Re: CO2 setup

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: CO2 setup
From: George Booth <booth at hpmtlgb1_lvld.hp.com>
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1996 09:35:15 -0700
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 16 Jan 1996 03:39:03 EST." <199601160839.DAA08868 at looney_actwin.com>

> From: Don Pickerel <pickerel at netcom_com>
> 
> I've finally gotten my Sandpoint CO2 system up and running. Comments on 
> this list were very helpful, and thanks to those contributors. I have a 
> couple of questions, since it came with no instructions.

Hmm, Sandpoint used to be pretty good about explaining how their
equipment was suposed to be setup, unlike Dupla.  Things change, I
guess.

> Are there any guidelines to setting the bubble rate? I'm using the 
> Sandpoint reaction chamber, a long green tube within a tube. Since my pH 
> did a fast nosedive while trying the initial setup, I don't want to mess 
> with it too much, but I don't want the system to over-react either.

With the Dupla reactor, we try to adjust the bubble rate so the pH
runs for about 20 minutes when it is on.  No scientific reason for
that, it just seemed OK.  The bubble rate is too fast to count. 

> The airline tubing that came with the system is a black rubber. Is
> this a special tubing to handle co2? I'd like to get a longer piece,
> but I'm not sure what to use.

Here's some info from an old posting:

| Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
| From: jc at crosfield_co.uk (Jerry Cullingford)
| Subject: Re: CO2 regulators and solenoids ?
| Date: Mon, 21 Feb 1994 15:41:43 GMT
| 
| Dmerrill at bnr_ca (Dana Merrill) writes:
| >Hose: $1.90 from aquarium shop.  I am using ordinary vinyl hose.
| >Supposedly vinyl hose is not appropriate CO2 but the only silicon
| >tubing they had at the shop was blue; I didn't want blue.  I have
| >heard from several people that they have been using vinyl for years
| >with no problems.
| 
| According to Dennerle, who sell aquarium C02 systems, silicon hose is
| actually far worse than PVC:
| 
| C02 losses per metre of hose, against 0.3 metre water head:
| (g = grams, not gallons!)
| 
|                       Daily   Monthly   Yearly        Factor
| Dennerle CO-Proof     -       < 1g      approx 10g    1
| 4/6mm pvc hose        0.197g  6g        72g           7
| silicon hose          2.95g   89g       1076g         100

Perhaps you have Neoprene hose.  I think that would be black.  I don't
know how it comapares with the above types.

> (And George, if you keep giving weather reports from my home state, you 
> might end up with me and a sleeping bag on your front porch) :-) 

George in Scary Colorado Hiding from Tornados and Marauding Pirates