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Tonight I added a dozen red cherry shrimp juvies into the 10g (after a 1/3 water change), and this weekend might bring an Azoo pressurized co2 setup for the 40g.

Anyone familiar with that system ? Size of bottle ?
I think I'll still need a ph controller and something that shuts the co2 off during lights out ? (solenoid ?)

The Amazon Nut...

Hi,
You only "need" that stuff if you are a "techie."
You don't need to shut off the CO2 at night.
All you really "need" is a means to monitor the pH, a
test kit to know your KH, and a bubble counter.
I use a Pinpoint brand pH monitor.
It constantly gives me a reading of my pH and since my KH
is stable ( I do test weekly to be sure) I simply plot it
on one of the many pH/KH/CO2 charts and I know what the
CO2 saturation is.
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm

Hook everything up, and set the CO2 flow rate for one
bubble per second. Let it run for a few hours and
determine your CO2 saturation. You will want it to be
within the shaded area of the chart. I run mine at 30mg/l.

If 1bps does not give you the CO2 saturation you want, then
turn up the needle valve to 2 bps. Again, wait long enough
for the tank to readjust, and check the saturation. If it
is where you want it, then walk away and forget it. Else,
adjust the regulator needle valve again, and recheck the
saturation again. Continue until you have the CO2
saturation that you desire.

99.9999% of the time you do not need to worry about the
fish and the CO2 saturation and turning off the gas at
night. The way to check it is to look at the tank in the
morning before the tank lights come on after leaving
the gas on all night long. If the fish are gasping at
the surface, then you will need to cut back on the gas.
You are probably striving for too high a saturation, and
at night it is affecting the fish.

Generally speaking you would need that tank so filled
with fish that it resembled a tank in an LFS filled with
a new shipment of feeders and have CO2 injected to cause
the fish distress. You'd really have to over do the gas
to have that happen.

If you opt for a controller, then you have a pH probe, and
a shutoff valve connected to the controller. Set the
controller for the desired pH with the desired amount of
"slop" ( +/- around the desired pH) and leave things alone.
The controller will turn on the gas, until the desired pH
is reached, and then turn off the gas flow. As the gas
escapes into the atmosphere, the pH will shift upward and
the controller will sense it and turn the gas back on.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thanks alot Frank !

I might be picking a new Azoo pressurized this weekend for $200. includes tank, regulator, needle valve, co2 line, diffuser. My budget says NO but my fish are saying 'Hey d00d give us the cola'

Off to pick up some domestic bred german blue rams shortly so have to fight the rush hour traffic. I hope they're nice ones ! That'll teach my male keyhole for thinking he owns the tank. Then again he might pound the crap outta the rams, this one is a bruiser and thinks it's an oscar.



The Amazon Nut...

I popped some pics over in photo booth, hope you enjoy

The Amazon Nut...

Hi,
Very nice pictures. Are you sure those fish are going
to not dine on the greens?

Have fun!
Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Funny you should ask that LOL.

My keyhole male is supposed to be 'plant friendly'.

He pulls leaf tips off and pulls plants up kinda like an oscar would. He chewed all the tips off the Brazilian microswords and it's not even out of the pot !

The Amazon Nut...