I am wanting to add co2 to my 30L aquarium that’s been running for 8 months now and has a group of CPD’s and some shrimp. I am just wondering what would be the best way to add co2 without upsetting the fish and/or plants also trying to avoid algae issues. If anyone has any experience or tips it would be greatly appreciated.
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Adding CO2 to an established tank
- Thread starter OwenJ
- Start date
simon_the_plant_nerd
Member
Slowly. From personal experience I can you that sudden changes in pH, oxygen and co2 levels will kill shrimp (and potentially fish).
Have you used co2 in a tank before? I started using it last year and it took a while for me to get it right. There’s a good chance of getting it wrong in the beginning stages.
Have you used co2 in a tank before? I started using it last year and it took a while for me to get it right. There’s a good chance of getting it wrong in the beginning stages.
simon_the_plant_nerd
Member
Please read the guidelines for plant help!
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rdk1402
Member
Depends on your end-goal.
In two of my planted tanks I inject only a little extra CO2 gas, through a controlled 'high tech' system, whilst all other conditions adhere to 'low energy' modus. This is my end-goal for these two tanks and you can implement the CO2 instantly. I assume the ppm CO2 during the photosynthetic period is a steady 10-ish.
If the end goal is e.g. a red colered planted tank, induced with high intensity lights, you'll need to add more CO2, and adjust the tank to high energy modus. It is best to do this gradually.
In two of my planted tanks I inject only a little extra CO2 gas, through a controlled 'high tech' system, whilst all other conditions adhere to 'low energy' modus. This is my end-goal for these two tanks and you can implement the CO2 instantly. I assume the ppm CO2 during the photosynthetic period is a steady 10-ish.
If the end goal is e.g. a red colered planted tank, induced with high intensity lights, you'll need to add more CO2, and adjust the tank to high energy modus. It is best to do this gradually.
I am getting a pressurised system with a dual stage regulator and I would like to achieve a ‘high tech’ look. Correct me if I’m wrong but from my understanding as long as I inject a tiny amount of co2 at the start and slowly increase it over a couple weeks until drop checker is green thing should be fine.
One question I do have is are the fish and shrimp at risk because of the sudden change in co2/ph etc or is it the fact that I could accidentally add too much co2 in the beginning by accident?
Because theoretically if I got the co2 amount perfect from the beginning surely the fish would experience the same thing as new fish or shrimp would when added to a tank that already has co2.
One question I do have is are the fish and shrimp at risk because of the sudden change in co2/ph etc or is it the fact that I could accidentally add too much co2 in the beginning by accident?
Because theoretically if I got the co2 amount perfect from the beginning surely the fish would experience the same thing as new fish or shrimp would when added to a tank that already has co2.
simon_the_plant_nerd
Member
Yes. Livestock usually experience stress when water parameters change dramatically. You could avoid that by slowly increasing the level of co2 slowly over a period of time. 👍🏻
Yes you are probably right, playing with C02 can be risky and adding creatures to a C02 enriched tank can be a risk! However people do just that and generally speaking it goes OK although, perhaps not everybody is going to post about their mistakes!
Realistically though, getting the gas spot on from day one is just not going to happen.
It would not be difficult to overdose CO2 in a 30l aquarium, as already mentioned take it very slowly and only make small incremental adjustments when you are at home for the day to keep an eye on proceedings. I personally don't think you need to be dosing towards the higher end of the scale unless you are using a very bright light, just get the drop checker so it's turning from blue to green and then stability is the key.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Injecting CO2 with daily cycles like is the standard means that you'll have a drastic pH variation every single day. I think that the pH swing itself isn't an issue for the livestock. Supposedly, a pH swing is dangerous when it happens with a KH swing, which would affect the osmotic balance of the livestock. That isn't the case with CO2 injection.
The way I see it, the CO2 concentration itself is something that the fishes need to adjust to, but not the pH swing.
I once asked what should be done when adding new fish to a high tech tank. It seemed like the standard procedure was to reduce CO2 during the first day or two, and then raise it to normal levels. So I think you could do a 2 steps only acclimation for your tank.
The way I see it, the CO2 concentration itself is something that the fishes need to adjust to, but not the pH swing.
I once asked what should be done when adding new fish to a high tech tank. It seemed like the standard procedure was to reduce CO2 during the first day or two, and then raise it to normal levels. So I think you could do a 2 steps only acclimation for your tank.
