Is co2 bubbles per second really comparable?

[CT_]

I read a lot of advice about co2 bubbles per second often related to tank size but sometimes for all tanks.  I've got about 10 gallons of water and have 2 bubbles per second, which is supposedly quite high for 10 gallons but I'm still blue on my drop checker.  Should I worry about that, or just turn it up?  I checked for gas leaks and I have a aquario neo diffuser. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@CT_how long has it been running? The drop checkers can lag by hours. I would use pH, kh and eventually the drop checker to help you sort it out. Here’s a chart you might have seen that I used in my DIY CO2 days. 

George Farmer had a good article on this in Practical Fish Keeping from back in the day which can be found here. 

https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/co2-striking-the-balance/

Hope this helps some so that you’re not left guessing. This is better than when I started with CO2 - you’d hang out and watch the tank and when the fish would start gasping you’d turn it down and put on an airstone. So bloody primitive! It’s why I stopped but I’m getting more and more tempted. Have fun!

[Seattle_Aquarist]

On 2/8/2022 at 9:49 PM, CT_ said:

I read a lot of advice about co2 bubbles per second often related to tank size but sometimes for all tanks.  I've got about 10 gallons of water and have 2 bubbles per second, which is supposedly quite high for 10 gallons but I'm still blue on my drop checker.  Should I worry about that, or just turn it up?  I checked for gas leaks and I have a aquario neo diffuser. 

Hi @CT_

First let's confirm that your indicator solution in the drop checker if 4.0 dKH; otherwise the color of the drop checker is not relevant.  If you used tank or tap water for your drop checker replace the solution.  I used to make my own 4.0 dKH indicator solution but I've gotten lazy and now just buy Fluval CO2 Indicator Solution.  If you are using 4.0 dKH indicator solution the next question is how much surface agitation do you have?  The more surface agitation the quicker the loss of CO2 from your tank.  @Beardedbillygoat1975is correct, drop checkers to take several hours to respond to any change in the injection (bubble) rate......I usually make only one adjustment per 24 hours. -Roy

[Mmiller2001]

All of my tanks have the same BPS regardless of size (too fast to count).

What's consistent though is massive surface agitation, suface skimming and the altitude I live at. 

What's your KH and pH? You can guage quickly what ballpark you're in with just those numbers.

[CT_]

Yeah its been up for a few months now.  I stopped thinking about it until just this week when I changed the diffuser to get smaller bubbles (I felt like I was wasting CO2 and didn't want to CO2 bomb my kitchen anyway).

 

My initial goal was a very safe margin from 30ppm.  pre-co2 my ph was 8-8.5, kh2ish(sometimes up to 4) and my (<1ppm according to the tables, which is consistent with co2 equilibrium with water but far lower than what people say a low-tech aquarium usually is).  I made 2dKH water and used my API ph solution in the drop checker and it was blue for a while and i kept slowly turning it up.  after a couple weeks I saw greenish so I called it good and it stayed there.  I recently realized that old/bad drop checker solution gets pale green too (I didn't have co2 for a couple of days during the change over due to me working out kinks). 

 

I'm now using off the shelf "drop checker solution" that says its 4dKH, since I'm too lazy to make 2 or 4 dKH solution. 

 

This has brought up my original question though.  2 bubbles per second seems, anecdotally, to be high for a tank with 10g of water (14ish g total).  But I can't explain the high rate other than my bubbles happen to be extra small (the bubbler is the one that came on my regulator).  loosing half my co2 to a leak would be obvious with a soap and water check too, which has shown no system leaks.

 

I'm wondering if I should juts ignore bubble count and go off the drop checker or if i should be worried something isn't working right

[Mmiller2001]

I use the various methods together.

I run 0dKH so I can't use the chart, but I make sure my drop checker is almost yellow and I record my gassed and degassed pH's. If I have a drop of 1 to 1.5pH, I know I'm where I want to be.

Edited February 9, 2022 by Mmiller2001