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Another user with CO2 Issues

sonicninja said:
I will do one Sunday :)

Also it did occur to me that as I'm running a filter with 16mm hose and I've stepped it down to 12mm to fit the intake and spray bar that this could be reducing the flow...?
Click to expand...
Stepping down the hose size from an internal diameter of 16mm to a hose with an internal diameter of 12mm reduces the flow rate by approximately 44%. However, this might not be the case if your filter outlet spud has an internal diameter of 12mm. The difference in cross sectional area between the filter outlet spud and any other smaller ID hose will determine the percentage loss in flow rate.

Cheers,
 
I was under the impression that he only used a small amount of 12 mm hose on the intake and spray bar, and the rest of the hose, including the hose attached to the filter, was 16mm?
 
The 16mm hose runs for approx 12inches before the converters then runs 12mm hose all the way to the spray bar.
 
2:30-7.5
3:00-7.4
3:30-7.2
4:00-7.0
4:30-6.8
5:00-6.7

Again, CO2 on at 2:30, Lights on at 5:00. Given this im going to up the CO2 slightly.
 
So this is ridiculous.
Ive had the increased CO2 running for a while now and there are some positive signs but still some very negative ones. I planted some more stauro on the right hand side last week and initially it showed some slow but positive signs of growth, nothing massive but it didn't die which I view as a positive. The plants showed no leaf dropping which Ive had previously in my tank. I performed a water change Wednesday night and came home this evening (Friday) to find an awful lot of stauro leaves on the surface and the remaining plants were pale yellow. I have changed absolutely nothing concerning the CO2/dosing regime and suddenly they have died.

This has got me wondering if this could possibly be an issue other than CO2. I'm performing regular maintenance/cleaning on pipe work and the filter (at least ever 2 weeks) to ensure the flow remains high, I can visibly see CO2 reaching all areas of the tank and my drop checker is at a steady lime green verging on yellow. My pH profile is at the bottom of this rant. I cannot see what I'm doing wrong and am worried that after concentrating on CO2 distribution (which I agree is main concern) I may have overlooked something blatantly obvious in my water chemistry.

I'm going to run tests tomorrow morning when I get a chance but is there anything glaringly obvious I should be looking at which could be making my plants die off so quickly? This is getting ridiculous, 6 months and no positives :(

Test 8- 25/08/2014
2:00-7.6
2:30-7.0
3:00-6.7
3:30-6.7
4:00-6.6
4:30-6.5
5:00-6.3
 
The 12mm tubing will be gone tomorrow when I collect my new 16mm spray bar and inlet. The diffusion method is currently an inline diffuser on the outflow but again the is due to be changed to the inlet tomorrow.
 
So I've just taken another profile with the new 16mm spray bar and intake installed. In order to maintain pressure coming out of the spray bar as well as keep the 2 powerheads as close to the spray bar as possible ive only run the spraybar for 3/4 of the tank length. Hopefully by doing this i haven't pushed the two powerheads too near the side walls like you have mentioned Clive.

I took a profile today, like I said the in-line atomizer is now on the filter intake.

2:00-7.6
2:30-7.3
3:00-7.0
3:30-6.9
4:00-6.8
4:30-6.7
5:00-6.6

Any suggestions would be great, Im going to do my weekly water change in two stages this week and maybe try using all tap. Perhaps my RO unit has become dirty internally and is harboring something nasty, I cannot understand why im still struggling so much.
 
y4y3enev.jpg
 
Try a little more injection rate increase and make sure there are no leaks.
Once you had gotten rid of all the 12mmID tubing and connections you should have seen a marked increase in flow unless you have the filter stuffed with media.

Cheers,
 
Id like to ask a very theoretical question. Say my CO2 rates, flow,lighting etc were absolutely perfect in this tank (which Im not expecting them to be). Could there be something concerning my water chemistry that could be affecting the plants ability to take in CO2. I'm only asking since I don't think I should be focusing all my attention on the CO2 without at least considering other options. Unfortunately my brain capacity for this isnt particularly high so any suggestions would be great. I'm determined to persevere but without seeing any results and with CO2 constantly on my brain im going to go man.

Anyone got any suggestions if for the sake of argument my CO2 method was perfect...?
 
Well, only a high concentration of herbicide or water very high in organic waste, or a too high concentration of liquid carbon would interfere with CO2 uptake. There really is nothing else. Barr has estimated that about 95% of all problems in the planted tank is CO2 related, so as far as I'm concerned, you should be focusing 95% of your attention on CO2 availability.

As I mentioned, if you can do very large water changes and if you can wipe the biofilm off the surface of the leaves, either while they are exposed to air or while submerged, you can go a long way in reducing the obstacles to CO2 uptake. CO2 has a 10,000X poorer ability to move through water than it does through air. That's why plants living in air seldom, if ever have a CO2 deficiency, and why plants that are flooded ALWAYS have a CO2 problem. Stick your hand in the tank and rub the leaves between your thumb & fingers. Is there a slimy coating? Keep rubbing until the slime wipes off. That is major barrier number one.

There are as many ways to have poor CO2 as there are hobbyists, and yes it does drive people crazy, but once you understand the extreme difficulty that CO2 has finding it's way into a leaf you'll concentrate harder on finding ways to help the plant.

Cheers,
 
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