Help!!

Hi everbody, im new here.
Ive a big problem. I have a vision 260 tank for the last few years and I have tried to carpet the tank with hairgrass/Ricca ect.. I recently changed the two bulbs for Juwel T5 bulbs (with reflectors) so I can grow more demanding plants, but SINCE I have put them in im getting a \"carpet\" of green algae over my plants killing them. I add CO2 by means of manually spraying two Tetra aerosols. Also I add seachem flourish excel which is another source of carbon and have heavily planted the tank to no avail...algae is back. I cant seem to manage a high tech tank, and from reading on the net the problem may be fluctuating CO2 levels. I know you can get algae eating fish such as Plecs, but they uproot plants,so they are not an option and anyway, no amount of fish could solve this algae problem.
I was thinking I need a valve with a CO2 refillable cylinder on a timer to give a steady CO2 level, but cant seem to find anywhere in Dublin/Kildare that does refillable CO2 cylinders (anyone know of anywhere) ???
Im spending a fortune on plants which are being killed by algae.

Would be greatful of any suggestions,
Thanks, Dave.

Hi Dave welcome, you may have a high No3 (nitrate) or P04 (phosphate), which will encourage algae... have you checked these?

Hi curefan and welcome to the forum.

I'm in the middle of an algae battle myself and I'm only beginning to get on top of the problem. When I started out I didn't really understand the concept of a balanced setup in terms of light, co2 and nutrients. I had a massive amount of light, adequate nutrients (maco and micro) and roughly 30ppm of co2. I thought that this would be fine but in order to keep up with the massive amount of light I should have been injecting a ridiculous amount of co2. This was the problem as there wasn't a sufficient level of co2 in the tank to allow for the required enzyme activity that will allow for growth at such high levels of light. Also, since none of the plants were growing none of the fertz were being absorbed so with loads of light and nutrients the algae flourished.

Although it could be done, I would think that if you are going to try for a high light tank you are going to need a constant and dependable source of co2. I would definitely recommend a pressurised system to optimise plant growth and keep a cap on the algae. However, to get all you need you are going to be looking at the bone of about 150 euro. I am using a c02 fire extinguisher as my source of co2 at the moment, I bought a brand new 2kg bottle which should last me a good few months and I can deal with getting it refilled later (fingers crossed).

The other components are;

Gauges, solenoid (on/off) and needle valve. Roughly €70

12 to 22mm adapter bolt. € 11

2kg Fire extinguisher. € 40-60

Diffuser. €10-15

Co2 tubing. € 3/m

Adapter plug. €10

A constant, regulated and dependable supply of Co2

PRICELESS

Thanks for the reply,
Do you reckon a 2Kg Fire extinguisher is adequate for a 260 litre tank, and how long would it last before needing a refill.
I dont mind the cost factor as im spending a fortune anyway killing plants !! Im defo going to try pressurised system.
Cheers, Dave.

If you are worried about running out early with a 2kg FE then you can always upgrade to a 5kg but then you would be taking up more space. If you have a stand with your tank then this shouldn't be a problem as I would think that even the 5kg with gauges attached should fit in neatly. For your information, my 2kg FE with solenoid, gauges and needle valve measures 60cm in height and I think the 5kg would be the same but only larger in diameter. Darragh (from the forum) would be able to tell you this as he got a new 5kg recently. In terms of longevity, this is the first time I have been employing a fire extinguished so I wouldn't be able to tell you from my own experience but Platty 252 had his system running based on heavy co2 dosing for 6-7 months before having to get it refilled. So it does last a long time.

Regarding dosing a 260 tank. The whole setup will be fine but you may have to look into getting a larger diffuser then you would have on the smaller tanks. However, I have seen the standard diffusers used on big tanks before and they work fine.

Hope this information helps

Denis

If your going with a fire extinguisher for Co2 supply try ebay. Far cheaper than trying to buy from retail outlet. Same for regulator, diffuser, Bubble counter etc, etc.

Cheers for suggestion...but I thought CO2 cant be shipped by air as it can be a safety hazzard ??

I am running my Co2 at a little over 1 bubble per second from a 2 kg bottle for 9 months. This bottle is nearly empty and i should have refilled about a month ago.
You dont let the bottles empty. Apparantley when they are nearly empty they release the last in one go into the tank creating a disaster.

Darren.

Cheers for the useful info on CO2 bottle emptying...Going to buy a 5Kg bottle tomorrow....

Can you let me know where and how much the 5kg cost when you get it.
My supplier has moved and i need a refill or replacement.

Thanks for the Info Darragh. Also, if people are looking for the adapter bolt that allows the gauges to be mounted onto the fire extinguisher the only place I have seen them for sale in Ireland is in FishAntics in Dun Laoghaire.



They cost €11, I know its expensive for a small bolt but the alternative is to buy them online and they cost 6.95 pounds sterling but once postage is added it cost a lot more than €11. They only had four or five left so if you are going to travel all the well out to Dun L. make sure to give them a call first. On another note, a lot of the co2 regulator sets that you buy on ebay already come with the adapter attached so there might be no need to buy one.


Regards

Denis

65 Euro sounds a great price, so I called AJ and they are now selling at 85 + VAT.....so Im going to stick where I was going to as its nearer (going today
)....Enterprise facilty Supplies - Unit 5A in Cookstown industrial estate Tallaght. 90 Euro + VAT (108 Euro). A refill is 17 Euro. 5Kg should last me a couple of yrs, so I believe (260L tank). I checked a few places and this seems fairly good.

Thanks to everybody who replied !
Hope this solves or improves the algae problem !!

Thanks Darragh...a regulator is next on the shopping list. Was thinking on Hydor setup ??? Upon your advice Ill check Ebay first.

Was looking at Hydor system without the bottle and hooking it up to fire ext. They have this setup in Wackers. They sell it there too, but can get it cheaper online.

I got two 2kg fire extinguishers for 60 Euro from England via Ebay. I presume that they were posted via airmail because it took around a week to receive them. So I don't think theres a problem getting them sent over via plane.

Thats a good deal alright.Bought a 5Kg at Enterprise as mentioned above....101 Euro.

Has
Anyone bought a full co2 setup online and just got it filled here
im looking at doing this before the weekend if there was a shop in Ireland that could provide this for around 200 euro I would buy in Ireland but I don’t think it can be got here (please prove me wrong)

The Hydro CO2 system looks fairly basic dose it have every thing you need?
From what I have seen it doesn’t seem to have a Solenoid?
And is the diffuser any good it’s the only one I have seen that looks like that.

No, there is no solenoid, but one can be connected. Not sure if diffuser is any good ??

So it’s another 30 euro ish for a solenoid
And possibly a diffuser!
What do you get with this regulator?
This is what im thinking of buying

cgi.ebay.ie/CO2-Komplettset-Magnetventil...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That's the same set of gauges, needle valve and solenoid that I am using at the moment. Its a nice piece of kit, works well and is very solid, which is important when dealing with high pressure gas. The only thing I would be concerned about would be trying to get the co2 cylinder refilled.

Thanks Darragh for the info. I am currently trying to get in touch with my old supplier. They used to be D+D and are now called Diskin fire.
If this fails i may have to go to Bray. I think i have a contact there but i would have to cash in a favour.

The Hydor systems do work although the small bottles only last a verry short time. 1-2 weeks at Co2 30ppm
They diffusers break down the Co2 into a fine mist (a good thing)and would be best positioned under the outflow of a filter to spread the Co2 around the tank.
The diffuser can look bulky if it's not hidden with plants. The gauges work fine on fire extinguisher bottles. There is no solenoid supplied but you could use it without a solenoid. You would just use up more Co2 and the ph would go verry low while the lights were out. Not realy great for fish but i havent tried this yet.

Darren.

Check this out from Aquatic Magic on Ebay... cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...K:MEWA:IT&ih=015 ...Thinking of getting it as it has a bubble counter and solenoid and will just have to buy a diffuser. Its says the threads are 2.2 cm and my fire extinguisher seems to be the same, but im worried it might be a different type ot thread....anyone know ???

Dave.

Or maybe this..... cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...K:MEWA:IT&ih=006

The refill is not a problem I called to an F/E refill place yesterday and they will fill any bottle for me they were very helpful and slightly amused at the idea of using co2 in an aquarium.

@ curefan the 2 regulators you have shown look ok
So you would just need a diffuser tubing bubble counter for 1 of them
& check valve.

I like the full set up as all I will have to do is get the bottle filled I think total price will be around 185 euro ready to go

I don’t like the idea of using the F/E as its fully open straight out of the F/E
Where as with the proper bottle you have a tap valve protected by a collar

Donal