running Co2 24/7 question

Sean W.

Sean W.

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Aug 8, 2013
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Hey guys,

I put my order in for the plants that i am going to be using in my 29 gallon planted tank im setting up, and i have a Co2 kit that i got from Petco, but there isnt really a practical way to turn it off at night. This setup is just temporary until I find a good deal on an Aquatek Mini Co2 paintball tank regulator with an electric solenoid built it so i can put it and the lights on a timer.

But my question is, since there is no practical way to turn the Co2 off every night with the regulator that came with the Co2 kit, i was wondering if i could keep it on 24/7 until im able to get a a regulator with a solenoid. Im not going to out any fish in the tank until i am able to get a Co2 regulator that i can put on a timer. To my understanding, leaving Co2 on 24/7 is only harmful to fish because of the PH swings that it causes and wont have any effect on the plants. Just making sure tho.

The plants that are going to be in the tank are:

Dwarf baby tear
Foxtail green (Myriophyllum Pinnatum)
Staurogyne Repens

for those interested, here is the 29 gallon tank that i am setting up. Foxtails in the back, baby tear lawn all in the front and middle and repens as a fill in between all the rocks on the sides

2013-10-26001638_zpsb8beeb54.jpg



 
Co2 can also harm fish when the plants respire it and you are pumping more in. This is perhaps more dangerous than a ph swing. Both can be deadly.

Add a powerhead or strong airpump on a timer to run overnight and agitate the surface to release the build up of co2.
 
you can do this if you want but remember that CO2 is an acid and will drop your Ph, at night your plants are also making CO2 and not using it. if you do decide to run it at night you might think about a timer for an air pump as well that way you can kind of cancel out the CO2. Wake up one night at like 3 A.M. and take a Ph test to see how bad its dropping. when i ran DIY CO2 and had good surface movement i never had an air pump, but when i ran pressurized CO2 i had the air pump turn on because the amount of CO2 going in was a lot more than the DIY.

i hoped this helped
 
Co2 induced ph swings are not an issue. The only potential issue would be elevated co2 levels affecting the fishes' respiration. Even then, you're talking levels well above 30ppm. The use of an airpump on a timer is sound advice. A ph controller paired with the co2 system would be another option.

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Looks like everyone has the right advice. Add an Airstone at night, when lights go off.

PS--What kind of CO2 kit is it that you cannot turn it off??
 
it's not a glorified diy setup, it came with a 48gram Co2 canister, regulator, check valve and a diffuser, but the regulator is very difficult to adjust, you gotta use a wrench and the most minute adjustment dramatically changes the flow of co2. it takes a good 5 minutes of fine adjusting to get the desired flow rate, so it's possible to turn it off, just not practical to turn it off every night and go through the process of adjusting the flow every morning when I turn it back in. so I was wondering if in the meantime, while I'm looking for a good regulator with a solenoid, can I leave it on 24/7 with no fish.
 
i am glad you will be switching to a more efficient set up. These fluval co2 units waste a lot of money because the 48g co2 canister will only run at a max of 2 weeks maybe less depending on how much you are injecting.
P.S. nice hardscaping and substrate choice

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thanks huapala! I'm really looking forward to how this tank will turn out when it's all said and done. I ordered 36 stems of green Foxtail, 6 pots if s. repens and 7 pots of dwarf baby tears. the Fox tail Is going to be the background plant, baby tears will have a nice lawn in the middle and all along the front, and the S. Repens will accent the rocks on the sides. the plant order was $77 haha so it's quite a lot of plants. I'm going to switch the filter and heater to make that corner look better, and I'm going to get suction cups and anchor the line to the diffuser under the substrate and have it come out the back left corner, might also get black tubing.

I used 12 pounds of florite as the base and capped it with 40lbs of eco complete fine substrate. the goal is for it to pearl like crazy! I love seeing plants pearl!
 
Its fine to run 24/7, just not ideal. Start with regulator set low so the CO2 levels dont get too high. Have fun and post pics.
 
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