[Wet Thumb Forum]-Bubbles coming from DIY CO2

[imported_bellisb925]

I've got bubbles coming out of my cannister filter and I thought that wasn't supposed to happen. I have my CO2 going into a DIY reactor. One difference between my reactor and the others is that instead of bio-balls, I am using plastic curlers(for hair). I also have a 90 right before the water and CO2 reach the cannister filter(Magnum 350). The bubbles are very small, but nonetheless... Can anybody help?

If it's necessary, my mixture in a 1 gallon container is 4 cups sugar, about 1/2tsp yeast, and close to a gallon of water.

[imported_bellisb925]

I've got bubbles coming out of my cannister filter and I thought that wasn't supposed to happen. I have my CO2 going into a DIY reactor. One difference between my reactor and the others is that instead of bio-balls, I am using plastic curlers(for hair). I also have a 90 right before the water and CO2 reach the cannister filter(Magnum 350). The bubbles are very small, but nonetheless... Can anybody help?

If it's necessary, my mixture in a 1 gallon container is 4 cups sugar, about 1/2tsp yeast, and close to a gallon of water.

[hubbahubbahehe]

hey i have a question...are you sure those hair curlers are safe???? how long have you had them in your water??? sometimes certain plastics can release chemicals that harm plants and fish

[imported_bellisb925]

I have had them in there about four weeks now. The fish seem to be doing fine. As for the plants, this is my first go around with planted tanks so they are doing fine being that they are still alive and actually growing. As far as water parameters, things seem ok. pH = 7.5(8.5 from the tap),kh=3,gh=4

[Laith]

At a pH of 7.5 and a KH of 3, your CO2 level is at 3ppm.

You need to inject more CO2 or check if your CO2 injection system is efficient.

At a KH of 3, you need to inject enough CO2 to bring the pH down to 6.6. This will give you a CO2 level of around 25ppm.

What is your light level? and the size of your tank? CO2 without at least 2w per gallon won't do very much for your plants; best is the two together.

"...still alive and actually growing..." is not what you want.

What you want is "my plants are growing like mad and look fantastic! I need to prune them every week!"

If your light level is at least 2wpg and you get your CO2 up to 25ppm you'll be amazed. I think we all were the first time went down this route.

Good luck!

Laith

[imported_bellisb925]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> What is your light level? and the size of your tank? CO2 without at least 2w per gallon won't do very much for your plants; best is the two together. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good morning. Light level is good/ok. I have 130W over a 50g tank(48x13x1.

Is the low KH related to seeing bubbles coming from the filter, meaning that the CO2 is not dissolving or being fully utilized.

[Laith]

No, its not the KH. The KH should normally stay more or less stable. Its the pH that needs to be lowered by the CO2 injection.

And yes, the bubbles could mean that the CO2 is not being fully utilized and therefore not having enough of an impact on the pH.

And keep in mind that the KH is what keeps your pH from dropping dangerously (acts as a "buffer") so I would make sure it doesn't go below 3 for any reason. Some people prefer to keep it at 4 or 5 at least for that reason but I've always found 3 to be ok.

Hope this helps!

Laith

[imported_bellisb925]

Thanks for the info Laith. One more question. Do I need to get some type of diffusion ladder like hagen offers to help with the bubbles or just keep experimenting with what I have? Thanks again for the help!!

[imported_BSS]

Typically one would use a ladder or a reactor. You shouldn't need both. It sounds like your DIY reactor feeds into the intake of your Magnum 350 (which with the bottom mounted propeller shouldn't cause a problem) rather than on the output side. I guess the water pressure should be equivalent on either side?!

How tall is your reactor? Is it sitting vertical or horizontal?

On another line, I was afraid of going with an external CO2 reactor with my DIY CO2 yeast based system because I had heard of back pressure problems. Might that be the reason your CO2 levels are still relatively low?

[docjosh]

Is there a reason you could not put the reactor on the outflow from your cannister? I am not thinking this would solve the bubble problem but it would prevent co2 build up in your filter. The only other thing i can think that might be an issue is air build up in your reactor...can you bleed off the air and make it mostly water?