# Enough CO2?



## foster (Sep 2, 2012)

Would the co2 produced by one DIY co2 yeast reactor be enough for a moderate, to heavy planted 40 long tank? The one I have on there now produces one bubble every 5-6 seconds. It is being injected into the tank through the venturi on a powerhead. The lighting is 56 watts of 6700K T-5 lights. I dose Flourish Comprehensive, glute, and leafzone by API.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

You will get a range of answers on this. From, not enough, to enough to gas out your fish. It's really a matter of what receipt you use in the reactor, what difussion method. If you are getting 100% difussion out of a reactor that is producing constant bps, then yes, it could be enough.

Better way is to invest in a drop checker and some 4dkh solution. Blue = not enough, Green = Good, Yellow = about to, or did gas your fish.


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## foster (Sep 2, 2012)

Ordered a drop checker, and solution. Should be here in a few days. Fish are acting normal, and PH hasn't dropped much, so I think i'm ok.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If the ph hasn't dropped much, this is an indication that your CO2 is not much different than before you started injecting. DIY bottles only produce a good amount for about 10-14 days and then they start to back off. Your bottle should produce at least 1bps. If it doesn't anymore, replace it.

On your question, doubtful that one bottle would even be half as much as you needed. You can do DIY with a 40g, but personally I would run at least two-four bottles and replace one bottle every 10-12 days to make sure they are producing peak output.

If you ordered a drop checker, make sure you also get the 4dkh solution and use it in place of where the instructions call for tank water. The solution it comes with is likely the solution you are just adding 2-4 drops of. It is the same as standard ph regeant.


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

i have heard of one person that gassed his fish with a single bottle on a 55 gallon, but it isnt very easy to do so. the actual number of bubbles per second needed to reach the level needed to benefit your plants or gas your fish is extremely variable. it can change dramatically depending on the amount of flow in your tank and how you diffuse it. 

that said, one bottle can be plenty for a 40 gallon if it is getting completely diffused, but you really wont be able to tell if the tank is getting enough(or too much) CO2 unless you either use a drop checker or your fish suddenly get gassed out. the method of diffusion is key. perfect diffusion of one bubble per second could be dangerous to your fish while ten bubbles a second that isnt diffused very well may not even make a difference.

best thing to do is get a drop checker with the 4dkh solution. i just got one recently and my drop checker stays constantly yellow no matter where i put it in my tank, which is a 55g with two bottles on it. i use a pretty powerful method of diffusion, so my results are atypical, but it can be done.


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## foster (Sep 2, 2012)

Auban said:


> i have heard of one person that gassed his fish with a single bottle on a 55 gallon, but it isnt very easy to do so. the actual number of bubbles per second needed to reach the level needed to benefit your plants or gas your fish is extremely variable. it can change dramatically depending on the amount of flow in your tank and how you diffuse it.
> 
> that said, one bottle can be plenty for a 40 gallon if it is getting completely diffused, but you really wont be able to tell if the tank is getting enough(or too much) CO2 unless you either use a drop checker or your fish suddenly get gassed out. the method of diffusion is key. perfect diffusion of one bubble per second could be dangerous to your fish while ten bubbles a second that isnt diffused very well may not even make a difference.
> 
> best thing to do is get a drop checker with the 4dkh solution. i just got one recently and my drop checker stays constantly yellow no matter where i put it in my tank, which is a 55g with two bottles on it. i use a pretty powerful method of diffusion, so my results are atypical, but it can be done.


What method of difussion are you using?


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

i use a ceramic disk that puts out very fine bubbles, which get channeled into a maxijet 400, which chops them up even further and forces them out all over the tank. it takes quite a while for the bubbles to rise to the surface, and a good portion of them never do. using this method i am able to force CO2 "mist" into every part of the tank, in a circulatory pattern. in one tank, i use two maxijet 400s(two separate bottles), but in another one, a single maxijet 600 does the same job.


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## foster (Sep 2, 2012)

Sounds like a very good method!! Might have to steal your ideas.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Diffusers in general are not very efficient. Any time you can see bubbles, even really small ones, there is always the chance they are reaching the surface. 

Reactors on the other hand are near 100%. There are a number of youtube videos on how to make one out there. I get zero bubbles in the tanks that I use a reactor. I reach the desired level about 30-40% faster and use less CO2.

I also don't agree that one bottle on a 40g will come close to the desired level of CO2. It may reach that in small pockets of the tank due to poor flow. Anyone that says they can gas fish on a 55g really needs to look at why that is. 1bps is not enough for the "entire" 40g or 55g to be affected. Even using a reactor and 100% efficiency.


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

its enough for my 65 gallon to show yellow in a drop checker with the 4dkh solution. the amount it takes to gas a fish is variable, which is why everyone over at TPT recommends reducing CO2 when adding new fish, and introducing it slowly when starting it up for the first time. I agree that a reactor is far more efficient, but I can't see how a tank full of fine mist isn't getting enough CO2. the efficiency may be less, but overall velocity can get pretty high.


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## FishFlow (Sep 13, 2011)

I've tried these reactors, without alot of success. On one variation, I put a ceramic disk diffussor inside the reactor in an attempt to start out with small bubbles. The amount of co2 needed for the tank, would just fill the chamber up with co2. and it became very loud. (as i created a waterfall)


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## Auban (Aug 8, 2010)

reactors are extremely efficient, but the amount they can diffuse at once has a limit. what that limit is, I don't know. I'm sure it varies.


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