Another newbie with 2ft planted intentions

[exo]

This particular pc of valve has been used since day 1 so the sticker is definitely correct as previously the back flush of water will be pushed back by co2 when the solenoid is on... I'll go try another pc of valve and update

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[exo]

Maybe before I do so... I'll try to drain some water from the reactor to release the water pressure and see if it works...

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[Urban Aquaria]

Also check all the tube connections from the bubble counter to the check valve (ie. use soapy water test method), if there is Co2 gas leaking from any of the connections, the gas pressure wouldn't build up high enough to overcome the check valve.

[exo]

Yeah jus did that on all connection.. no bubbles...

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[exo]

Update: found the problem, a leaky top cover(bubble counter).

On 1st try did not see the soap water bubbling as the leak was facing away from my view.

Rectification: used PTFE tape on thread grove.

Tested the co2 this morning and it has resumed back to normal

Thanks for the input.

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[tetrakid]

After some trial and tribulations costing half my livestock to be wiped out overnight. I think I finally got it right.

The episode of a broken co2 reactor costed me some 10 coloured shrimps, 11 Yamato, 3 cardinals and 5 platinum rummies.

I suspect the catastrophic event happened after a new CO2 reactor was replaced, needle valve on solenoid was left unchecked, resulting in too high concentration of CO2 in the day which was carried forward into the night. With that I suspect the livestock died in their sleep... curiosuly they were all found dead in a single spot...
...
Apart from the above bitching.
All plants are growing really well. new shoots, runners and leaves are seen everyday. Algae are kept in check by Team Yamato, glass are done by Team Oto L183...

Aqua gardening and fish-keeping are actually two separate hobbies by themselves, in that each requires conflicting needs as the other. A tank full of plants requires plenty of CO2 to flourish, whereas a tank of fish will die when CO2 is predominantly present. What fish and the filter bacteria need is plenty of oxygen.

Thus, one can easily see that one cannot have one's cake and eat it. That is why aqua gardeners only have a minimal of and only small fish in ther plant tanks. On the other hand, a tank of fish requires abundant oxygen to thrive well. For this reason, plants must be minimised. Also, any CO2 supplementation with reactors is detrimental to fish health. Hobbyists often overlook this important fact.