Co2 disaster???

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#1
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#1
So I decided to stop pestering you all about my sad plants and added a CO2 system four days ago. Not DIY, but store-bought (I'm not very handy and besides, extra $$ is the benefit of being for now a double-income no kids household ;)). Anyway, the pump was definitely working, and there was flow, but only very sporadic bubbles. But the main problem is this: I woke up this morning to find my tank water almost opaque white! Could it be some of the reactor stuff infiltrated the tank? I had installed a timer on the CO2 yesterday to turn it off at night, and maybe I jotled the unit a bit, other than that, I can't think of why some of the yeast might have flowed into the tank? Also, the unit has a valve that I believe is designed to prevent tank water from getting into the canister and then flowing back into the tank.
So I did a 75% water change and double dosed with Prime. I have lost two fish, and notice a thin film of whitish slime on a lot of the surfaces. So is this indeed from yeast? Is there anything else I should be doing right now?
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#2
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#2
does sound like yeast...
you did everything right to counter the problem. keep doing water changes and use a quarantine tank if you got one for the fish.

test your parameters over the course of the next few weeks and see if anything is up...
 

Sharkee

Sharkee

Large Fish
#3
Jan 29, 2010
108
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0
#3
that is yeast. a pump is not needed for a diffuser it builds it's own pressure. you've mentioned reactor. did you add the stabilizer (baking soda)? this would have slowed down your yeast but again, it's the pump that have caused this. I almost had the same disaster with my diy following someone's instruction. I was lucky enough to have noticed it really early.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#5
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#5
The unit is a Red Sea Turbo CO2 Bio System. It has a diffusion pump that goes inside the tank. I used the reactor substance that came with the kit (planning on making my own after this is gone) where you just have to add warm water and shake for 2 mins . . .
Am I going to lose a lot more fish? The water's still cloudy and I can't find my new albino pleco now either :(
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#6
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#6
OrangeCones said:
If its a yeast generator, you shouldn't turn it off at night. A backup of extra pressure could easily force the liquid into the tank.
Click to expand...
The instruction manual actually recommends using a timer . . . . but it seems to be the only thing that changed between setting up the system and this occurence . . . . unless I shook the canister a bit too much when moving it around and that caused extra pressure?
 

O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#8
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#8
I read their instructions online too. It looks like its the pump that is turned off but CO2 is still allowed to escape the reactor (the canister thing), just not being chopped up into small bubbles by the pump (and therefore less efficient)? I've never seen that product.

With a yeast generator, there is little danger of getting too much CO2 in the tank. If you are concerned (after this is back to normal), you could put an airstone in the tank on a timer. That way, you'd deliberately degas the CO2 with the surface aggitation.

What you did, I agree, is the best that can be done to help the fish. Since you overdosed Prime, but sure to add extra surface aggitation to increase O2 in the tank.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#9
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#9
OrangeCones said:
I read their instructions online too. It looks like its the pump that is turned off but CO2 is still allowed to escape the reactor (the canister thing), just not being chopped up into small bubbles by the pump (and therefore less efficient)? I've never seen that product.
QUOTE]

Yup, the manual reads: "It is not possible to stop the generation of CO2 in the reactor however switching off the diffusion pump will slow down the reaction and reduce the effective diffusion of the gas into the aquarium water. Switching the diffusion pump off at night is not essential but is highly recommended."

@Sharkee - I don't have anywhere to put my fish, unfortunately. I'm thinking of lowering the water volume slightly to increase surface agitation, doing another 75% water change tomorrow, and removing plants and stones from the tank in stages to wash off the slime in hot water. Is this my best course of action at this point?
Click to expand...
 

Sharkee

Sharkee

Large Fish
#12
Jan 29, 2010
108
0
0
#12
I'm not too sure about the 2nd massive water change as you will be taking out quite a percentage of your beneficial bacteria again and that may cause your tank to do a fish-in cycle after you think you've solved your yeast problem. I wouldn't wash the ornaments with hot water as this kill your good bacteria. Just scrub them with a new sponge using your tank water to get the slime off. I see your point that you'd like to take out as much as yeast as quickly as possible and right now I am really stumped as how to do it without causing more agitation to your fish.

I'm not sure if this will help but I would put a polishing foam in your filter. think of it as your strainer. I would still do a partial water change but definitely not 75%. I'll probably do 30-50% but that's it. Definitely do the additional aeration, as they have noted there is too much CO2 in your tank right now.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#13
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#13
@OrangeCones - the canister was below my tank and the diffuser was about an inch above my substrate.

@Newman - the algae bloom - is that because of the extra CO2? Should I stop my CO2 system - even though it doesn't seem to be bubbling anyway?

@Sharkee - yeah, I was wondering if another big water change would be too much.

Please keep going with the advice - I'm feeling rather horrid right now.
 

anshuman

anshuman

Large Fish
#16
Nov 16, 2009
686
0
0
Mumbai India
#16
wow. that is bad to hear , How many fish did you lost?

I am soon going to try this but with DiY Bottles, but i just bought 3 gallon nano tank to experiment first. I am waiting for check-valve, dropchecker, nano-diffuser etc.
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#17
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#17
Oh, Anshu, great to hear from you. I guess the time difference (I'm a night owl on the West Coast of N. America) means some of the regulars here (who are on the East Coast)sign off around 8-9pm my time. Are you in a mid-afternoon break? Not sure what the time difference is between Vancouver and Mumbai . . . .
Thanks for the response. I lost my male German ram, who was 'headstanding' the last three days anyway - I'm a bit sad that no one responded to my post in the disease forum about this issue. Also lost one of my multipunctatus catfish. He was not very active from the minute I introduced him to the tank six weeks ago, but the other one I added since then has been very active, and for about two days I saw them really interacting with each other. This remaining multi got super excited during the yeast cloud - maybe because they like subdued lights. (BTW, I've added a cave-ish feature to make the multi's feel more secure - but for now I need to get this water problem under control before I show pics.)
And some positive news! The cloudiness started to clear up, and my new albino BN pleco came out of hiding!

BTW, I did another 20% water change tonight. Readings before that were ammonia just above 0, nitrates under 5. Fed the fish some micropellets and all were eating.
 

anshuman

anshuman

Large Fish
#18
Nov 16, 2009
686
0
0
Mumbai India
#18
Nitrates are very nice, so they is no huge nitrate/ammonia spike so far, maybe your scaly fish might exude lots of slime coat if really distressed. others will seek shadow.

Lower your feeding for next days. Till the water is back to normal, as others said, a small secondary tank would have been better. but anyway , seems you have managed it with Changing water and prime etc.

The fish which head-stand or gasp is bad (as you noticed), they were feeling the overdose of co2 is my guess, I wish i saw that other thread. The good way to disperse any excess or normal co2 in water is using Large-Bubbles from air-stone, even adding extra one there helps greatly, I have "Million-Bubbles" 6 inch reall fine air-stone strip, even on slow speed it gives plenty of bubbles, something like that would had help in your tank, agitating the surface etc. You can do that now too i guess.


Edit: Also I see you have already been warned of algae spike, dont worry too much on that, to counteract , lower your light timings, if you kept lights for 10 hours, make it just 4 hours, 2 hours in morning and 2 later during feeding time i guess. plants do okay with mild room light, algae cant populate on high-rate with low lights, and co2 should disperse with bubbles/surface agitation/w.c in 2-4 days, all should be back to normal within a week.



well, i am directly on other side of planet :p , so its like 11 hours approx. time difference, Its 3.pm nice warm noon here, i am guessing its 1.30 or 2 am well past midnight there.
 

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