DD. CO2 unit

[Frederick]

Hi all... I have just purchased a DD CO2 outfit... hooked it up and adjusted the pressure. On opening the outlet valve I noticed that there were bubbles going into the diffuser and the were very small streames of bubbles rising out of the diffuser. My first question is ... is the large bubbles inside the diffuser normal and if so can I use this to adjust the outlet say 3/4 bubbles a minute.

Help appreciated..... Frederick

 

[Wallace]

I've just ordered one of these systems this morning.

I believe that the diffuser and bubble counter are one and the same with this set up, so the bubbles will be entering the bubble counter, and then entering the ceramic disc ( diffuser ) and exiting that as much smaller bubbles. So it sounds pretty normal to me.

How big is your tank?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, I most probably am, but I'm fairly certain that you would need more than 4 bubbles a minute entering the water column.

 

[Frederick]

Hi Wallace......thanyou for your reply....my tank is a Jewel Vision180 ltr tank.I use two filters one Jewel and one external. The tank is well planted.
The CO2 unit did not arrive with a non return valve so I have ordered one neither were there many instructions with the outfit as regards final settin up hence my uncertanty regards the number of bubbles. If you have any ideas regards this I will be very grateful as this is a very important step.
Best regards.... Frederick

 

[John S]

As stated, the diffuser does act as a bubble counter. So you can count the large bubbles in to see your bubble rate. You probably want to start at about 1 bubble per second.

The needle valve has a built in check valve but you can put another one in if you want.

 

[Wallace]

Hi Wallace......thanyou for your reply....my tank is a Jewel Vision180 ltr tank.I use two filters one Jewel and one external. The tank is well planted.
The CO2 unit did not arrive with a non return valve so I have ordered one neither were there many instructions with the outfit as regards final settin up hence my uncertanty regards the number of bubbles. If you have any ideas regards this I will be very grateful as this is a very important step.
Best regards.... Frederick

The tank I've ordered this system for is also a Juwel Vision 180.

Going by the online instruction manual and using the calculation that they use, you should have a minimum of about 14.2 bubbles per minute, so 14. Obviously you can adjust this to suit your individual needs.

My system should be with me tomorrow, so if I get time to play with it tomorrow then I'll post up here my initial Experiance and any advice I can offer regards set up.

Adam

 

[Antipofish]

Guys, the amount of CO2 you need in terms of bubbles per minute is not fixed according to a formula based on tank size. It has a lot to do with other factors too, such as carbonate and general hardness, pH, water temperature. Additionally CO2 requirements also depend on how much light is available and the photoperiod. The more light and CO2, also the more ferts you need.

The best way to measure if you are reaching the right level is by used of a drop checker (which you can buy for under a tenner on line). The drop checker holds an indicator liquid inside an air pocket and the liquid changes colour according to CO2 saturation. You adjust your bubble rate accordingly. There is an excellent article on it here.....http://www.ukaps.org/drop-checker.htm Bear in mind you need to approach this level with caution and allow any fish time to acclimatise too. Watch for signs of gasping and lethargy, or twitching as these are indicators that the CO2 levels are too high.

Remember to turn your CO2 off an hour before lights out and on an hour or so before lights on so that the CO2 is at levels that can be utilised by the plants during the photoperiod. You may find you need to increase or decrease the start time depending on your CO2 levels. Ideally if CO2 can be pretty much up to level by the time the lights come on, or shortly after, you are hitting the spot

Hope this helps

 

[Wallace]

Guys, the amount of CO2 you need in terms of bubbles per minute is not fixed according to a formula based on tank size.

Hi Antipofish, I know this but I was merely pointing out that Fredericks initial thought of 3/4 bpm was quite a way off the mark.

Hi Frederick, my system arrived this morning and I have now got it set up. Mine came with a non return valve, so I guess you were just unlucky. As you said previously, the instructions leave a little to the imagination as they don't really guide you through the final process of setting up. You just need to have a little play really, I just turned the gas up until I had reached 1 bubble per second and I left it there for now. I may or may not need to turn it up further. For the money I'm very happy with the product though.

As Antipofish quite rightly stated though, if you don't already have one you should invest in a drop checker. Have a read of the article that he linked in, it will tell you all you need to know really.

Hope that helps a little

Adam