Low co2 Count

[rickotee]

Hi, I have monitor my tank for weeks and notice my tank is often low in co2 count. 12-15ppm and never much higher.
During or after photo period measure that extens.

Using a sump setup which i think cost the low co2 count. Even when i put in alot of co2 the desolve rate go only till about not more then 17

My question is if i maintian at this level of co2 count, what should i prepare myself for and what dosing should i check and reduce on?

Tank 3x1.5x1.5, sump 2x.5x.5
Ph 6.9
kh 4
4x36 watt PL lights
Dosing kno3 1/2 teaspoon every 2-3 days
Dosing kh2po4 1/5 teaspoon every 2-3 days
Dosing K2so4 1/5 teaspoon every 2-3 days.
Dosing the trace 10ml every 2-3 days.
Using some small amount of coral chips to give mg and ca.

I notice some spoted and green algae growing.
When i doss more po4 the spoted algae reduce but the green algae seems to remain. So far growing at the back glass and wood where the light is most concentrated. None of the plants are affected by this algae.

Do i need to becareful on anything for now?
All plants seems to be doing fine and i see huge growth in ricia and moss.
Rotala macrandra and Rotala rupens doing fine with most tops leaves turning slight reddish.
Limnophila aromatica have growning with top turning reddish as well.

[geoffrey]

Hi Rick,

My only suggestions are lower your lights and use other carbon substitute like Seachem Excel.

But I seriously do not think a sump setup cannot grow nice plants. I have seen setup like this with wonderful growth. Go Aquatechnic to see for yourself. You may want to improve your CO2 delivery method.

[rickotee]

[quote:d01a3bdb38="geoffrey"]Hi Rick,

My only suggestions are lower your lights and use other carbon substitute like Seachem Excel.

But I seriously do not think a sump setup cannot grow nice plants. I have seen setup like this with wonderful growth. Go Aquatechnic to see for yourself. You may want to improve your CO2 delivery method.[/quote:d01a3bdb38]

Hello there geoffrey,
I know sump can make nice planted as well. Not trying to prove otherwise. =) Can roughly tell me what is Seachem Excel use for? It increase co2 delivery to the water? Because I haven seen this product and have totaly no idea what is it.

[theodore]

You can find the answers here : www.seachem.com

[rickotee]

I am convince on the product.
Will check out the price and purchase for my tank to see and monitor results as well.
However i got a few question before i really use them. If i use Excel do i still caculate the co2 levels via kh vs ph?
Do Excel do swing the ph like co2 or just cabon substains in the water for plants?

[theodore]

CO2 injection lowers pH because the gas dissolves to form carbonic acid. Other forms of C (e.g. Seachem Excel and carbonates) do not have the same effect on pH.

[PeterGwee]

Ricko, first of all, are you using DIY CO2 of gas tank type? Jumping from one source of carbon to another in order to bypass the issue of CO2 loss is not a good way. You need to address the root cause of the problem instead. Are you having loads of splashing in both the overflow and the wet/dry area of the sump filter? Try to minimize those splashing and you should see a mark improvement in overall CO2 level. Also think of better delivery ways for the CO2..(Eg. First install the reactor in the sump area. Feed the CO2 into a powerhead before delivering it into the reactor and then feed the output to the return pump. Install the return line with a spraybar at the bottom back of the tank pointed to the front.)

Regards
Peter Gwee

[rickotee]

[quote:ef98a3017a="PeterGwee"]Ricko, first of all, are you using DIY CO2 of gas tank type? Jumping from one source of carbon to another in order to bypass the issue of CO2 loss is not a good way. You need to address the root cause of the problem instead. Are you having loads of splashing in both the overflow and the wet/dry area of the sump filter? Try to minimize those splashing and you should see a mark improvement in overall CO2 level. Also think of better delivery ways for the CO2..(Eg. First install the reactor in the sump area. Feed the CO2 into a powerhead before delivering it into the reactor and then feed the output to the return pump. Install the return line with a spraybar at the bottom back of the tank pointed to the front.)

Regards
Peter Gwee [/quote:ef98a3017a]

Hi peter i have already reduce the splashing and use a internal reactor pointing towards the plants only. I know that by chaning the soruce of co2 is not a way to solve it, but currently with CO2 injection and flourish excel wont it be better? Dobble source of cabon in the case of 1. Still i will try to improve on the co2 injection from the 3L tank. =) I hope to get more option on reducing co2 lost due to water ciculation. However disabling the sump is not an option and i tried to mod a bigger external reactor to the sump but it's not pratical as it generate alot of noise which my dad dun wish to hear.

[victri]

Be careful when using Excel. I've always had problems with shrimp dying whenever I use it. I'm not sure if this happens to many people, but I've come across several posts by other people losing shrimps.

[rickotee]

[quote:4b0b2e7b20="victri"]Be careful when using Excel. I've always had problems with shrimp dying whenever I use it. I'm not sure if this happens to many people, but I've come across several posts by other people losing shrimps.[/quote:4b0b2e7b20]

Just use it for like 2 days i think. So far no death on shrimps. Not too sure cause yamato seems like hidding since i place other wood in.

Well currently my tank doing good with the algae going off. I think it's not even cabon in water tt cost the growth on the walls. Now that it's going off after i place in excel. Thanks every1 for advise on it. =)