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Bubble counting techniques?

scapegoat

scapegoat

Member
Joined
4 Nov 2012
Messages
134
Location
Norwich
Does anybody know any techniques for counting co2 bubbles? I'm used to planted nanos where the amount of bubbles needed is easy to count but I'm soon to be upgrading to a larger setup and assume I'll trying to count upto 7bps. This doesn't sound like an easy task so hoping to find some techniques

Jacob
 
dont worry about counting bubbles! just use the bubble counter as a visual guage to tell you co2 is on if you want,
Have a good needle valve and increase the co2 slowly until you see signs of stress on fish, then back it off a touch:)
 
Cheers Foxfish, there's some interesting ideas in that thread, I guess i'll go by the drop checker to make sure I'm using the right amount, I'll be cycling it for around a month fishless so that should be plenty of time to work out the right amount
 
Yeah I am quite surprised there is not a mass produced gadget fit for this purpose & for sale at a reasonable cost!
Like I say our American friends seem to be far more gadget oriented & they do have some interesting concepts but still no real sensible cheap solution... :?
 
foxfish said:
Yeah I am quite surprised there is not a mass produced gadget fit for this purpose & for sale at a reasonable cost!
Like I say our American friends seem to be far more gadget oriented & they do have some interesting concepts but still no real sensible cheap solution... :?
Click to expand...


There are several mass produced gadets, i think i mentioned a few in your above thread. :D
Non are cheap though.

to recap;
Rotameters will show your flow rate much more acuratly than a bubble counter :D
and an electronic mass flow meter will allow precise flow settings :D

Dont get caught up on flow rate as a way of measuring co2, keep an eye on plants and fish :)
 
Geoff thanks for your input even though that is the second time you have explained to me how unimportant the bubble count is!!!
It might not be important to you but, personally I would like to monitor my bubble count!
It is not a big deal as luckily over the last 30 odd years that I have been keeping planted tanks, I seem to have been able to maintain my tanks quite satisfactory & I dont even have to test my fish to the limit of their health to do so!!!!!!!!
However I find it interesting that there is no commercial device available purposely made for the trade - as do other folk on this forum & others forums. :)
 
Foxfish what do you wish to achieve by monitoring your bubble rate?
I feel to newcommers this is confusing.

The bubble rate ( Such a crude method ) or flow rate is not important to keeping planted tanks, the CO2 concentration and distribution is, as your impresive 30 years of experience will probably show!


What i find interesting is that there are a multitude of commercial devices purposely made for the trade available for the measurement of CO2 flow. :)

I wonder why they are not so popular............
 
They're popular because theyre great as a visual aid. If you don't have one and the lights are out how do you know co2 is going in? And at what sort of level?

What about messing around putting that co2 bottle on last night, how will you continue to dose the same as you were before? Without taking days fiddling with it to get your DC lime again.

They're a guide at best, but for what it's worth, I'd say there invaluable, if only as a reference.

My Bubble counter doesn't eat me out of house and home...
 
Stopped using bubble counters years ago, just use a drop checker to measure the CO2, you have a visual aid anyway by the CO2 bubbles in the tank when its on ;)

I have also stopped using drop checkers over time, just got used to the CO2 and just regulate it by the plants and fish.

Counting bubbles is probably a waste of time, each bubble counter has different bubble sizes, and larger tanks the bubble rate will be so fast you won't even see it lol
 
Whitey89 said:
They're popular because theyre great as a visual aid. If you don't have one and the lights are out how do you know co2 is going in?
Click to expand...

Agree :D

Whitey89 said:
What about messing around putting that co2 bottle on last night, how will you continue to dose the same as you were before? Without taking days fiddling with it to get your DC lime again.
Click to expand...

A good needle valve and a steady reg.
 
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