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Providing Supplemental CO2

There are several commercial CO2systems available for those who would like to go thatroute. These systems vary from fully automatic to completely manual. The best of these

systems are extremely reliable and fairly easy to install and operate. Be aware, however,that there are other commercial systems that are very high priced for the value youreceive. f you are going to buy a commercially available system, do your homework andshop carefully!

"or those of you who want to provide supplemental CO2, but would rather put togetheryour own system, that too is possible, and not that difficult. t costs a lot to set up a tankof even moderate si#e. $hen you are talking about a tank of 2% gallons or more, the costis usually up in the range of several hundred dollars when all is said and done. &homemade pressuri#ed tank CO2system will cost under '2(( and will be much moreuseful than many expensive commercially available systems. f you are investing a fair

amount of money in your setup anyway, it may make sense to add a pressuri#ed tank CO2system at the same time.

Do-It-Yourself Pressurized Tank System

Take the time to do some comparison shopping )see the sidebar entitled *+aterials istfor -ot/ourself 0ressuri#ed Tank 1ystem3. have found that the cost of CO2suppliesvaries considerably from one supplier to another. CO2canisters also vary considerably inprice. $ith many gas suppliers, you *buy a tank, but when you bring it in for a refill,you don4t get the same tank back 5 they trade it for a full tank. This way, they can makesure that tanks are tested periodically, as re6uired by law, for the safety4s sake. /ou can

find even less expensive tanks at fire extinguisher companies that sell used hydrotestedtanks, but make sure you also have a place that will refill these oddball tanks for you.7emember,youwill now be responsible for making sure that periodic safety checks areperformed on the tank.

+y first regulator was purchased from a welding supply shop for about '82(. This is anindustrialgrade regulator, and is really not optimal for our purposes because the lowestpressure on the output gauge is higher than would like. "or my second setup, found a

KARENRANDALL

As is clearlyshownin this photoofRotala

wallachiicoveredwith oxygenbubbles,

oxygensupplyis not a problemin a properly

managedplantedtank, evenwith supplemental

CO2.

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1997/oct/aquatic/photo1.asp

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CO2will dissolve in the water inside the filter. There are two disadvantages to thismethod. "irst, the bubbles hitting the filter can make a fair amount of noise. 1econd, youcannot visually monitor the rate of flow unless you add a bubble counter to the system.1ome people solve this problem by replacing the filter intake tube with clear tubing, butthe filter must still be turned off temporarily to check bubble count.

The method prefer uses the wide end of a gravel vacuum or a clear plastic water bottle)with the bottom cut off3 as a reaction chamber. This can then be attached to the outflowend of your canister filter. The air line tubing from the CO2system is then fed up into thebottom of the gravel vacuum. /ou will be able to see the exact flow rate of CO2bycounting the bubbles through the plastic. The bubbles will tumble around in the filteroutflow inside the cylinder, and be dissolved. find it helpful to attach a *=shape pieceof rigid air line tubing to the end of the flexible tubing to help keep it in place within thereactor.

There are a couple of parameters to keep in mind when setting the CO2flow rate. "irst,

you want the p; to be between >.( and ?.@ or so. 1econd, the CO2levels in the tankshould be between 8( and A( milligrams per liter )mg3. suggest staying in the middleof this range for safety4s sake. /ou will have to make sure that your carbonate hardness issuch that you can stay within these guidelines. The recommended levels for carbonatehardness are between and ? dD;.

There are no hard and fast rules to follow as far as how much CO2should be added to thetank. t will depend on the si#e of the tank, how much CO2is being driven off by surfaceturbulence, how heavily the tank is planted, the stocking levels, and lighting. 1tart slowlyand work up to the optimal level of CO2. would suggest starting with a flow rate of onebubble every five seconds and work upward from there.

-uring the period when you are ad

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;ere lies the difference between this system andan expensive, fully automated system. n a fullyautomated system, you set the desired p; leveland the system automatically uses

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have found that a6uarium sealant doesn4t do a very good