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Thinking about CO2



Hello all,

I have a 90 gallon tall with lots of nice Crypts, Ludwigia and
Corkscrew Val.  I've also done well growing a Hardy Water Lily
from a piece of root stock I stole out of my wife's garden pond.  
Hair algae has been a big problem in the past but 3, 30 percent
water changes each week has solved that problem.  Lighting is
from 4, 40 Watt full spectrum florescent tubes in a home made
fixture just over the water and with no glass barrier.  It takes
a lot of light to reach the bottom of a 90 gallon tall!. 
Filtering is done with an undergravel plate and 2 AquaClear 300
power filters.  The UG filter has 2 lift tubes.  Each lift tube
is the inlet tube of an Aquaclear 300.  The set up has been
working well for 2 years.  Its a lot of filtering but I keep
Fancy Goldfish and they need it.  They make a lot of waste!

I pot the plants in small clay pots containing some Kitty Liter,
some peat moss and sand.  The plants like this and grow well. 
Exception is the Crypts.  I plant them directly in the gravel. 
They seem to do better with the water rushing over their roots
due to the UG filter.  All the plants grow well but not very
fast.  I think CO2 would make them take off.  What do you think??

I have just scored a 4 foot tall, 8 inch diameter CO2 tank with
regulator from one of my employees.  He no longer needs it, for
welding I guess, and was happy to donate it to my 90 gallon tank. 
I think with some simple adapters, tubing and a needle valve I
will be all set to inject CO2 big time.

Do I need to build and install a reactor or can I simply release
the CO2 into the intake tubes of my AquaClear 300 power filters? 
I think the AquaClears would dissolve all the CO2 I release into
them but I think it would probably be lost to the atmosphere
where the outflow water tumbles back onto the surface of the
water column.

Has anybody tried this?  What do you think?  Please let me know
your thoughts on this.

Thanks!

Paul Kleinkramer