Turning on/off CO2 and lighting at different time?

[Peter Mok]

Just want to check whether it is better to turn on the CO2 first before the lighting, and turn off the CO2 first before turning off the lighting also? By how much earlier it should be?

Alternatively, turning on/off both CO2 and lighting at the same time will be more convenient as they can be connected to the same timer.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience.

[Plantbrain]

Maybe 30 min before.
1-2 hour before the lights go off.
Depends on how long you keep your lights on total.

Not sure it will make any difference in doing this.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[barmby]

hi,

it will definitely be better to turn on the CO2 before lights on, but u need to be sure that your fishes will not be poisoned.

It is good because plant can consume CO2 right away when lights are turn on. As a reult, plant becomes "happier" and having sufficient CO2 throughout (start~end) the whole lighting period is ALL the plant cares about.

I turned on my CO2 with my fan four hours before light turns on. Around mid-day which can be hot in my living room. my light turns on at 530pm

[Plantbrain]

Plants ONLY use CO2 when the lights are on.

If you have a wimply weak CO2 diffusion set up, eg, it takes 4 hours to get adequate CO2 built up, then sure, start adding 4 hours ahead of time, I'd personally get a decent CO2 system that is far more responsive.
A good system should have good CO2 levels in 30-60 minutes from ambient.

Also, plants do not start removing as much CO2 for about 30-60 minutes after the light is on.

Regards,
Tom Barr