CO2 an PH Crashes

[Cichlid Junkie]

I'm doing my research on adding CO2 to my 10 gallon tank. If I set up a DIY with the tubing put in the filter intake or add a Hagen CO2 setup, how do I adjust the CO2 that is being injected to avoid having a ph crash? My ph is at 6.4 with a kh of 4. Do I just set it up and let it go or do I add something to act as a buffer? I hope I'm making this clear for you to understand. It sounds great in my head! :biggrin:

 

[fishgeek]

needle valve to control flow rate
solenoid to turn on and off overnight

with a kH of 4 you have limited buffer and if you just let rip with the co2 you could potentially shift the pH downward very quickly

andrew

 

[farm41]

As long as you do weekly water changes (20%) or more, and not too much yeast in the recipe, It is very unlikely to have a crash with diy co2. Needle valve and solenoid are uneccessary. I used a combination of diffuser adjustment and surface agitation to regulate the Ph to a reasonable level for plant growth.

Keep a close eye on Ph levels as you start up.

 

[Cichlid Junkie]

Thanks for the replies. If the CO2 get to be too high, I could always add an air stone. That would allow for more surface agitation, O2, and the ability to control it with a shut off valve. Is there anything to add to the water to help with the buffering capabilities?

 

[farm41]

Yep, the airstone works great, you can also put it on a timer for it to run just at night if you are getting any Ph swings with the lights off.

 

[fishgeek]

caco3 or limestone/chalk etc is ideal buffer, the kind of thing in marine tanks
your water sounds ideal though and i'd be inclined to just be cautious with CO2 addition rather than increasing alkalinity

you can add the airline plastic regulator valves inline on the co2 before a bubble counter so you can see the rate of injection and control to some degree, pressure in a diy canister is obviously going to change with sugar/yeast mix proportions and age

andrew

 

[aspen]

i wouldn't worry about a ph crash with a kh of 4.


i wouldn't regulate the co2 from a diy co2 set-up at all. a faulty vavle can cause the bottle to rupture. count bubbles as it goes into the tank.

rick

 

[farm41]

i wouldn't worry about a ph crash with a kh of 4.


a faulty vavle can cause the bottle to rupture.

rick

Exactly like Rick says, yeast bottle exploding makes a huge mess.