How To Add Co2 To Aquarium Naturally

This is version i of this article. I am asking for comments and feedback on it then that I tin can improve information technology. Thanks!

In parts 1 (Light Nuts) and ii (Light Basics Connected) of the Aquarium Plants Tutorial, we discussed the first part of the gilt equilibrium- low-cal. In part iii (CO2 Basics), we introduced the second office- CO2. This part 4 gets into the practical aspects of adding CO2 to your aquarium. Allow'southward go to it!

Yous made me wait for this so let'south go right to the point. How should I add CO2 to my aquarium?

OK, OK, sorry about the await merely information technology's important for you lot to digest parts 1-3 earlier diving into the various ways to add CO2 into your aquarium. Agreement why it's important and what it does will make information technology easier for you lot to decide on how you will add CO2 to your current and future aquariums.

Step #one- decide on how much maintenance you want to exercise

Are you lot the type of person that has the time and inclination to tweak, fiddle with, clip and otherwise fuss over your aquarium on a weekly basis? You want flexibility in keeping many types of plants and you don't mind putting in some of your time in exchange.

Are you the type that wants to do as piffling equally possible because y'all've got other priorities? You desire something that looks squeamish only y'all will substitution flexibility and many plant choices for ease and simplicity.

No judgment Either is fine with me. However, You lot need to have a option and accept it at this point.

Depending on whether you are one type or the other, the methods of supplying CO2 will vary.

Of course, you volition be able to change in the futurity if you want.

Step #ii- determine your budget and consider your ability to save. Information technology will pay off in the long run.

Once y'all've determine on what type y'all are, at least for this aquarium of yours, then you lot demand to determine what your upkeep is. Like many things in life, a higher price tag may purchase you convenience.

If your budget is tight or non-existant, so yous may want to focus on an aquarium that does not have a moderate or high CO2 need. Nosotros will discuss these in a bit.

Permit's explore some options:

I would adopt plant choice and flexibility and don't mind some extra piece of work

Wonderful, and then you lot need to provide enough supplemental CO2 to so that the needs of the plants you choose are met. One time you lot find this amount, your system needs to exist able to provide that level on a consistent basis.

Best Solution-A pressurized CO2 system consisting of a CO2 cylinder, a expert regulator, a solenoid valve, a timer, a needle metering valve, a bubble counter, CO2 tubing, a check valve, a drop checker and a CO2 diffusing system.

Semi Solution A-A semi-DIY citric acrid and baking soda CO2 generator. This item is being sold via Amazon and has some enhancements over the old school DIY yeast and sugar CO2 system. Information technology contains a safety valve that will release the pressure level preventing nasty cleanup accidents. The citric acid/baking soda combination is said to be more stable than the yeast/sugar mixture.

Semi Solution B-A DIY yeast and sugar CO2 generator. In that location are many, many instructions for constructing this system on the Internet. It's been used for years and information technology does provide supplement CO2 to your aquarium. The problem with it is that the mixture can be choosy, there usually is no rubber valve in example of overpressure and CO2 delivery cannot be stopped at night.

My recommendation for you, however, is to get with the pressurized arrangement. Yes, it's expensive upfront, but it will make your life much easier in the long run. After having done semi solution B for many years in the past, I can tell you with all honesty, save your money and purchase the pressurized version.

OK well what if I prefer ease and simplicity and don't intendance very much for flexibility and institute options. I merely want something that is depression maintenance and looks nice.

Bang-up! Then yous accept options also.

Best Solution- Although it'south not an absolute necessity, I would still encourage yous to buy a pressurized system like the one higher up if you tin beget information technology. You would simply tune it downwards to provide a smaller amount of CO2 as your gear up won't require much.

Semi Solution A-A DIY system like the two discussed above tin can also piece of work. The need to hit a certain range of CO2 isn't there and then any supplemental CO2 should be sufficient provided your setup is correct.

Semi Solution B- Going the natural route is now an option for you lot.

Remember in office 3 (CO2 Basics) we discussed the natural ways to get CO2 into the aquarium? They were fish food/poop, bacterial respiration and surface exchange. Due to the depression CO2 need of your aquarium, these three ways may be sufficient to hitting the CO2 requirement.

If you lot will go this route, I would encourage that you ensure you have a healthy bacterial population by adding a carbon source such as vodka or vinegar. Alternatively, using a substance that provides plants with an culling to CO2 such as Seachem's Excel may exist something to consider.

The of import point with this option is that you MUST choose plants that have a low demand for CO2 in the water column. Plants such as anubias, cryptocorynes, and ferns.

Hmm, come to think of it, I call up I prefer to relieve up for a pressurized organization. What I don't have clear is how information technology works!

OK great!

At present that you lot've made a conscious decision about what y'all want and why, we tin can certainly become into some details about what's important for you to know.

So, permit'south start with the cylinder itself. They come up in a variety of sizes from desktop paintball gun cylinders to big 20 pound or more industrial cylinders. Obviously, the smaller information technology is, the more frequent you will have to replace or refill it. Then again, a huge xx pound metal object may not await as squeamish or may be overkill for your zen-like 5 gallon tank.

The paintball blazon cylinders come full of CO2. They are discardable once they go used upwardly and you purchase another one.

The larger tanks are refillable or at least swappable. Y'all can get them refilled at dedicated CO2 providers or soda dispenser vendors.

When you go go your first ane or a refill, you will come across that it will be cold and get condensation on it. That's fine. Information technology's normal.

When you become it into the machine, please place it in a secure location where it won't accidentally tip over. I would as well recommend that yous drive with the windows open. There have been reports of the condom valve going off with the windows up in a car…

Picture this, you're driving along, happy that you've got the CO2 coming to make your plants grow and PUFF! Side by side thing you meet is all white and you experience very common cold. You can't see in front end of you. It's all yous can do to open your window and stick your head out. No, let's avert that. Keep the windows downwards.

Yikes! Is this matter safe?

Well, pretty much simply nosotros need to exist careful. Right? Information technology's a cylinder that is pressurized afterwards all.

When you lot get it home, put information technology in rubber identify. Likely it will be in your aquarium chiffonier. Some people use a rubber harness to concur it in place. If you have little ones, make certain to put a child-rubber lock on the chiffonier door.

If you exercise caution and respect, then you'll be fine.

OK What's adjacent?

At present you want to connect your regulator to it. Just screw it to the cylinder and make sure to use one of the plastic o-rings that came with it. Nosotros have discussed CO2 regulators previously in a ScapeFu Podcast episode.

Of course, y'all should already have connected the regulator to a solenoid valve. The solenoid is already connected to a needle metering valve, which, int urn, is connected to a chimera counter. The bubble counter is then connected to the CO2-safe tubing.

A check valve will go along h2o from flowing dorsum into the regulator arrangement. Then yous'll accept some sort of CO2 diffusion mechanism. I'll explicate more virtually how to best diffuse CO2 into your aquarium in the future. For now, I'm assuming you have some manner to get the CO2 into the water.

Simple, correct?

Not actually, just OK. I call up I can effigy the hardware out eventually. Simply how does it work? How practice I know how much CO2 to use?

Corking question!

This is chosen "dialing in" your CO2. It'southward all about finding the right corporeality of CO2 for your detail aquarium. Information technology will take some work so you need to have patience. I strongly recommend that you kickoff information technology when yous will have a calendar week or two when you will be able to tweak your settings.

But! Before we get started, nosotros demand to understand our water parameters.

What? Why?

Well, we are going to be dissolving CO2 into the water. CO2 will decrease your pH as it forms acrid in your aquarium.

You remember the formula, right?

CO2 + H20 <-> H2CO3 <-> HCO3 <-> CO3

Adding CO2 will button the equilibrium right which will decrease the pH considering you will be creating acid. Removing CO2 will push button the equilibrium left increasing pH past taking up H+.

This is all well and skillful but if nosotros don't take plenty pH stabilizer a/grand/a alkalinity in the water, you may feel some wild swings. Your plants won't like information technology but CERTAINLY your fish, inverts and bacteria will hate it. Retrieve that even small-scale pH changes tin can create a big change in the water's acidity.

Alkalinity makes changing the pH harder when you add CO2. This is a good thing to keep our ecosystem steady. Therefore, your water should have sufficient alkalinity for this purpose.

Many freshwater test kits refer to this alkalinity equally KH or carbonate hardness. Information technology mensurate the amount of bicarbonate and carbonate in the water. We are looking for virtually a 4 dKH or well-nigh 72 ppm.

This is for softwater plants. If you choose to use hardwater plants, so your GH and KH should be higher. Notwithstanding, for our purposes here, I'thousand going to assume that you want to use softwater plants that represent a high percentage of what's available out there.

So, test your water and see where you lot are with alkalinity. I use the very awesome Hanna Alkalinity Meter for Freshwater. If you lot need to adjust it, you can use any commercial production designed to increase KH. Y'all can too utilize backing soda to heighten KH without too much of an effect on pH. If y'all demand to bring it down, then you will need to find a style to soften your water.

Now we are going to rely on the very absurd sounding drib checker to help us dial in our CO2. As I mentioned, there is no magic number that works for everyone. In fact, it'south more about a range than a specific number. Nosotros want to provide enough CO2 then that are plants are photosynthesizing optimally without making the fish, shrimp and bacteria uncomfortable.

How will we do it? Slowly.

Fifty-fifty though your test shows carbonate hardness (alkalinity) of four, there is no style for us to know how much of that is true bicarbonate/carbonate and how much of that is something else such as phosphate. Therefore, if nosotros relied on the KH/pH/CO2 table, we would be off.

The beauty of the drop checker is that information technology uses a pure solution with a pure 4d KH and but allows CO2 to interact with it. It magically turns green when the solution reaches a pH range where a expert amount of CO2 is present in the water. It is this green that we are after initially.

Become to your needle valve and start to turn it then that 1 chimera per 2d is generated in the chimera counter. Now become away for ten minutes.

Go ahead. I'chiliad waiting…

Now that ten minutes have passed, take a look at the bubble counter. Is it still bubbling at ane bubble per second? If it is, awesome! Yous seem to accept a good, steady needle valve.

If you come across that now y'all are off your initial setting, you volition need to keep an eye on the needle valve. It may not be very authentic.

Assuming that the needle valve is holding steady and that we are at present in the outset of the photoperiod of the aquarium, go away again and come back in 3 or 4 hours.

I'll be here. Don't worry.

Iii or four hours afterwards

Welcome back! Go look at the bubble charge per unit. Is it nonetheless i bubble per 2d? If not, adjust it to ane bps.

Now, look at the drib checker. What color is it?

Blue-bluish – y'all demand to add more CO2.
Dark-green/greenish – nosotros're doing well then far.
Yellow/yellowish – we're adding too much CO2. We need to tone it down.

OK So how do I decline or upwardly the CO2 and by how much?

You need to give that needle valve a subtle turn. Usually a quarter to a half plow. Sometimes less.

Honestly, I'm embarrassed to say it but my fingers are too big to really encounter if I'g turning it slightly. There'due south got to be a improve way?

Well… non actually but nosotros can make things a little easier.

If you're lucky, your needle valve comes with a dial that will let y'all to make one notch turns relatively hands. If you're like most people, still, all you accept is an incredibly pocket-sized knob to plough with no guide.

If you are the latter, here's what you can do to help. Go go a toothpick and some superglue. Place one driblet of superglue on the top of the knob and and then place the center of the toothpick into the drop. Hold it in that location a few seconds and viola! You have a ghetto indicator that will give you an easier representation of how far you've turned.

So, now that you lot can see what you're doing meliorate, if your drib checker is in the blue area, turn the knob one quarter plough more in order to let out more than CO2. Go along an center on the bubbles. Don't go over 2 bubbles per 2nd.

If y'all are in the yellow, throttle it back one quarter turn to slow downwardly the chimera rate. All the same, make sure y'all didn't shut information technology off.

At present, go about your concern for an hour and come back to check on the color over again. Y'all desire to come across a nice solid dark-green color. Follow the same procedure over again if you don't run across a color modify to green in the next hour.

Why practice I have to wait then long?

Sorry but the manner the driblet checker works, it takes near 2-3 hours to see color change. And so, e'er remember that you take this lag time when changing CO2. That'south why nosotros ALWAYS Get Ho-hum.

One time nosotros go to a dainty green color, grin, pat yourself on the back and close the cabinet door. You're done for the 24-hour interval. You've finished the solar day by getting the CO2 level of your aquarium to a range that will start having positive effects on your plants without wiping out your animal. Well done!

Let's talk a little most that timer I had you buy. It is going to be connect to the solenoid valve. Make sure you've done that.

Now, decide at what time your lights will turn on and when they will plow off. Call up we learned about the photoperiod in role 1 (Light Basics) and two (Light Basics Continued) of this Aquarium Plants Tutorial.

Set this timer to turn on the CO2 1 60 minutes before the lights come on and to plow off the CO2 one hour earlier the lights plow off. This will allow the CO2 to build up in your aquarium and be set up to be used when the lights come on. Information technology will shut it off when your plants are winding down for the day.

Got information technology! So that'due south it?

Add CO2 range Ah, no. Patience my newbie friend! You've merely more than or less set your CO2. You oasis't dialed it in however.

Recollect we said that each aquarium is different. We need to detect the CO2 range that is optimal for your plants.

Earlier I tell you how to do it, let's talk a niggling nigh data on the Internet, tables and CO2 controllers.

If y'all search, you're going to notice all sorts of information on the Internet almost the "right" corporeality of CO2 to provide. Yous will run into the famous KH/pH/CO2 tabular array that depicts the corporeality of CO2 theoretically in your aquarium at a certain KH and pH. Lastly, yous may see people telling yous that a CO2 controller uses this table to maintain your CO2 levels at a sure point.

I don't desire to get into whether all this is right or wrong. To me, it doesn't matter. I've tried it all. What does thing to me is that you really don't need a CO2 controller or the KH/pH/CO2 table to dial in your CO2. If y'all want to buy the CO2 controller because you lot honey gadgets, please do. However, so understand it's limitations.

Let's now discuss how to dial in the CO2.

Once you wake up in the morning, head over to your aquarium about 1 hour after lights are on. What color is the drop checker?

If should be green. If it'south blue, you need to turn the punch a quarter more. If it'southward yellow, turn it downwardly a quarter.

Now, become away again and enjoy your day. Notwithstanding, delight come up back 2 hours earlier the lights turn off.

Flash to two hours before lights turn off

Welcome back. What colour is the driblet checker?

If it's green, fine. Blue, turn a quarter. Xanthous, turn down a quarter.

Delight continue this daily process for at least 3 days.

What we are doing is trying to get that drop checker to be green ane hour into the lighting menstruum and to remain green throughout the photoperiod.

This may take a much as a calendar week before you find the correct rest of what your plants are taking up and what you are putting into the tank.

Tiny changes are used to minimize the take a chance that you innovate too much CO2 and kill your fauna.

What happens when I find this residuum? Is it ready it and forget it?

Well, once you find this residue, yous are non washed. You're really never done because as your plants grow and mature, their CO2 uptake rates will modify. Notwithstanding, unless something goes really incorrect, you lot will never have to practise the above steps again.

Now that we are in a range that is providing benefits to our plants. How exercise we detect that optimal, sweet-spot where our plants are really growing at the best rate they tin can?

Nosotros use our power of observation. Yes, no magic. No specific number like 44 ppm CO2 or anything like that.

We will let our plants tell us.

You… Volition… Go… The… Plant Whisperer!

Excited? Me too. Let's go!

Ane fine forenoon when y'all can spend the solar day checking on your aquarium, you are going to turn that knob one quarter turn up in the morning. You'll come up dorsum in 2-3 hours and check on the plants and the drop checker.

If y'all went slow, you will meet the color is now greenish yellow. Your plants should look perky. Mayhap you'll see some bubbling underneath leaves. Y'all may take pearling- tiny bubbling coming from your plants.

How are your fish doing? Swimming normal or are they bunched at the top looking distressed?

If things look good, give another quarter turn. Stick around checking on your aquarium often now. We are pushing boundaries and we don't want to get over the line for also long.

Keep an heart on the fish and plants. What you're looking for is a lot of pearling which means your aquarium is super-saturated with oxygen from the photosynthesis process. You are also trying to brand sure your fish are not suffering.

If you lot accept a pH test kit or meter, use it now to make sure that your pH isn't dipping also depression. Check your alkalinity as well to make sure yous won't accept unexpected and sudden changes.

During this phase, I go existent ho-hum. I usually wait 24 hours in-betwixt quarter turns to allow the fish and shrimp to acclimatize to the increased CO2. There'southward really no hurry. Your plants are getting CO2 and photosynthesizing well. Right now we are only trying to find the optimal spot for them.

One time you see your fish in any type of discomfort, pull back by a quarter plow. Expect a trivial and brand certain that the fish are back to normal. In one case they are, you've establish your spot. Exit it at that place.

At present, yous can say you dialed in your CO2 optimally for your detail aquarium.

If you lot desire, check the pH level and the KH and see how much theoretical CO2 is nowadays in your aquarium. Empathize that it won't be precisely what the table tells yous but you will take a rough idea.

Human being, that was a long process! I'm glad I'm done with that! At present my plants will grow well?

It was long initially but one time you notice the sweet spot, y'all have a much easier time of information technology. Even so, we've merely covered ii parts of the golden equilibrium- light and CO2. You still demand to larn about the third and final office- fertilization.

For that, however, yous must expect for part five of this Introduction to Aquarium Plants Tutorial.

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