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Ok, I want to add a DIY CO2 system to my planted tank, and I know CO2 can make the pH drop, BUT what if I have fish that like a pH around 6.5 (Thats about where I hear it often drops the pH to)? In my tank I have:

Angelfish
Lemon Tetras
Red Serpae Tetras
Blue Rams
Cories
Krib (not amazon)
Loach (not amazon)
Shark (not amazon)

I may be able to move the non-Amazonian fish and leave it to be completely Amazon fish. In that case, would I have to worry about the pH since it will be bringing it down to the level I would basically like it to be???

ARG, I just realized that I was under Danielle's name! ARG! Anyway, I just wanted to add, I read online about someone using an I.V. System thing for the co2 system. Has anyone done this or have any ideas how or can send or post a diagram or SOMETHIGN!!!???

Hi,
You don't mention the size of the tank. 29 or 30 gallons
is about the max one should try to DIY CO2 injection.
Any larger requires a bank of 2 liter bottles and several
on the side awaiting activation. In short, it becomes a
chore, instead of a "love."

Adding CO2 will drop your pH. How much it drops it, will
depend upon the KH (Carbonate Hardness) of your water.
How fast it drops it will depend upon the rate of
injection. The typical yeast/sugar DIY CO2 generation
starts out like a house a fire, very high production
rate as the yeast/sugar freshly mix, and dropps off
rapidly as the yeast consumes the sugar.

If you are doing this simply for the fish, then there
are easier ways such as adding peat to the filter, to
drop the pH into the acid range for those fish.
With peat, you can use airstones, and not worry about
surface agitation.

If you are doing it for plant growth, then the CO2
saturation will increase the longer the bubbles stay
in the water colum to be absorbed. That means very,
very tiny bubbles. With the tiny bubbles, they are
"blown" around by the various tank currents and stay
exposed to the water longer, on their eventual way
to the surface. If you are doing the injection
for the plants, you will want to reduce or eliminate
surface agitation (airstones, filter returns, etc)
to keep the CO2 in the water and not aireate it out.

Frank


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