Aqua Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Hey guys, just thought I'd share, I've just setup & installed the DIY CO2 thingee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 Keep us posted on progress then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted August 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2003 Day 1: :lol: I went out and brought a little airstone (y'know the really tiny $1.35 ones) and the yeast seems to have gone to work overnight, cause when I shook the coke bottle (which is meant to help get things going) I got this HUGE stream on bubbles!!! I'm half scared I'm going to suffocate my fishies! :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peety Posted August 2, 2003 Report Share Posted August 2, 2003 Aqua, Have you seen this post ? http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/grantgla ... filter.htm The bell idea seems like a good idea to me (bloody good site!) How does yours work? Do you have substrate? Watts? I couldn't get some of my plants to grow at all until I added potting mix below the stones... now I collect about 1/2 bucket of plant matter each month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted August 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2003 I've got some pics of the bubbles, if y'all want to visit http://www.nik.co.nz/ifern.htm PS: Don't bother looking around the rest of the site, I'm going to get the aquaria pages made & up tonight, so if you feel like it, check it again in the morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted August 2, 2003 Report Share Posted August 2, 2003 Aww Shucks, thanks Peety :oops: Aqua, Have a look at http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm You will need a PH and a KH test kit. By entering your figures the calculator it will tell you how much CO2 you are adding to the tank. You want to be in the green part of the chart. It is hard to add too much CO2 with a DIY system unless you have a very small tank. Beware of shaking the bottle to much since a yeast foam explosion could happen and the gunk will enter the tank (although the fish may end up having a good party with the amount of alcohol in it :lol: ) I think a bell works better then a airstone. It dissolves more C02 compared to the stone which allows most of the bubbles to float to the surface. You don't need to go to the extent I did, just use an upside down clear container stuck to the tank wall and allow the gas to bubble out of the tube into it. If it is placed near some current more will be absorbed by the water. An airstone will clog after a short period of time. Now to increase your lighting, throw in some ferts and bring out the pruning scissors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted August 6, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Have just had another look at my tank, and WOW the plants are beginning to take off!! The Indian Fern I have floating (www.nik.co.nz/ifern.htm) has gone a really bright green, and almost doubled in size, the Cabomba is sprouting again, the Anubias nana is looking more perky than ever before etc etc etc I think it's got to do with the CO2 AND the fact that I've lowered the temp... it was sitting at about 29ºC before, I've now got it at about 25.2ºC... :lol: makes a difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Its great seeing the tank take off isn't it Your plants will never look the same again. You should find your Anubis nana's leaves doubling in size and your Indian fern will start to take over the tank, I throw out one the size of a dinner plate every three weeks. Another example is with Java fern, the mature leaves in my tank are light green, 5cm wide and 20cm high. The Cabomba is very Nitrate dependant so keep up the fertilizers to keep it looking good. I've recently learnt this the hard way. What wattage per liter do you have and what sort of fertilizers are you adding. CO2 is only part of the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aqua Posted August 6, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Not adding any fertilisers at the moment, as I'm desperately trying to leave some money in my account! (I'm going to study in October, for a year, and until then, I only get paid 3 more times! :-? The joy of montly pay :lol: - Hopefully, once I've got my degree - Dip Internet Tech, I'll start making more money, and can afford to go all out on the tank) Wattage:Litre... ummm 67gallons - 1x30w Aquastar (kinda purple) & 2x36w 'White" lights... does that work well? I know that if I turn them on in the morning (0530ish) and off when I go to bed (2100ish) I get algal growth VERY quickly. So, I'm going to reverse the fishes lives - lights go ON when I get home (around 18-1900) and off when I leave for work (0530)... That way I get to enjoy the tank while I'm at home!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted August 6, 2003 Report Share Posted August 6, 2003 Works out as 1.5watts / gal, on the lower end of the scale but ok if you don't have any "high light" plants (i.e. red leaves). My tanks on 4 watts / gal but that’s over kill. If you have a highish fish load in the tank you have the perfect fertilizer factories swimming around. The fast growing plants could still do with some extra ferts like Nitrate, Potassium, and Iron. I played around with adding Yates Lush from the supermarket for a while and seemed to work but don't know about the long term effects. One thing I forgot to warn you about is to keep an eye on your PH levels. CO2 will bring it down and DIY CO2 is notorious for creating PH swings as the bottle hits peak production then runs out. Using 2 bottles with the tubes connected together and renewing the mix alternatively will help to avoid this. I have a 18w light on a separate timer. It comes on at 6.30 for 1/2 an hr which allows me to check the fish before work. Its the only time one of my Loaches come out to play. It also comes on 1/2hr before the main lights at 12.00 and stays on for 1/2hr after they have gone out at 10. I never liked the thought of the fish being suddenly blinded by all the lights on at once then plunged into darkness 10hrs later. Hope you have a chainsaw for pruning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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