C02 and Fish health ?

[dino21]

Hi,

Had a planted tank for some years with a FE CO2 and all the plants are growing well along with some guppies/endlers, ottos and pygmy corys.

Recently had to remove the CO2 supply while decorating for a couple of days and did notice how much more active the fish seemed to be ?
Once the CO2 was restored the fish did seem a bit quieter; left it for a couple of weeks with the CO2 running, then turned it off for a couple of days again and the fish really do seem much more alive and active.

Know that too much CO2 does adversely affect the fish and their breathing, but the amount of CO2 we inject does not even turn the Drop Checker anywhere near Green.

Wondered if others have noticed this and decided not to use any more or very little CO2 to provided better conditions for the fish.
Expect the lower C02 will mean slower plant growth, but in some ways not such a bad thing ?

 

[Aqua360]

Hi,

Had a planted tank for some years with a FE CO2 and all the plants are growing well along with some guppies/endlers, ottos and pygmy corys.

Recently had to remove the CO2 supply while decorating for a couple of days and did notice how much more active the fish seemed to be ?
Once the CO2 was restored the fish did seem a bit quieter; left it for a couple of weeks with the CO2 running, then turned it off for a couple of days again and the fish really do seem much more alive and active.

Know that too much CO2 does adversely affect the fish and their breathing, but the amount of CO2 we inject does not even turn the Drop Checker anywhere near Green.

Wondered if others have noticed this and decided not to use any more or very little CO2 to provided better conditions for the fish.
Expect the lower C02 will mean slower plant growth, but in some ways not such a bad thing ?

I run my co2 at a slow rate, for 12 hours per day, rather than high co2 for a shorter photoperiod, which seems to work well for me.

I find it safer for fish and shrimp too, you could also consider adding something like a sochting oxydator to see if that helps also.

 

[Scaperinc]

I run my co2 at a slow rate, for 12 hours per day, rather than high co2 for a shorter photoperiod, which seems to work well for me.

I find it safer for fish and shrimp too, you could also consider adding something like a sochting oxydator to see if that helps also.

Could you elaborate on your method and does it have any effect on alge?

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

Recently had to remove the CO2 supply while decorating for a couple of days and did notice how much more active the fish seemed to be ?
Once the CO2 was restored the fish did seem a bit quieter; left it for a couple of weeks with the CO2 running, then turned it off for a couple of days again and the fish really do seem much more alive and active.

What did their gills look like? Were they noticeably less red when the CO2 was off? I'd look at both activity and gill colour. <"https://www.researchgate.net/public...ncreased_CO2_on_Fish_Gill_and_Plasma_Proteome">*

<"I'm not a CO2 user">, but we think that there are definitely sub-lethal effects to CO2 exposure <"Are CO2 and ferts bad for fish health long term?">.

You might expect that <"shrimps would be most effected"> by higher CO2 levels, because of their use of <"haemocyanin">, rather than haemoglobin, as their oxygen / CO2 transporter in the blood.

There are also definitely fish that might struggle at <"normal added CO2 values">.

*Karine Bresolin de Souza , Fredrik Jutfelt, Peter Kling, Lars Förlin, Joachim Sturve (2014) "Effects of Increased CO2 on Fish Gill and Plasma Proteome" <"Effects of Increased CO2 on Fish Gill and Plasma Proteome">

cheers Darrel

 

[Aqua360]

Could you elaborate on your method and does it have any effect on alge?

basically i don't ever really have a green drop checker, its blue, I just inject a slow rate of co2, and gradually adjust the light period until it equalises.

Once the plant mass grows in, algae is minimal with good flow, and regular water changes. I'll try and get a pic of my tank i'm currently doing this on.

It was Christel Kasselmann that I read about, that made me start doing stuff that way.

 

[ceg4048]

Hi,

Had a planted tank for some years with a FE CO2 and all the plants are growing well along with some guppies/endlers, ottos and pygmy corys.

Recently had to remove the CO2 supply while decorating for a couple of days and did notice how much more active the fish seemed to be ?
Once the CO2 was restored the fish did seem a bit quieter; left it for a couple of weeks with the CO2 running, then turned it off for a couple of days again and the fish really do seem much more alive and active.

Know that too much CO2 does adversely affect the fish and their breathing, but the amount of CO2 we inject does not even turn the Drop Checker anywhere near Green.

Wondered if others have noticed this and decided not to use any more or very little CO2 to provided better conditions for the fish.
Expect the lower C02 will mean slower plant growth, but in some ways not such a bad thing ?

Yes, CO2 is toxic as Hell. You can kill fish faster with CO2 than with "new tank" ammonia/nitrite syndrome.
Having said that it's a certainty that if the hobbyist is dosing CO2 at a rate that negatively affects the fish but that does not turn the DC green it means that something else in the setup is awry. Typically this includes poor flow/distribution which may also be due to poor placement of the filter outlet, weak pump or obstruction in the tank that affects the flow path.

CHeers,