# CO2 levels



## shrtmann (Feb 15, 2009)

So I got my CO2 going now and got in today a koralia 2 as well as my cow indicator, now i im supposed to use 4dhk solution but didnt have distilled water (Mrs. had the car so couldnt get RO/distilled water) so i used tank water but anywho its has pretty much stayed blue all day...

I currently have a 110AC and a 200? marinleand and a reactor 500 parked underneath it to catch some of the stray bubbles and above that i have my K2 to catch the burps and help circulate...
so i think i may need to change something up...i dont think im getting very good co2 saturation in the water column...
any tips? 

i may scrap the 500 and just go with a air stone underneath the 110AC (it has better sucking power). atleast until i find a better solution.

i seen on kijjiji a Rena xp2 for sale and a eheim 2000 or something...both for around a 100 bucks...I want to go inline as that seems to be the best route from my research...

so basically what im asking is any cheap tips to help with sat before i buy a canisters.



lol sorry for the rambling its late and been a long day at work


----------



## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

shrtmann said:


> So I got my CO2 going now and got in today a koralia 2 as well as my cow indicator, now i im supposed to use 4dhk solution but didnt have distilled water (Mrs. had the car so couldnt get RO/distilled water) so i used tank water but anywho its has pretty much stayed blue all day...


You cannot use tank water/tap water. This will skew the readings of the CO2 drop checker.



shrtmann said:


> I currently have a 110AC and a 200? marinleand and a reactor 500 parked underneath it to catch some of the stray bubbles and above that i have my K2 to catch the burps and help circulate...
> so i think i may need to change something up...i dont think im getting very good co2 saturation in the water column...
> any tips?


Your HOB filter likely is causing quite a bit of CO2 to offgas. You can try to minimize CO2 loss by raising the water level so that there is less water splashing, or you can increase the CO2 injection rate.



shrtmann said:


> i seen on kijjiji a Rena xp2 for sale and a eheim 2000 or something...both for around a 100 bucks...I want to go inline as that seems to be the best route from my research...


Inline reactors are definitely the most efficient way of diffusing CO2. As for the Eheim model, it depends which one it is; a used 2213 would definitely not be worth $100 (as they can be bought for $99 brand new), etc.


----------



## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

Running inline reactors off filters is possible, but remember that as a filter gets dirty, it's flow slows, so it's ability to mix and distribute CO2 goes down - whether you run a reactor or bubble into the intake. It's important to stay on top of filter maintenance if you go this route.

You could also run your reactor off an inline pump which in addition to being cheaper than a filter, usually less wattage more efficient, not as prone to clogging over time, allows you to shut off the flow of the pump when you shut off CO2 in the evening, service your filter while allowing CO2 to keep flowing and vise versa. 

Just another option to mull over and confuse the situation a bit more...


----------



## shrtmann (Feb 15, 2009)

oohh so confused...this is all too much..lol...

well the eheim is a 2028...the primer is broke but i think i can fix it cheap enough, if i even need to at all..
and there is also a 2215 which i guess is in perfvect working order....
but relly if i go that route im going to spend another 100 orf so dollars...

i think i may get this drop checker set up and see if the colour changes. If not then im going to go the direct into my HOB 110AC.

Oh and DB47 ya i already do keep my water level about as high as possible..about half way up the glass in the center brace...I hate the sound of splashing water...kinda drives me bonkers...


----------



## Plaid (Nov 10, 2008)

Before you start messing with your CO2, you should set up a working method of reading your CO2 levels. Since you used tank water in your drop checker, and your tank water is likely similar to Toronto tap water, then your drop checker is not working at all.
I would not play with diffusion and drop checkers and offgassing until you can see what you're doing. Having the incorrect CO2 until you can properly set it up is better than having fluctuating levels while you guess in the dark.

Good luck with this,
Wes


----------

