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hi...i just made my co2 injector (yeast-sugar mtd)
i have a 20 gal tank, planted (6 species) with fishes (6 pandas, 1 platy, 2 dwarf gourami and 3 danios). the water parameters are pH=8 before co2, now 7, KH=5, GH=8 NH3=0, nitrite=> 0.3, nitrate= >5. the reading for co2 concentration is 16.
now the question, how am i doing??? thx
oh, oh...another thing...if i put a gang valve (dual) in my tank and have an air pump on the other line..will it matter delivering O2 in the tank together with the CO2??

Hi,
You are doing fine, as long as you realize the tank is not
yet fully cycled. When it is cycled, the nitrite reading
will always be zero unless you have a fairly large fish
that has died and is decaying in the tank.

The idea of CO2 injection is to raise the saturation level
of CO2 in the tank. "Enriching" so to speak the water with
CO2. Normally the water will be at about 5mg/l saturation.
Your reading of 15mg/l and the decrease in pH says that your
DIY system is working.

Keeping that "supersaturation" of CO2 in the water requires
that you not agitate the surface. That breaks the surface
tension, and allows the "extra" CO2 to escape.
The addition of an airstone or two, would not make much
sense as it would increase the O2 levels and allow the
CO2 to escape. The only reason you might want to add an
airstone or two, is if - in the morning, before the tank
lights come on, you see the fish gasping at the surface
as if they were a tank full of feeders in your LFS. Then
they need the O2.

Frank


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