# pressurized co2



## hiphopn (Feb 10, 2005)

ok so i got all my stuff together for my pressurized co2 system, set it up, and i am so stoked. now my question is, should i run my co2 through my powerhead or through the intake of my fluval 303? it seems i should run it through my 303 but the out take is pretty close to the top of the water level. will that effect it? fluval or powerhead??????? o yah and i have a co2 tester but where is a good place to start as far as bubbles per second? i heard 3 bubbles perr second is ussually good but in the diy pressurized co2 thread it says 1 bubble per second.????
el twitcho where r u?


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## channafreak (Mar 27, 2004)

hiphopn said:


> ok so i got all my stuff together for my pressurized co2 system, set it up, and i am so stoked. now my question is, should i run my co2 through my powerhead or through the intake of my fluval 303? it seems i should run it through my 303 but the out take is pretty close to the top of the water level. will that effect it? fluval or powerhead??????? o yah and i have a co2 tester but where is a good place to start as far as bubbles per second? i heard 3 bubbles perr second is ussually good but in the diy pressurized co2 thread it says 1 bubble per second.????
> el twitcho where r u?
> 
> 
> ...


To answer your question. I would run it through the powerhead for sure. Your fluval will not allow the impeller to break up the co2 since the impeller allows the gases to collect and cause airlock. You could always make a DIY co2 reactor also. My preference would be the powerhead though. 1 bubble per second is probably fine for 60 gallons moderately planted.

I have been reading your posts for a while now and I will offer some constructive criticism. You have the right idea, but I think you are going through the steps somewhat backwards. The basic three ingredients; lighting, substrait, and nutritional needs; should be should be dependent on what you have and plan on planting. I think 4 wpg is twice the amount of light you need until your plants have had a chance to establish themselves and start growing. Once they start blooming and filling in nicely, you can adjust the lighting to meet their needs. The same goes for co2. You should let your tank develop and fill in a bit before you start this addition IMO. This will give you a chance to find a good balance of nutrients within your tank and slowly develop a dosing schedule. I beleive adding things slowly and making smaller incremental adjustments depending on your tanks growth and development is the best option. It makes it so hard to find a good equilibrium when you start of with really big light and injecting co2 right away with new moderate planting. Planted tanks take patience. I would personally start small and work my way up with development and more planting.


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

In order to find out and balance the ammount of Co2 you have to find out how much Co2 your plants need.
First of all please describe in detail your setup and be specific of the ammount and spieces of plants you have.
In my DIY Pres. Co2 thread it says 1bubble/sec which is a good ammount of Co2 as a starting point.
I suggest to you to not start with more than that because you might poison your fish.
Please describe also (with pics if possible) your Co2 system describing the valves and meters.
I always diffuse my Co2 thru the canister filter because the powerhead cannot diffuse it completely as my EHEIM does.


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## hiphopn (Feb 10, 2005)

ok well here are some pics. i took a whole lot of plants out cuz i didnt like em. i will be getting more asap. i have 5 red lotus. 4 swords of some sort. well the rest i dont know ewhat they r called. here is my co2 system too. i had a 10lbs tank but it needed to get tested so they gave me the 2.5 lbs loaner which is kinda gAY but o well, i will get mine back in a month....
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## channafreak (Mar 27, 2004)

Any other canistar filter than a Fluval though...... the co2 will collect and you run the risk of airlock. Just a warning. You dont want to replace those motors.


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## hiphopn (Feb 10, 2005)

nope just my fluval 303 and my fluval 404, would one work better than the other?
o yah i tested my co2 at about 2-3 bubles per second and it is 20ppm


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## channafreak (Mar 27, 2004)

hiphopn said:


> nope just my fluval 303 and my fluval 404, would one work better than the other?
> o yah i tested my co2 at about 2-3 bubles per second and it is 20ppm
> [snapback]989820[/snapback]​


The fluvals are designed in a way that gas collects near the impellars and causes them to airlock and quit. This will burn out your motor. I havent had this happen but when researching the best method of dissolving co2, I came across this a few times. Canister filters usually break up and disolve co2 very well, but you run the risk of breaking your fluval. Just go with the powerhead or make a DIY reactor. Should only set you back like 30 bucks. Also your bubbles per second seems a little high. CO2 is not a toy. Test your pH constantly. You could end up crashing your pH and killing all your p's in a matter of hours.


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