CO2 Overdose???

[2wheelsx2]

Are you dosing EI? The nitrates seem very high for a CO2 injected tank. Especially after a 50% WC.

[EDGE]

nitrate test kit can be very inaccurate if you feed a lot in the tank. I stopped testing altogether when I was feeding beefheart in the planted tank The nitrate test kit would registered the highest concentration and yet the plants would still show signs of N deficiency. Most plants cannot use organic nitrogen and a few nitrate test kits I have come across picked up the organic N and factor that in the ppm level. Same goes for phosphate test kit. Back in the days, I used to do 80-90% water change with no fish loss.


Do you have any surface agitation? You can do more harm with no surface agitation than good trying to keep as much of the CO2 in the water as possible with little to no surface ripple/movement. oxygen exchange is at the surface. Water movement below the water surface does not equate to aeration in the tank. I tried to run all my planted tank water surface like a ripple across a shallow stream to help with the gas exchange. I don't worry too much about degassing CO2 because plants need O2 to consume the nutrients and CO2 as a source of carbon for building block. If they can't consume nutrients, they aren't using the Carbon source anyways.

Roots is where the plants take in the oxygen, day and night. Any other parts of the plant, the plant take in CO2 during the day and O2 during the night.

AC 110 is the Hang of back, so you would have tonnes of aeration in the tank. XP5 is a canister. Unless you have a lot of surface agitation like the AC110 created, I am 99% sure your fish suffered from lack of Oxygen and not over dosed CO2.

pH test kit will registered a different number than a drop checker or a pH controller/monitor because when you shake the tube, you degassed the CO2 which in return will raises the pH level in the water.

[pdoutaz]

THANKS for all thye replies - especially EDGE - that seems to make sense as I was concerned when I removed to 2 AC 110's. For the moment I have a small airpump and bubbler set up. Just trying to decide if I want to attach that to a timer for about 6-8 hours overnight, or if just angling the FX5 output towards the surface will do it...

Any thought on that option??

Thanks again to all the replied!!!!!!

[EDGE]

angling the output upward will work as long as you can get a really good ripple. Just have to keep the water level high enough so the ripple doesn't become a geyser.

[2wheelsx2]

That's what I do in my 125. But I have also taken to running an airpump or a powerhead with a venturi setup on a timer which comes on an hour or so after lights out until an hour before the CO2 comes on, in my tanks which have plecos That way I don't have to see the annoying bubbles or hear the noise during the day. This way, the CO2 is offgassed quickly when it isn't being utilitzed, and you also maximize the gas exchange to bring in fresh air. I started doing this as the weather got warmer because I had some problems with my plecos, and since that time, have not had a problem, even when the inside temps hit 30 C.

[pdoutaz]

I think I like the way 2wheelsx2 does it, covers both options nicely

Mods - please close this thread - Thanks All

[VinnyD]

hmm might be lack of oxygen...i dunno tho...i had diy co2...the water turned a bit acidic...like overnight too...shocked some of the critters...decided not to add co2 thats not "regulated" with solenoid and yada....now the tanks all good

[pdoutaz]

Thanks for the replies - based on multiple replies (on 3 diff forums) - it seems 2 factors were causing the problem. Lack of Oxygen and lack of biological filtration - have added an airpump on a timer for 6 hours overnight, when he CO2 and lights are off, and will be pulling an AC50 from my 30 gal to try and kickstart the bacteria again.
Feeling kind of foolish as I should have known better then to pull ALL the old filters off when I bought the FX5