thevictorian
Seedling
Hi, sorry for such a basic question but i'm trying to get my head around co2 and every time I search for the answer I find lots of info on how to setup a co2 but not how to start one.
I've started the unit today on my 120l tank. I understand that you need a ph drop of 1 before the lights come on and that this will take a little adjusting but this is were I am unsure how much is too much so this weekend is finding the sweet spot.
Only got the unit back today and set it up as quickly as I could so it only went on about 1 hour before the lights went on.
2.40pm pH6.9 2bps (co2 on)
3.45pm pH6.8 2bps (lights on)
5.55pm pH6.6 3bps (diffuser kicking in as I didn't adjust regulator further)
6.21pm pH6.6
7.00pm pH6.5
8.00pm pH6.5
9.00pm pH6.5 (co2 off)
10.00pm pH6.5 (lights out)
The pH was measured with a pH pen and my KH is around 4. The drop checker started off blue and developed to a greeny blue when the light went out (say may have developed little further but didn't look like it had made 20ppm). I run a spraybar from a eheim external which give 10x turnover and the diffuser (2.5cm diameter with 5 coils) is on the opposite side of the tank and is producing nice fine bubbles.
So my question is about getting the level right. I've seen places suggest I shouldn't need much more than 1bps to begin with as my KH is low and the tank isn't massive, but there wasn't much of a drop in the hour before the lights went on (albeit with a diffuser that is breaking in), so how much would be recommended or where do I go next to get the best out of the system?
many thanks in advance.
I've started the unit today on my 120l tank. I understand that you need a ph drop of 1 before the lights come on and that this will take a little adjusting but this is were I am unsure how much is too much so this weekend is finding the sweet spot.
Only got the unit back today and set it up as quickly as I could so it only went on about 1 hour before the lights went on.
2.40pm pH6.9 2bps (co2 on)
3.45pm pH6.8 2bps (lights on)
5.55pm pH6.6 3bps (diffuser kicking in as I didn't adjust regulator further)
6.21pm pH6.6
7.00pm pH6.5
8.00pm pH6.5
9.00pm pH6.5 (co2 off)
10.00pm pH6.5 (lights out)
The pH was measured with a pH pen and my KH is around 4. The drop checker started off blue and developed to a greeny blue when the light went out (say may have developed little further but didn't look like it had made 20ppm). I run a spraybar from a eheim external which give 10x turnover and the diffuser (2.5cm diameter with 5 coils) is on the opposite side of the tank and is producing nice fine bubbles.
So my question is about getting the level right. I've seen places suggest I shouldn't need much more than 1bps to begin with as my KH is low and the tank isn't massive, but there wasn't much of a drop in the hour before the lights went on (albeit with a diffuser that is breaking in), so how much would be recommended or where do I go next to get the best out of the system?
many thanks in advance.