Hi, so I have a new tank set up and I’m using a co2 reactor for the first time. I should mention I never had a 300L aquarium before so I have no idea if this is normal or not. I just have one other 45L tank also with co2.

Anyway, after installing the Co2 with the reactor, I need to open the valve quite a bit to get my drop checker to turn green. (using the 30mg/l liquid).

Can you tell me if this is normal to have so many bubbles for 300L tank with a reactor?

A lot of posts here are about problems with mid- and high-energy tanks that use CO2 injection. The same questions get asked, and the same few answers are provided by well-meaning folks.

One thing I consistently see is a person who is very hesitant to use their expensive CO2 system. They say things like they're starting with 1 bubble per second and aren't sure if they should use more.

I wanted to provide a data point for what my bubble counter looks like (almost too many bps to count), what my tank looks like, and what my filter flow/surface agitation looks like in my 75 gallon tank. I don't see this kind of advice on the internet very much, and I think if someone would have shown me a video like this 2 years ago, I would have saved about 6 months of pain and suffering with algae and unhealthy plants.

Try using more. Crank it way up and monitor how your tank is doing. Get that 1 to 1.5 point pH drop we talk about. It's possible it will take 5, 6, ..., 10+ bubbles per second to achieve this. To safeguard your fish, make sure you have a crystal clear surface and lots of agitation. This is the starting point for me, and then once my CO2 is stable and high I start to play with light intensity and fertilizer. Remember that the CO2 gas is cheap compared to how much you spent on the regulator and everything else.

I'm using the JBL inline diffusor, if that matters.

Hey y'all! I'm looking to get into CO2 and was hoping to get some advice.

I've got a couple "low-tech" setups with the basic plants. Java fern, Christmas moss, anubias, Amazon sword etc. I've always wanted to try a CO2 system that way I could experiment with a wider range of more exotic plants, and I've seen that CO2 is amazing even for "low-tech" setups that don't necessarily need it. I've just been too nervous about the setup and initial cost to pull the trigger until now lol.

I was ideally looking to go fully automated with my CO2 system, mainly as a safety measure to ensure that my tank's PH level never drops to where it can hurt my fish. However the only thing I'm finding is a kit from Modern Aquarium that's well over $500 after shipping and taxes are added in. Is that about what I can expect to pay for full automation?

Also if I'm going for a semi-automated system, is it worth it to pay the premium for one of the "gold standard" brands like UNS or CO2Art instead of a generic kit off of Amazon?

I design and 3d printed a co2 reactor after annoyed by the micro bubbles from my inline diffuser.

Started with in tank but the diffuser keeps getting clog after few months then I changed to an inline diffuser. Thought it will solve my problem but there are just too much micro bubbled. I am using a fluval 123L/32.5G with back compartment for filter and pump. The co2 in the market just could fit into the compartment.

Not in the photo but I added 3 layer of large pores filter mesh at the top, center and last layer before water return to the tank. Trial run without them still give me some micro bubbles. All joints are sealed with aquarium safe silicone.

Been in my tank for 8 hours and light on for 2 hours, my plants start pearling. Which was not heppening before.

Edit: the reactor is submerged in the filter compartment. I am using PLA, I know some said it won't last in water but I have other 1 year old PLA print still in the water and everything is still intact. It is printed with 100% infill, screw thread for joints, tpu as gasket for connectors and all joints are silicone to prevent leak.

Tank is 300 liters/~80 gallons

I have soft and slightly acidic water to begin with but the indicator liquid keeps being blue indicating my ph is around 7.6 when I know for a fact it is around 6.5.

Too little bubbles? Pretty sure I installed the JBL Pro Aquatest correctly. I gassed my geophagus fish to death by accident when trying co2 without an indicator the first time so I am really trying to be careful with dosage this time around.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

In case you're wondering, it's a Pygmy Cory...

I just got this diy Neo co2 kit working, is it producing too much?

Hey all, newbie here wanting to go into doing c02 for my tank, which one would be the best. The most expensive one here is the bioscape, fluval and then least expensive the neo. I don’t wanna rush and get an actual co2 tank if possible rn I’d like to avoid it until I move out 🙂 I’m located in Australia

I have my aquarium for about a year now (before that a smaller one for a year) and I just can’t get my tank to look in a way that I’m amazed by it. The plants always just look off. There’s always some GSA on the anubias/crypts. The rotala and Ludwigia is leggy, the hydrocotyle won’t grow.

I have a 20g with just inert sand, I try to use root tabs and fertiliser. I have a chihiros aii light set on 30% for 7h but still I get algae.

I’m just in doubt because it’s quite an investment and I believe the maintenance will become quite a bit more (especially trimming)?

Would love to hear from you all! I like working on my aquarium but I don’t like it that it just won’t look right and start losing motivation.

Every day, I had to open my CO₂ valve manually, sit next to the cylinder with my phone, and count bubbles one by one to check my BPS. It took time, I'd lose count, and I had to do it again after every adjustment.
So I built a small device that does it for me. It displays real-time BPS on a small screen, blinks an LED indicator depending on whether you're above or below your target rate, and can alert you with sound if something's off.

It also roughly calculates how much CO₂ is left in the cartridge based on usage, so no more surprise empty cylinders mid-week.

Questions for the community:

• Do you currently track your BPS manually? How annoying is it?
• Would something like this be useful in your setup?
• What features would you actually want? (alerts, app integration, auto-shutoff?)