Co2 disaster???

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#41
Feb 27, 2009
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#41
lauraf said:
I'll see if I still get a higher reading on ammonia tomorrow - if so, I'll invest in that Ammonia Alert to make sure we're all okay.
Fingers crossed for my lovelies, and thanks to all for your advice and concern. Please keep it coming!
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I love the Ammonia Alert, especially for newer or fry tanks. It only cost 6 or 7 US$, not sure of the prices in Canada. To me, well worth it to know at a glance if anything is going wrong plus it lasts a year or more. For the peace of mind, for me, it was worth it to know at a quick glance if I need to do a water change for the fry tanks.

I think your 'lovelies' are in good hands. I like to see a problem so quickly and expertly addressed. No panicking. No grabbing for extra chemicals that just stress the fish. Level-headed thinking and you caught it quickly because you watch the fish for changes. And you care for the fish as a part of your family, it shows.

And all this with your country doing so well in the Olympics! Such a distraction!
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#42
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#42
Hah! Canada against Slovakia now! We can't be friends for the next couple of days, teehee.
I'm actually quite serious, this is hockey, okay?

Please do start your CO2 thread, as I am itching to restart my CO2 system, but really want to make sure everyone is okay first. So far, amazingly, my lovelies are looking good!

My biggest question - and maybe we can put this into Sharkee's DIY thread, or yours, Anshu, is where to position the CO2 canister in relation to the tank, and the airstone position within the tank? I'm thinking that this may have been the reason that A) I didn't have constant bubbles, and B) ended up with tank water flowing into the canister and being reinjected into my tank. Not sure, but that's the only explanation I can come up with about how yeast got in to my tank.
 

anshuman

anshuman

Large Fish
#43
Nov 16, 2009
686
0
0
Mumbai India
#43
hi Laura, I used my GoogleFU (ala kungfu) skills.

I guess this is what you bought Freshwater Planted Aquariums: Red Sea Turbo CO2 Bio-System << In more information link there this is what it says.

  1. Place the Diffusion pump (with the Venturi and the Silicone Tube attached) inside the aquarium one inch above the substrate. Select an area where the bubble flow will have an unobstructed path to the water surface.
  2. Locate the Reactor next to, under, or on top of the aquarium (or wherever convenient). In all cases, the positioning should avoid excess heat or direct sunlight exposure. A stable warmer environment will generate a higher flow of CO2.
Guess thats how you go about it.

I see it used successfully by this user at youtube > YouTube - 40 Gallon Planted Aquarium pt 2

EDIT : Check this thread too > http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/73070-turbo-co2-bio-system.html

And I am going to test my limestone wood showed in this vid > YouTube - Diffusing CO2 via Limewood Airstone
 

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lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#45
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#45
OrangeCones said:
I love the Ammonia Alert, especially for newer or fry tanks. It only cost 6 or 7 US$, not sure of the prices in Canada. To me, well worth it to know at a glance if anything is going wrong plus it lasts a year or more. For the peace of mind, for me, it was worth it to know at a quick glance if I need to do a water change for the fry tanks.

I think your 'lovelies' are in good hands. I like to see a problem so quickly and expertly addressed. No panicking. No grabbing for extra chemicals that just stress the fish. Level-headed thinking and you caught it quickly because you watch the fish for changes. And you care for the fish as a part of your family, it shows.

And all this with your country doing so well in the Olympics! Such a distraction!
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OrangeCones, you are making me blush. Thanks - I told my hubby when I started up fishkeeping last June that this was going to be a major caretaking operation, and, bless him, he doesn't do much, but is the first person to look at the tank each morning to make sure the fishies are behaving normally. Sweetie, that one. But I did panic a wee bit - this forum and input from regulars like you did give me the confidence that I was at least on the right track with this situation.
I like the sound of this Ammonia Alert, particularly if I decide to do another batch of angel fry. $7 US can't be more than $10 Cdn, within my budget.
Anyway, OC, you have such wonderful input, I have really appreciated it. I'm going to be bugging you and other experts here much, much more!
BTW - what kind of fry are you raising?
And PS - today Canada won another four medals, including another gold! How fun it was downtown tonight!
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#46
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#46
anshuman said:
Also i highly recommend using the Check Valve , which stops reverse-flow tank water getting back into your reactor. I know this is most popular point of disasters in CO2 systems.


LOLZ, yea, i think we are not friends till Icehockey medals are given. /pouts Blue steel look :D
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Zoolander rocks! But you don't. Officially, you suck from now until the Sunday hockey medal ceremony.*BOUNCINGS

Anshu, I followed the manual for this CO2 system exactly. Nowhere does it suggest - or did my LFS - that positioning the canister a couple of feet below the tank bottom would be a problem. I wanted it hidden in my tank stand. But I think that having it so far below the tank bottom, and then the pressure having to travel all the way up about four feet and then back down almost two feet to an inch above the substrate level might have been too much, and seemingly caused the CO2 bubbles to not appear and a reverse siphon effect (this according to my LFS, when I brought the entire unit back in for inspection). The check-valve has been, ummmm, checked, and seems to be be fully operational; however, there was definitely water in there when my LFS checked it, leading to the reverse-siphon explanation.
So I'd like to know - without causing my tank any more trauma, should I try again with the original canister positioning but situate the diffuser closer to the surface level of my tank; or build some kind of stand so that the canister is more level with the tank water level?
 

anshuman

anshuman

Large Fish
#47
Nov 16, 2009
686
0
0
Mumbai India
#47
Your tank already is full of fresh natural Co2 due to those Water changes, Co2 drops in stale water, like not changed for weeks due to proper nitrogen levels (but co2 drops not vanishes, remember your fishes are giving out co2 from gills).

So i suggest you wait till your tank is stable and you dont need those water changes and then Co2 will get used properly as you resume that setup.

Edit: And yea, i strongly suggest you make some kind of stand (behind the tank if possible to hide it) so even the low pressure co2 generated in end in that reactor gets into the water, keeping it way down will waste lots of co2 which wont travel in tank due to pressure.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#48
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
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36
#48
lauraf said:
BTW - what kind of fry are you raising?
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Badis badis eggs hatched Sunday. They take a week or more to be free swimming so no worries yet. Dad is still guarding the cave. I saw a pond snail crawl into the cave and got a bit worried when Dad didn't eject it like he would have when they were eggs and chanced taking the cave out to get the snail out (cave is designed to be able to move it to another tank with no loss of water). I spent 15 mins trying to get it out with a set of chopsticks and a flashlight, to no avail. Ended up crushing the lil bugger. I don't know if they can eat the fry or would try, but they do consume eggs. The male will likely eat the crushed snail, if not, infusoria in there will decompose it and feed the babies when they finish their yolks.

I also have Chili Rasbora and Celestial Pearl Danio fry. They are about ready to go to a regular tank as they are now eating flake food.

Hoping for oto fry again. It took forever but I finally got an empty 20gallon (empty of fish) that developed greenwater. I've never had it before!
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#50
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#50
lauraf said:
So I'd like to know - without causing my tank any more trauma, should I try again with the original canister positioning but situate the diffuser closer to the surface level of my tank; or build some kind of stand so that the canister is more level with the tank water level?
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The store-bought DIY-type generator I have used comes with a bracket to hang it on the back of the tank. The reactor itself is level with the top rim of the tank. The total length of airline tubing I need is only 14 inches to reach the bottom of the 'ladder' it uses.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#53
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#53
Update:
No cloudiness at all in the water, all fish seem to have returned to their usual behaviour (except my second multipunctatus whose looking like he might not make it, waanhhh :( )
and ammonia is still just under 0.5, nitrates 10.
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#54
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#54
lauraf said:
OC, can you show us pics of your fry setups in another thread? I'd love the that.
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Nothing special, just small tanks with sponge filters and heaters, bare bottom. Yea, I'll take some pics and post once my Badis fry are out of the cave.

lauraf said:
and ammonia is still just under 0.5, nitrates 10.
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Are you testing for nitrite too? Watch for a spike in that too.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#55
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#55
OC, I never had a nitrite test. I certainly don't mind running out and buying one if needed to protect my fish, but is it necessary for me to test for that daily, or could I have my fish store (whom I do trust for testing water) do it for me every third day, say?
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#57
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#57
That's what I thought. Okay, off to the LFS tomorrow, meanwhile, another water change awaits me!


Edited to add:
And, any cred I had built with OrangeCones went right out the window with that question . . . . I feel kind of bad that I even asked :(
 

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lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#60
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#60
Four hours after the last 20% water change my ammonia has dropped to about 0.25mg/l. This is good, yes???
And I think my angels are getting ready to spawn again - definitely not showing the signs of stress I saw a couple days ago.
Still concerned about my multi.
 

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