bps 55g tank

shoggoth43

Lifetime Charter Member
Lifetime Member
Jan 15, 2009
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Too many variables. How are you dosing CO2? Flow rates? Different methods are better at putting / removing CO2 than others. Bubble counters are different as well, so my 1 bps might be worth 2 or 3 on yours. Do you have a drop checker? You may just have to slowly raise the bubble count until you get where you need to be.

For example, I just swapped out my diffuser and stuck the end of the CO2 into the impeller on my pump. Much smaller bubbles. To make sure I don't overdo it since the CO2 delivery might be far more efficient I've dropped the bubble count a bit to compensate until I'm sure there's no danger and am slowly working my way back up. Every change you make may have dramatic effects and it's worth it to go slowly.

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S
 

ccLansman

Guru Class Expert
Jan 22, 2008
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Vista, Ca
agree with shoggoth but...
I dont agree with 1 bps mine may be 2 or ten.... on yours.. a bubble is a bubble is a bubble. I do however agree that the method of diffusion will change the amount of bubbles/needed pressure. For instance if i use my inline reactor the pressure is rather low and with the needle valve bearly on i get a good stream of bubbles say 6bps, with the glass diffuser the pressure is much higher to get the bubbles to pass throughn the sintered stuff so i have to open up the needle valve a bit more to get the same effect. So the bubbes are the same but the realative pressure to get the bubbles to move is a bit different. In either case as stated above a bubble is a bubble unless you have some funny bubble counter that breaks up the bubbles. I would recommend you start around 4bps that seems about avg. for most people with 50-60gal tanks. If you see poor results after a few days turn it up a little more. The biggest issue is going to be flow/diffusion method/level of light.

p.s. the bubbles are about the same since the tubing we all use is most likely standard size so we all get about the same about of delivery/sec via the diamater of the tube and the relative needle valve position.
 

captain_bu

Prolific Poster
Nov 7, 2007
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SF Bay Area
ccLansman;35381 said:
agree with shoggoth but...
a bubble is a bubble is a bubble.
p.s. the bubbles are about the same since the tubing we all use is most likely standard size so we all get about the same about of delivery/sec via the diamater of the tube and the relative needle valve position.


Not true... try using glycerin in your bubble counter instead of water... the bubbles are huge in comparison... I switched from glycerin to mineral oil and the bubbles injected into mineral oil are tiny and rise really quickly... in the glycerin the large bubbles rise slowly ... I am not sure what is in commercial "bubble counter" fluid but I believe it is more viscous than water and similar to glycerin so there are at least 4 different liquids of varying viscosity commonly used in bubble counters (including water). Delivery per second is also going to be influenced by the relationship between the working pressure and the needle valve of choice.