# Some CO2 better than none?



## Rob P (8 Aug 2014)

Just wondering about this for my next tank now i've shut my hi tech headache down and can think forward 

It will be low light with undemanding plants. I've sold most of my CO2 gear but still have a couple of almost full 2kg FE's. I'm toying with the idea of using these as a 24hr source of CO2, with a simple valve on the FE and most likely ported directly into an external. 

I don't want to have to stress about flow, distribution etc but thought maybe having it going at say 1 or 2 bps constantly may just help plants a little? (it was uncountable on the hi tech at the highest light settings I used). Have read quite a few people have had great success with constant lower levels of CO2. 

Any thoughts?


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## Edvet (8 Aug 2014)

I think it should work, see people with Sugar/yeast setups. Even in what we consider lowlight setups CO2 is limiting.


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## James O (8 Aug 2014)

Interesting Rob.  

This was mentioned elsewhere.  Could you post a couple of the links you found maybe?


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## Rob P (8 Aug 2014)

James O said:


> Interesting Rob.
> 
> This was mentioned elsewhere.  Could you post a couple of the links you found maybe?



Not really, but Foxfish asks and Clive answers in say this thread just as an example (posts #18/19)... http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/co2-at-400-ppm.33818/

I know myself (based on the results of what has happened with my mini m) that I can achieve growth as fast and healthy as I need with certain plants in a CO2 free environment (as in user added CO2), but the next one will use plants that I have seen respond well to CO2. 

As Edvet also mentions, there are lots of users journals using yeast/DIY running lower levels then pressurised for 24hrs and have great results.

Another James (obv not you  lol) said the best carpet he'd achieved was with lower level/constant CO2 so it must work sometimes!

At the end of the day for the cost of a simple valve/bc & t piece for the filter pipe I can try this out and if it makes no difference then i'll just ditch it


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## Vazkez (8 Aug 2014)

Hi rob I was using DIY CO2 over a year on my Juwel 125 with the stocked light. I can say all my plants responde very well. I had only one of the hagen ladder in just opposite of my fillter outline. You will doeven better because you have FE with yeast you have to be careful as with low light you can easy gass your fish. I also had few minor algae due to not having constant CO2. However you gonna use FE so no problem.


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## Tim Harrison (8 Aug 2014)

Interesting...I've been toying with a similar idea myself - soil substrate with "easy" plants, lowish light, and nominal CO2 (drop checker just in the green - not lime green). I think it'll work very well. Sort of a hybrid energy approach...some of the advantages of an injected tank but with more wriggle room, not quite but slightly similar to that you'd get in a low-energy tank.


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## Edvet (8 Aug 2014)

About ten years ago i had low dosis CO2 on my tank, i used a large spiral diffusor, wich sadly broke a few years later. I did fertilize the tank and had reasonable light. I used 3-4  bps.
It looked good enough:
38068787_00005295 by Edvet, on Flickr
37456234_wedstrijd1 by Edvet, on Flickr

Top picture you can see the Tonina didn't thrive


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## Vazkez (8 Aug 2014)

Edvet said:


> About ten years ago i had low dosis CO2 on my tank, i used a large spiral diffusor, wich sadly broke a few years later. I did fertilize the tank and had reasonable light. I used 3-4  bps.
> It looked good enough:
> 38068787_00005295 by Edvet, on Flickr
> 37456234_wedstrijd1 by Edvet, on Flickr
> ...



Stunning


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## Rob P (8 Aug 2014)

Yeh very nice Ed


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## Vazkez (8 Aug 2014)

I actually found a picture of my last set up with the DIY CO2 

I am far from to be good aquascaper as you guys however just want to show what jungle I used to grow with little bit of CO2


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## parotet (8 Aug 2014)

Rob P said:


> Just wondering about this for my next tank now i've shut my hi tech headache down and can think forward
> 
> It will be low light with undemanding plants. I've sold most of my CO2 gear but still have a couple of almost full 2kg FE's. I'm toying with the idea of using these as a 24hr source of CO2, with a simple valve on the FE and most likely ported directly into an external.
> 
> ...


Hi Rob

I think it is definitely the way to go... I use 2x24w T5 over a 65 liters tank but 40 cm above the water surface. Co2 is now 2 bps with an inline reactor and I dose EI dry salts. The result is slow but healthy growth, not major issues with algae, you can be away for a week some days and miss ferts, flexible weekly WC, etc. If you don't want the flow to be a pain, don't make the same mistake I made and keep the setup as simple as possible (not too much wood or large stones that block the flow). Regarding the 24h source of co2, I would buy a solenoid... At night you're simply loosing the gas released and your fish will appreciate some degasing... 2 bps in my tank makes the drop checker goes lime, very difficult to know if it is something stressing or not for fish

Jordi


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## EnderUK (9 Aug 2014)

Works for me, growth is steady away, I do have some problems but no huge algae outbreaks. I do follow EI with the big water changes though.


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