How to combat

[azza]

Hi guys and gals

I have just recently set up my co2 in my tank as i have just planted my aquarium the other week. I have a problem in my tank i have the co2 set up to come on when the light comes on 3pm-10pm is the enough co2 and lighting for the plants??

The other problem is my fish seem to be stoned, now do i fix this by using an airstone in the tank or do i have to turn the bubbles down on the co2 a bubble comes out every 1-2 seconds

Thanks

[zar]

You will only need the co2 when you have light in your tank since photosynthesis will only occur with light. From what i've read lights should be on between 10 to 12 hours so maybe 7 hours is a bit too short.

Be aware that your ph will also drop when co2 is used and go back up once you don't inject any co2, don't give your fish a ph shock.

for further info wait for ILLSN to reply he's the planted tank and co2 guru here :)

[ILLUSN]

depending on what type of plants your growing, dictates your hours per day, i like running 12hrs a day with 2.5-3w/gal and 8-10hrs a day for 4+w/gal.

watch your ph with your co2, in my rainbow tank i have the co2 come on with the light (same timer) and the swords and crypts do ok though i cant keep cardinal tetras alive in it for more than a month or so, in my discus tank i run the CO2 24/7 to keep the ph stable, the discus used to get a little skittish towards the 4hr mark when i ran it on the timer.
the day night fluctuations in the discus tank are around 0.2-0.5 depending on how fast the plants are growing.

i dont know what it is in the rainbow tank (I've never bothered to check it)

i run an airstone in all my tanks 24/7 again to keep the ph stable and the fish happy, i set my bubble rate at around 3-4bps.

[moldyform]

Illusion, so you were putting co2 into your cardial tetra tank when the lights were switched on and they didnt live?? Why, this is what i have just currently set up.

My lights come on at 8 and the co2 then comes on at 8:30. The co2 then switches off at night,at 9, with the lights.

What is it that cardinals dont like about that??

Cheers

[ILLUSN]

They didn't like the ph swings i guess, they do fine in the discus tank where the co2 runs 24/7, all were from the same batch so thats the only real diffrence between the 2 tanks, the temp in the rainbow tank is lower around 26-27C the discus tank runs at 30C.
rainbow tank is a 4x2x1.5 high discus is 6x2x2, both are well filtered and under stocked.

[moldyform]

ok. Ill have to keep a look out then. Out of interest Is anyone else running their co2 on during the day and off at night with cardinals ???

Cheers