or pH monitor/controller?

 

[Bigboy]

You can try RED SEA CO2 REACTOR 500 the only down side you need to clean twice a month

 

[Wallywonka]

No drop checker or ph controller.. I read the co2 beginner article on this forum and didn't think those items were required.... What are your thoughts.
My plan is to have the co2 off at night ...

 

[jreich]

just keep an eye on your fish, when they start gasping turn it down. i would start at i guess 3bps and work your way up from there. Remember to make these changes slowly over the course of days, and only days that you will be home so you can keep an eye on the fish.

 

[Kathyy]

Start very slow, maybe 1 bubble per second or even less. Every couple days turn it up a notch, if you start at 60 per minute go to 80 per minute maybe. And an overdose can happen in 10 minutes or 4 hours so do stick around when you change things. Even a change in the ripple on the surface of the tank matters!

Turn the CO2 on before lights go on and off before the lights go off. In my 180 gallon tank I turn it on a couple hours before lights go on and off a couple hours before lights go off to let the CO2 build up before lights are on. You need to figure out how early to turn on the CO2 for your situation.

No canister here but the powerhead running the sump seemed fine when I just stuck the line into the intake. Not sure how old it is but I have only killed 2 powerheads in 10 years.

 

[Wallywonka]

Ok so I have it all setup. How soon should I see pearling or anything that let's me know that this is working

 

[VeeSe]

Ok so I have it all setup. How soon should I see pearling or anything that let's me know that this is working

It's increased growth and healthy plants that you should be looking for. Pearling is just a side effect that you can get with or without CO2 theoretically, but in most cases it's correlated to growth/high levels of photosynthesis happening.

 

[Kathyy]

At first you may see pearling just at the end of the light cycle and then earlier as you increase the amount of CO2. In time if everything is in alignment you might see pearling right when the lights go on. It really isn't a big deal and if you have good circulation you may not see much pearling as the O2 diffuses into the water instead of forming pretty O2 bubbles. Do pH tests before CO2 is on and right when it turns off to see how it is going.

Plants get fat with the right amount of CO2 and nutrients. Stems and leaves are crisp and colors are vivid.