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CO2 Questions
Hi, I have a 10 gallon tank which I am using as my "first" plant tank. I am
currently using a DIY yeast reactor (1 cup sugar, 2 tsp yeast) to provide the
CO2 for my tank. I realize that the amount of CO2 is probably impossible to
control for this type of reactor. I read all sorts of posts about how people
can get good bubbles with their reactor and I wonder how they do it. My CO2
only seems to bubble for 4-5 days. In the beginning, CO2 is coming out of
the reactor manically. In fact, I lowered the pH 1.5 - 2.0 points within an
hour (something my plants love, evidenced by a TREMENDOUS increase in O2
production), but something that my fish hate me for. After 3 days, the
bubbling dramatically decreases. Am I using the wrong kind of yeast? I'm
using the Fleishmann's yeast. I thought perhaps it was the fact that the
yeast settle to the bottom of the 2 liter bottle, so I rigged up an
Erylemeyer flask with a rubber stopper which contains a stir bar powered by a
mechanical stirring device. This has made the yeast last about 2 days
longer. Any comments?
Also, is there a very inexpensive way to construct a CO2-pH controller? What
do the ones from Dupla look like and how much do they cost? I want to try to
maintain the pH of the tank about 7, but find that this is extremely
difficult to do. My water has a KH of 4, which I can increase (due to the
fact that I dilute tap water with a free supply of RO water). The pH
fluctuates wildly with CO2 fertilization and the fact that I have a pretty
small tank.
On another note, a question about shrimp. I just added some shrimp and
otocinclus to my tank, (previously I only had one black molly for cycling).
I'm wondering about what kind of load the invertebrates put on my tank. The
shrimp are basically feeder shrimp, which the guy at the store said eat
algae. I got 7 for a dollar and tossed them in. The guy said that they get
no bigger than 2 cm, but I am wondering if I put too many in my tank. Any
remarks?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Yi-Meng Yen