Nutrafin CO2
Nutrafin CO2
More newbie questions. I purchased a Nutrafin CO2 canister and set it up with my 12 gallon tank. It's working perfectly, but I'm wondering if there's a danger that it may produce more CO2 than is safe. For instance, I stood and watched and over a 10 minute period 5 bubbles appeared, that's approximately 30 bubbles per hour, continuously. Is this too high? What about at night when the aquarium lighting is off and photosynthesis discontinues? Should I disconnect the CO2 at night? I wish I could afford a better CO2 setup but I just can't afford it right now, plus I'm not certain what equipment I'd need, even reading the earlier thread. Any suggestions for equipment when I do get the bucks together? Also, where in the area do you have CO2 canisters filled and what size canister should I have for a 30 gallon tank? Okay, I'll stop for now. Thanks for the help tank mates!
The Nutrafin system is designed to work perfectly in a 12 gallon tank. In fact, I'd guess that you would prefer to have even more than 30 bubbles per hour. With the ladder in that system, the water does not absorb 100% of the CO2 because part of the original bubble eventually reaches the surface. When the yeast is at maximum production, I wouldn't be surprised for you to see 1 bubble per second, but that varies based on temperature, sugar/alcohol ratios in the container, etc. Don't worry about disconnecting it at night. The best indicator will be your PH, and your fish. Measure the PH of your water from tap, and then measure it in the tank.
A general thumb of thumb is that you're looking for a 1 degree drop in PH. So, if it's 7.6 from tap, 6.6 would be pretty good. Of course, with the yeast method it will fluctuate, and may be impossible to reach that level. (That's okay) Now, if your fish ever start acting funny, I believe the ladder is designed so that you can move the outlet of the CO2 hose up the ladder. This will allow each bubble less time on the ladder, and thus less CO2 absorbtion into the water.
For a 12 gallon tank, the Nutrafin system should work just fine. One tip, if you didn't know already, is that you don't need to purchase the "refill" packets for this system. All they are is yeast and baking soda. Just fill up the container with sugar to the line. Then add about a teaspoon of baking powder, sprinkle in some regular baker's yeast, and fill with warm water to the water line. Shake and you're done, and a lot cheaper than the refills.
A general thumb of thumb is that you're looking for a 1 degree drop in PH. So, if it's 7.6 from tap, 6.6 would be pretty good. Of course, with the yeast method it will fluctuate, and may be impossible to reach that level. (That's okay) Now, if your fish ever start acting funny, I believe the ladder is designed so that you can move the outlet of the CO2 hose up the ladder. This will allow each bubble less time on the ladder, and thus less CO2 absorbtion into the water.
For a 12 gallon tank, the Nutrafin system should work just fine. One tip, if you didn't know already, is that you don't need to purchase the "refill" packets for this system. All they are is yeast and baking soda. Just fill up the container with sugar to the line. Then add about a teaspoon of baking powder, sprinkle in some regular baker's yeast, and fill with warm water to the water line. Shake and you're done, and a lot cheaper than the refills.
For a 30G tank, a 5# CO2 tank should last you about a year, if not longer. I get mine filled at Laurel Bottled Gas on Route 1. I used to get a smaller tank filled at a local paintball store. Check your yellow-pages for something similar in your area, and call. A 5# tank filled shouldn't cost you more than $80, and might be as low at $55. Of course, if you find an empty tank used at a bargain, it should only cost about $10-$12 to fill. There are a number of regulators out there. The most common one is probably the Milwaukee MA957. It'll run you about $80-$90.
Thanks for the advice. I'll use the economical CO2 refill for my Nutrafin system and purchase a tank setup in January for my 30 g. I was looking at a setup that someone mentioned on the forum from the Aquarium Supply Store. Their combo setup, on sale for $179.99, from Milwaukee includes:
# 1 sms 122 co2 automatic ph shutoff made by milwaukee
# 1 CO2 Regulator with needle valve, solenoid valve, and bubble counter. Dual guage regulator displays output pressure and bottle pressure. Standard American CO2 bottle connection. made by milwaukee
# Aqua Medic Membrane Diffuser
# 'Double' passive reactor w/ 2 membrane tubes for up to 50g
Of course the calibration and cleaning solutions add another $20.50, the bubble counter fluid adds another $9.99, and 12-FT CO2-proof tubing adds $11.00, and 5 lb tank is $59.99 (also on sale), so the total cost if $281.47. Is this a fair price? Am I overloading on equipment or missing something I should have? Is there much difference between the Milwaukee brand and JBJ equipment? Of course, JBJ is more expensive, but not prohibitively so.
I never thought about taking the tank to a paint ball store for filling. Actually there's a paint ball store 5 miles from where I live so I might just be in luck. Yea!
# 1 sms 122 co2 automatic ph shutoff made by milwaukee
# 1 CO2 Regulator with needle valve, solenoid valve, and bubble counter. Dual guage regulator displays output pressure and bottle pressure. Standard American CO2 bottle connection. made by milwaukee
# Aqua Medic Membrane Diffuser
# 'Double' passive reactor w/ 2 membrane tubes for up to 50g
Of course the calibration and cleaning solutions add another $20.50, the bubble counter fluid adds another $9.99, and 12-FT CO2-proof tubing adds $11.00, and 5 lb tank is $59.99 (also on sale), so the total cost if $281.47. Is this a fair price? Am I overloading on equipment or missing something I should have? Is there much difference between the Milwaukee brand and JBJ equipment? Of course, JBJ is more expensive, but not prohibitively so.
I never thought about taking the tank to a paint ball store for filling. Actually there's a paint ball store 5 miles from where I live so I might just be in luck. Yea!
We, to me $281 sounds like a lot, but that's because I often DIY part of my setups. The obvious place to safe for me is to forget about the diffuser and reactor. If you have a canister filter on your 30G, most of us splice in a piece of PVC, making our own DIY reactor:
http://www.gwapa.org/articles/inline_co2_reactor/
I believe Mark (fredyk on the forum) has some of these already made, as he was selling one at the last auction. Depending on how much money you want to spend up front, you can always just get the Milwaukee regulator and CO2 tank, and add the PH controller stuff later if you feel you need it. That's an extra level of safest/calibration, but isn't neccessary to be successful.
On the other hand, if you want a setup that you buy and setup and are good to go, what you've listed should work perfectly for you.
One note on the paintball shops: You may need to build an adaptor to fill your tank there, as many of the paintball canister don't use standard CO2 tank connections. It'll depend on the shop owner's specific setup, and willingness to help you. My local paintball store had a bunch of spare parts that he sold to me for about $10 the first trip, so I had the adaptor ready for any subsequent trip.
http://www.gwapa.org/articles/inline_co2_reactor/
I believe Mark (fredyk on the forum) has some of these already made, as he was selling one at the last auction. Depending on how much money you want to spend up front, you can always just get the Milwaukee regulator and CO2 tank, and add the PH controller stuff later if you feel you need it. That's an extra level of safest/calibration, but isn't neccessary to be successful.
On the other hand, if you want a setup that you buy and setup and are good to go, what you've listed should work perfectly for you.
One note on the paintball shops: You may need to build an adaptor to fill your tank there, as many of the paintball canister don't use standard CO2 tank connections. It'll depend on the shop owner's specific setup, and willingness to help you. My local paintball store had a bunch of spare parts that he sold to me for about $10 the first trip, so I had the adaptor ready for any subsequent trip.
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DelawareJim
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- Real Name: Jim Michaels
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