bubble counter

H

hadog

Prolific Poster
Feb 20, 2005
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75
Sydney, Canada
I have just installed a bubble counter....the glass/brass type that fits right on the regulator. I have two questions...
(1) how much fluid do I put in the counter?
(2) How many bubbles per min. ido I set it for? I know this depends on a number of other things but I am just looking for a starting point.
It is a 75 gal tank..

thanks
 
Tom Wood

Tom Wood

Guru Class Expert
Jan 24, 2005
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Kerrville/Austin, Texas
Re: bubble counter

Fill it almost to the top. One bubble per second per 40 gallons of water is a good starting point, so about 2 bubbles per second for a 75 gallon. A watch or clock with a second hand makes things easier. Count the bubbles as they come out until you get to 30, then divide by the number of seconds that have transpired. For 2 bubbles per second, that should be 15 seconds.

TW
 
H

hadog

Prolific Poster
Feb 20, 2005
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Sydney, Canada
Re: bubble counter

When using a bubble counter....it is filled with water say 3/4 full, how often should that water be replaced?

The reason I am asking, is that I had mine full of water then within a week it is now less than 1/2 of what I put in. I checked for a leak and can see none unless it is very small, my eyes aren't that good :)

This is a puzzle to me.
 
Tom Barr

Tom Barr

Founder
Staff member
Administrator
Jan 23, 2005
18,699
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Re: bubble counter

Evaporation, the water vapor is leaving via the CO2 gas.
No leaks needed.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
H

hadog

Prolific Poster
Feb 20, 2005
37
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Sydney, Canada
Re: bubble counter

Tom

I can understand that so that narrows down my problem.
I have a 5 lb tank.....I went through the first one in about 3 weeks. I am now on my second tank...re-filled a week ago, it is now half full (going by the gauge)
I have checked (using dish soap) for leaks and can not for the life of me find any. I am at a loss.
I have CO2 tubing.
Going by my readings this tank should last for months not weeks.
I ry to keep the co2 flow at a point where the fish are acting normal.
Any suggestions?
 
L

Laith

Lifetime Charter Member
Lifetime Member
Jan 24, 2005
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Geneva, Switzerland
Re: bubble counter

What do you mean by "half-full"? My tank pressure gauge needle is just over half way around the gauge at a reading of 62 bar. This is the normal reading when full and during use. In a CO2 tank, as soon as the tank pressure starts to drop, that means your tank is almost empty (or at least that there is no more liquid CO2 in the tank and you're running on "fumes").

There is a problem if you're blowing through a 5lb tank in a week. Are you sure they are filling it full? One way to check is to weigh the tank before and after the filling...

Otherwise there is definately a leak. Maybe where the regulator connects to the tank valve? You are using it upright and not laying it down?
 
H

hadog

Prolific Poster
Feb 20, 2005
37
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6
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Sydney, Canada
Re: bubble counter

Hi
I am using it upright.

The tank is fully "full" when I get it.
I have checked for leaks where the regulator connects to the tank...nothing....I have used so much soap on the tank and gauge now they are actually slippery :)

One thng I note is the number of bubbles.....it has been suggested that 2 bubbles per second is good to start.....well I did that and slowly started to increase the number checking to see what the fish are doing. I can get to a point were the bubble stream is actually a stream....you can't see the individual bubbles...the fish seem to be ok.....is I go too far past this they will begin gasping for air. At this stage I think the needle valve is putting out a steady flow of gas...which would drain the tank fast.

I hope this is making sense....should I just leave it at 2 per second? The difusor seems to be able to handle whatever amount I chuck at it...I can see the gas going in and nothing coming out....so I am assuming it is being absorbed.
 
J

jrneuzil

Member
Mar 13, 2005
83
0
6
68
Eastern Kentucky
Re: bubble counter

Am I the only one wondering how hadog is injecting these high amounts of CO2 into the tank ?
Wild new kid guess here, With all that CO2 is it just being bubbled in and degassing at the surface ?
I am wondering what the KH and PH levels are.
I hesitate to question as I am new at this myself. :)

JR
 
H

hadog

Prolific Poster
Feb 20, 2005
37
0
6
75
Sydney, Canada
Re: bubble counter

hahaha

Well I am new at this tooo so there is no doubt I am doing something wrong.

I am using an AquaMedic 500 reactor/disfuser....I assume it is hooked up right. The gas can be seen rising in the thing which is what it suppose to do...then it exits the output ...in the form of the gas mixed with the water...I see no (at least with my eyes) visible gas leaving the thing so I am assuming that it has be absorbed by the water. If I crank the co2 up really high large bubbles of co2 escape from the reactor...not a good thing...but I did it to see what the reaction would be.

I wonder if all needle valves and bubble counters are not created equal....is it possible that my bubbles are larger or smaller than other people?? I know that the true indicator would be watching the ph...mine will go from 7 to 6 over a period of time using the co2.
I have been busy the last two weeks so I have not been able to look at this stuff closer but I will have some time soon.

My "leak" is gone...my tank has not loss any great amount of gas since I made a few hose changes. I am operatng at about 2 bubbles a sec righ now.
will have to keep closer tabs on the ph and see what happens there.
 
K

KLB

Junior Poster
Jul 29, 2005
13
0
1
Northern California
Re: bubble counter

hadog said:
Hi
I am using it upright.

The tank is fully "full" when I get it.
Click to expand...

New tot his forum and planted tanks in general but I could not help but notice this statement. Having dealth with co2 filling stations for several years, not all of them are equal in their ability to fill a canister to capacity. My suggestion is weigh your tank when your obviously getting low on liquid co2, when tank pressure begins dropping below the point liquid is still feeding pressure to maintain a constant pressure (sorry as I can not recall off the top of my head what my tank would read at this point and do not want to toss about false numbers). Then after getting the tank filled a ten pound tank should have received a tad below ten pounds in weight of liquid co2. I had troubles with on outfit near where I lived where the kid who did the filling would not properly get the tank cold enough and when he went to fill the liquid would flash and I ended up with a couple pounds instead of the entire ten pounds of liquid co2. If your system has no noticeable leaks and your not bubbling at a rate that could drain ten pounds of co2 in that amount of time, I would highly suspect the filling station your are using. Just a suggestion to keep your eyes open for.

Ken
 
fosteder

fosteder

Guru Class Expert
Feb 3, 2005
123
0
16
Rochester, NH
Re: bubble counter

Be very carfeful about your bubble/second starting point. Make sure you have enough time to watch the tank and make adjustments. Tom Wood said that 1 bubble/second is good for 40 gal. I have a 55 gal. If I run 25 bubbles/minute my fish will be dead. I run around 19 bubbles per minute and that is all I need. I'm not knocking Tom's advice for a starting point, but just make sure you monitor closely for the first day. :)
 
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