DIY CO2

[The Bruce]

So 2 weeks ago i decided to turn my freshwater tank into a planted one, i made a DIY co2 system with Two 2L bottles and a reactor made with a python gravel washer and a powerhead, since then my plants look great and are growing out of control. my question is has anyone else used a forced reactor such as this? and might i have produced the same results with a simple bubble trap? Also i use RO water for my reef tank, is it recommended to use RO on planted tanks or does tap water give plants essential elements that have been filtered out of RO water? excuse the dumb questions i have not found a trustworthy source for aquatic plant info.

[Tihsho]

For the best results you don't want to have too much flow of water in a tank thats using CO2. The best way I have found of introducing the CO2 in my tank is to push the airline (that the CO2 is comming out of) into the intake grid of my canisterfilter so the impeller can break up the bubbles helping them to diffuse into the water. Every so often you will see CO2 bubble jet out of the outtake of the canister. So far I have found this to leave my plants greener. With using a CO2 trap I find that most of the gas is wasted when the trap 'over fills' with CO2 and the traps create a more dramatic drop of PH sooner.

With all CO2 systems be sure to monitor your PH so it does not go from 7 to 5. I've had it happen, believe me its not fun...

[Bred]

Don't use RO unless it's reconstituted. Especially when injecting CO2 you need a high buffering capacity! KH of 5 degrees or higher is highly recommended, otherwise you run the risk of having a pH crash - read: dead biofilter.

That said, when finding the right CO2 settings, pH is meaningless without KH. Google "co2 kh ph chart" or "co2 calculator" for further info.

I used a DIY counter-current CO2 reactor much like the one you describe and, yes, it's very efficient! Be careful.

I eventually stopped using CO2 because it was too much work to keep up with plant trimmings and fertilizer dosings. I also found the balance between ferts, co2 and light was too fine for me (operating with a 65g tank)... I usually ended up with algae blooms after a few weeks. And as this was a fahaka tank at the time, I had no cleanup crew to make things easier.

I am a happier man now to just sit back and watch the growth happen slowly. I also set up a veggie filter to rid myself of algae. Bliss!

[Bred]

p.s. the forum over at http://www.plantedtank.net/ is a trustworthy resource. Although the folks over there tend to advocate a "Crank up the Lights! Crank up the CO2! Dose like hell and do 50% partials weekly!" attitude with almost perfect unanimity. Which is cool if you have money to burn on metal hallides, co2 tanks, and ferts by the kilo. I gave up after about a half a year. Too much!

[RTR]

CO2 reactors are easy and effective DIY, and IME are far superior to any any other delivery technique.

I do not crank up the CO2 or the lights, but I do 50% partials weekly. I outgrew the rest of that (and collectoritis) years ago.

[The Bruce]

This is why i like this site, people who actually have experience. You wouldn't believe the kind of crap that comes out of the LFS employee's mouths. That being said i had another question that i cant pinpoint anywhere else. I have plants that were sold to me as quote "plants that could grow in any aquarium", Anubias nana, Anacharis, foxtail, and some kind of sword plant(and a since returned purple waffle plant which i learned isn't aquatic). Will i be able to keep these plants in my tank successfully? I'm pretty positive about the foxtail and anacharis since since they are growing very well.

Specs: 15"Tx18"Wx4'L
80 watts provided by 2 48" 50/50's(which I'm thinking of switching to those coralife plant bulbs)
Natural gravel from 1/8 to 1/4 inch
seachem flourish iron and plant gro iron enriched aquatic plant fertilizer(liquid) which i have not used do to fear of algae bloom.
And of course the DIY CO2

[Phaedrus]

you can find a lot of good info about plants if you know the name here: http://www.tropica.com

you can also search by other criteria. very useful site imo.

[Tihsho]

Not all LFS employees (like moi) give crap info just to sell stuff. Honestly I sell what works and is known to work, not whats going to get the store the biggest profit.

But other wise, Anubias are low level plants that in theory should beable to live in any aquarium due to their low requirements. Kudos on keeping the foxtail and anacharis alive, never had much luck with them in a tank without pretty good levels of lighting.

[RTR]

All those plants excepting the purple waffle are good aquarium plants.

Swords may be small or may be huge, or several largish steps in between, but most are pretty easy.

The stems are the easiest.

Anubias nana you can only kill with algae or a very blunt stick. I use it as a ground cover in several different cultivars. See:

http://www.gwapa.org/

Clicking on the picture will give a slight enlargement.

My 55 pictured on the home page has two different Anubias nana cvs as ground cover and atop the cave.

You will need to supplement or monitor macronutrients and use traces as well, depending on your lighting intensity.

[The Bruce]

thanks for the advice i appreciate it, i think i'll put one more tube on my hood and maybe mix flourite with something else for substrate