Mist without Ph controller

Re: Mist without Ph controller

Well in my 29 gallon tank my BBA started dying when I used the mist method to provide a constant supply of CO2 and greatly increased fertilizer use. Your dosage looks similar to mine except you are not dosing any phosphates. I dose the following every 3 days.

1/4 Tsp of Potassium Nitrate
1/16 Tsp of Mono Potassium Phosphate (KH2PO4)
1/16 Tsp of Potassium Sulfate

Every 2 day I dose trace

5 mL of Seachem Flourish

Every day I dose Iron

1 mL of Seachem Flourish Iron

After waterchanges, I dose all the macros and in addition add 1/2 Teaspoon of Magnesium Sulfate and 1/2 Teaspoon of Calcium Chloride. My BBA started to turn red after about 4-5 days and has since been dying out ever since. I blame the successful reduction in BBA on stable CO2 and adequete nutrient dosing. My photoperiod was also reduced from 12 hours to 10 hours.

 

Re: Mist without Ph controller

My non CO2 pH is 7.4. With CO2 I drive the pH down to the 6.3-6.4 range. It is incredible to watch a problem I was dealing with for 6 months or so literly dissapear before my eyes.

 

Re: Mist without Ph controller

I am running it at about 1 bubble per second into my venturi diffuser. My tank uses DIY CO2 but given various adjustments to the yeast + baking soda concentrations I get about that rate farely stable for about 6-7 days.

 

Re: Mist without Ph controller

I have a Milwaukee PH controller too and have been reading everywhere that we should get rid of it. I have it set to 6.3 with a Kh of 4.5, soda added. Tap Kh is less then 2.

I am starting to think that I have CO2 problem because hair like algae (goes as long as 5 to 6 inches if unchecked and smells too) keeps coming back.

Getting to the point of this thread...

If there is no controller and no cut off point, how do we keep the PH at a steady rate of let’s say 6.3? When we inject 2 to 3 bubbles/sec and we reach 6.3/6.2, how do we stop it from dropping further without doing anything manually?

 

Re: Mist without Ph controller

The number of bubbles per second of CO2 dosing isn't important. It depends on how much surface agitation you have, which outgases some of the CO2, how fine the bubbles you are getting for mist are and how well distributed they are in the tank. Also, a bubble isn't a standard size - it depends on the inside diameter of the tube the bubble comes out of. So, use the needle valve and regulator pressure adjustment to "tune" the CO2 until it stabilizes at the 1 to 1.1 drop in pH. Whatever bubble rate that takes is the right bubble rate for you, and you can then use that number to make sure the CO2 input stays reasonably constant. Mine, in my 29 gallon, CO2 mist tank is about 2 bubbles per second, and I have considerable surface water movement.

 

Re: Mist without Ph controller

My tank is 80G and I'm diffusing through an external inline reactor (rex design). The CO2 starts at 7:30am and takes 4 hours to get it to 6.3 and then the controller cuts off. I tried the glass diffuser but one is never enough for my size of tank. When I had a 29G tank it was easier.

If my KH is 4.5 and PH is 6.3 I get 68ppm, sounds high but the fishes are happy, yet I have small algae problems, no BGA though. When I drop it further to 6.2 or 6.1, the fishes do not go to the surface but hide in the plants, seemingly stressed. Going to take the controller out and see what happens.

 

Re: Mist without Ph controller

A bad pH probe or an aging one can cause issues as well even when it calibrates well in standard solutions. Some tend to drift fast in one direction and then slower in another. Focusing on the plant growth via observation is still the best in the end as Tom mentioned. Wonder how Amano tweak his CO2?

Regards
Peter Gwee