Yes I know, this is a dead horse of a topic, but I'll beat a little anyway. Added pressurized CO2 about a month ago to a 92G, 192W CF, moderately planted (getting heavier) and slightly lowered EI dosing. It took about 2 1/2 wks to get my levels at 30 ppm-ish (drop checker) during which time CO2 was gradually increased. 2 days ago I noticed a few tufts of BBA, which I'm assuming are from the increase/fluctuation of the weeks before...correct? or no? Co2 does come on 1hr before lights and off 1hr before lights off. That shouldn't cause fluctuation issues, should it?
Co2 & Bba
- Thread starter abcemorse
- Start date
Sounds like your setup is good (lighting at 2.0 wpg) and your CO2 is 30ppm. You are changing your drop checker liquid weekly, correct?
I'm wondering where your BBA is showing up. On plants? If so, something isn't quite right -- a healthy, growing plant won't get BBA. BBA on plastic filter spray bars and the like? I've had an EI tank for a long time with almost no algae at all (a little thread algae once in a while). But, if I go long enough without cleaning the output nozzle of my filter, the black plastic will get tufts of BBA where the water current comes out. Never got any BBA on anything but this one area of the spray bar.
I'm wondering where your BBA is showing up. On plants? If so, something isn't quite right -- a healthy, growing plant won't get BBA. BBA on plastic filter spray bars and the like? I've had an EI tank for a long time with almost no algae at all (a little thread algae once in a while). But, if I go long enough without cleaning the output nozzle of my filter, the black plastic will get tufts of BBA where the water current comes out. Never got any BBA on anything but this one area of the spray bar.
Ummmmmm not so much on the drop checker liquid....it's the original stuff, probably 2 wks + old. Didn't know that was necessary.
I will begin doing so promptly. Does it lose its efficacy over time? Tufts showed up on driftwood. Quite small yet, I keep a very close eye on things and am spot treating to get it gone while I figure out the cause. I'm running about 4bps right now, much more and it gets hard to count but the fish certainly are not suffering at all so I can probably get away with more. Being new to it I'm a little gunshy with $200 worth of discus and $100+ in others.....
I will begin doing so promptly. Does it lose its efficacy over time? Tufts showed up on driftwood. Quite small yet, I keep a very close eye on things and am spot treating to get it gone while I figure out the cause. I'm running about 4bps right now, much more and it gets hard to count but the fish certainly are not suffering at all so I can probably get away with more. Being new to it I'm a little gunshy with $200 worth of discus and $100+ in others.....abcemorse;29589 said:Ummmmmm not so much on the drop checker liquid....it's the original stuff, probably 2 wks + old. Didn't know that was necessary.
stop counting and you won't go crazy ...this hobby is not cheap !Once you buy something the next hour you will discover that there is something that you "need"....I'm looking now for a CO2 reactor and last month was the CO2 regulator and a 20 lb tank and before that I bought the fluval fx5 and before.....................................................
abcemorse,
Yes, always good to change the drop checker liquid weekly ... it has a tendency to stay green after a while, even when it shouldn't be so. When you change it, you may notice a scum layer inside of it. Once that forms, you are permanently green.
How many bps you need is dependent on a number of factors: efficiency of reactor, water surface turbulence (unsealed sumps can lose a lot of CO2), plant load, etc... I have a fairly efficient setup with lots of plants, and I need 3 bps to get 30ppm CO2 on a 50G tank, so my guess is that you will need 5 to 6 bps -- very difficult to count accurately with a smaller bubble counter. You'll probably just have to make a good guess.
Fish are always the top priority for me, so, like you, I am careful not to risk their health.
Yes, always good to change the drop checker liquid weekly ... it has a tendency to stay green after a while, even when it shouldn't be so. When you change it, you may notice a scum layer inside of it. Once that forms, you are permanently green.
How many bps you need is dependent on a number of factors: efficiency of reactor, water surface turbulence (unsealed sumps can lose a lot of CO2), plant load, etc... I have a fairly efficient setup with lots of plants, and I need 3 bps to get 30ppm CO2 on a 50G tank, so my guess is that you will need 5 to 6 bps -- very difficult to count accurately with a smaller bubble counter. You'll probably just have to make a good guess.
Fish are always the top priority for me, so, like you, I am careful not to risk their health.
Thanks for the input. I'll change the DC solution and rid the tank of existing BBA as much as I can and go from there. The plants, bacopa and L. Aromatica in particular, are showing amazing response to the CO2. I do plan to add more plant mass, a few bare spots around. Anyway, thanks again, this is a very knowledgeable forum, I enjoy the science of things and you get alot of that here!
Tom Barr;29598 said:
Yes, I've witnessed about a week's delay myself. I assume it's accelerated based on lighting levels.