Your CO2 Philosophy?

[Art]

What is your CO2 philosophy?

Some of us crank up the CO2 and others don't believe in keeping it very high or even supplementing it.

Of course, if you give an answer, tell us why in a post below!

 

[FrankZ]

I used to try to get as much CO2 in a possible but that left me constantly chasing stability.

With my @Yugang reactor on its third week my pH drop is and has been a stable 1.3. Fish are fine, I’m not changing surface agitation or messing with my needle valve at all. CO2 flow rate is 25 mls/min, the reactor was sized to run in over flow mode so it gurgles a few bubbles every so often but the big thing I have now is stability. I can forget about it and focus on other things (but I’m constantly watching it when I can - force of habit).

Stability was the major thing missing from my CO2 game for a long time. Now I feel like I have it thanks to @Yugang. His reactor design for me is like the EI fertilization scheme. Provides enough all the time without have to mess with it. Now I can focus on other areas that I need to improve upon.

I think any of those answers is correct as long as stability of the CO2 is maintained.

 

[Yugang]

the reactor was sized to run in over flow mode so it gurgles a few bubbles every so often but the big thing I have now is stability.

Thank you for the kind words @FrankZ . I have been using my reactor in overflow mode most of the time, and am so happy to see you as second user adopting the idea.

In the past I had CO2 at 1.5-1.6 pH drop from outgassed, that worked well for me. I tried low tech as well, but it has not worked very well for me (also as I my water temperature is high).

My CO2 philiposphy is that I want to have enough CO2 at the lighting level I am having, but that it is really stability that counts. The stability , I believe, will lead to plant health, and with that tank health follows giving algae little or no chance. With overflow mode it is the reactor geometry that drives injection, and I am now so confident in using it that I don't care much anymore about my regulator or pH profile. The one thing where I am still uncertain is whether there is potential to go lower light and lower CO2 , this is where I am currently aiming for to see how it works for me.