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When I set mine up, I measured pH and kH before turning the CO2 on. The pH will change when you add CO2. The kH will remain constant. Turned it on to about 2 bubbles per second . After several hours I measured pH again. Went to the handy online CO2 chart and looked up how much CO2 I had from the measured pH and kH. If the level of CO2 is too low, you increase the bubbles per second. If the level of CO2 is too high, you lower the bubbles per second. Until you get to the right level (~15 - 25ppm). Alternatively you can just buy a CO2 testing kit or drop checker and slowly increase the CO2 bubbles per second until you hit the level you want. If your water has a low kH and low starting pH, you may need to add baking soda or shell chips at the beginning to increase the kH and hence the starting pH. Otherwise your pH will be too low at the optimal CO2 level. I add 1/2 tsp baking soda with every water change to keep my kH around 4. Hope this helps. I know there are people way more experienced with CO2 on this forum who should know the answers!

A good CO2 level is generally recommended to be around 15 - 25ppm. You can either measure the CO2 directly or measure pH and kH and obtain CO2 from a table. As long as when you set it up you know how many bubbles per minute you need to get the right CO2 level for your kH you are fine. You don't need to keep monitoring it which is the great difference with pressurised CO2. The krib has good info on the relationship between CO2, pH, KH and GH. Chucks planted aquarium calculates CO2 levels in your tank Also, Estimative index in depth, EI (not so in depth!)and PMDD dosing Steve Hampton's plant site Plant Geek forum on CO2 and water chemistry Pressurised CO2 parts Links page for pressurised CO2 and aquascaping forums and info. Heaps of Amano tank pic links just to get you inspiration!

Plant growth is limited by the amount of light you have. I grew low light plants such as java fern and crypts well with one normal (18-20W) 2ft flouro tube on a 2ft tank. I've now got 3 tubes on my 2 ft tank and I can grow higher light plants. It also pays to check when you got your current fluoro tube. If its been more than 6-8 months it may need changing as they gradually become dimmer with time.

I'm assuming you mean one 20W flouro? Depending on how big your tank is, that's actually not much light for plants. Hair grass, glosso etc need higher light. Dwarf sag might work. Slow growing, low light plants like Java fern and crypts like anubias are good. And they don't require much maintenance.

blackout?

What lighting do you have? To get a carpet type effect you need decent lighting for some plants.

Welcome! There are some great plant sites out there. Not sure if mondo is a true aquatic plant. I haven't heard of green stardust. Looking forward to pics. Plant sites: www.plantgeek.net www.aquaticplantcentral.com Good luck!

Maybe try running a cheap yeast DIY system (couple of empty 2L coke bottles, sugar, water and yeast) for a few weeks and see if you think the results are worthwhile. I found a DIY system good in my heavily planted tank. Pearling is exciting. But running a yeast based system seems to be easier in smaller tanks. As a warning, CO2 like 'tank acquisition syndrome' can be addictive. You'll soon be wanting a pressurised system!

Congrats on the bubbles! Its great your system lasts a month. My DIY only lasts 2 weeks. I use the krib recipe in a 2L soft drink bottle, just using edmonds yeast from the supermarket. It works well. Don't need a check valve as its above the tank. 6c warm water, 3/4 c sugar, 1/4 tsp yeast Are you going to leave yours going 24hrs?

Hi, I’ve just joined the forum. There’s an amazing amount of knowledge here, its great! I’ve had a tank for 5ish years, but recently got more into the plant side of things. Tank specs: Volume: Small, 60cmx30x30 (about 54L). Lighting: 3x 18W fluoro bulbs (54W total). Substrate: Dupla root fertilizer with gravel over. Plants: Quite densely planted Java fern, java moss, melon sword, some type of crypt and hair grass. Could someone please advise me on setting up a pressurized CO2 system? I’ve run a yeast DIY system for 3 weeks. Very exciting to see increased plant growth and pearling, but I’d rather have a system that is more stable. My tap water KH is quite low (2degrees) so I’ve added sodium bicarbonate to increase KH a degree. The yeast system doesn’t give me much ph stability, and with a small tank things can go bad fast! I want a pressurized set up that I can have more control over. Is it best to get a soda stream bottle or a 5lb gas cylinder? Can you get them from welding suppliers? Also, where is best to get a pressure regulator, needle valve and bubble counter? Any advice is good!

Wow. Great sites. My fav is the winner of the ADA layout contest 06 as judged by Amano. It describes the plants and fish used. Looks incredibly natural. http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/ADA2006.html

No suicidal tendencies? I forgot to put the lid properly on the tank overnight last week and found my red tailed shark on the carpet the next morning.