# Planted shrimp tank....CO2 injection 24/7 ?!?



## Alexpatrascu (Jun 13, 2010)

Hey guys.

I just started(again) a shrimp tank and I have quite a few plant species in there.

At the moment I'm using a ceramic CO2 diffuser placed under the output flow of my AC 50 filter.

This would be my question....should I turn on the solenoid the same time with my lights, a few hours before the lights come on or should I leave it 24/7 ?!?

I know the CO2 will be used in bigger quantities by the plants when I turn on the light(12-8PM) but when I check the drop checker I see it turning from blue to green only after a few(3-4) hours from the time the lights/solenoid come on.

So I was thinking of putting the solenoid on a different timer and turn it on 3-4 hours before the lights come on.

I'm planning on changing the Aquaclear filter that I have now with a Eheim canister filter and I'm gonna be using a CO2 inline Atomizer.

How do you guys use the CO2 in your tanks ?!?

Thanks.


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## TorontoPlantMan (Aug 16, 2013)

Alexpatrascu said:


> Hey guys.
> 
> I just started(again) a shrimp tank and I have quite a few plant species in there.
> 
> ...


Light drives co2 and co2 drives nutrient uptake; with that said you want your co2 on anywhere from 1-2 hours before your lights come on but letting us know the lights you're using and size of tank would help as well. 3-4 hours before the lights come on is a bit too much IMO and you may run the risk of gassing your fish depending on how much CO2 you're using.

HOB+CO2= headache , get yourself a canister filter as surface agitation is an important issue with CO2. Don't get me wrong you can use a HOB with CO2 but it will not be as effective as a canister in terms of surface agitation.

Your lights and solenoid should be on separate timers, only turning your co2 off 30 minutes before your lights go off. Once you get your lights and solenoid on separate timers you will see the colour different with your drop checker, mine is always green once the lights come on.


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## Alexpatrascu (Jun 13, 2010)

The tanks is a 15 gal 24x12x12" with two T5HO neons

I'm putting ~ 2.5-3bps Co2 and as I said I'm planning on switching to an Eheim canister in the near future.


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## damianrosario2000 (Nov 3, 2009)

I actually have a 50L tank with cherry shrimps hooked up to a co2 injection 24/7. But as I do not have a solenoid, it goes about 1 b/s. It has been like that for 2 years, plants are thriving, shrimps don't seem to mind.


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## Alexpatrascu (Jun 13, 2010)

Do you have a drop checker in your tank Damian ?!?

If you do, is it green all the time ?!?


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