CO2 System in a small tank?
by Aquaboy on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 | 3 Comments
Hello. I have a 2.5 gallon planted aquarium holding a male betta. Would it be possible or even a good idea to make a CO2 injection system for it? I was going to use a liter bottle, and a glass diffusor among other things. Any input would be much appreciated. Oh by the way the plants include dwarf sagittaria, a few crypts and a java fern. The lighting is approximately 3 watts/gallon. Thanks.
I forgot the mention that the water in my area is pretty soft and slightly acid/neutral. Is the pH fluctuation going to be drastic?
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I don’t see why a CO2 system wouldn’t work in your tank, it will help your plants a whole bunch, and prevent algae.
why dont you just by a reactor, they are under $30.00 and work well
A liter bottle is probably a bit big for that tank size. I have a 20 oz bottle (about 600 mL) for my tank and even with that, I really have to be careful about getting good water circulation at the top to prevent CO2 poisoning for the fish. However, if you scale it down, make sure that there is plenty of water movement at the surface (or if all else fails, get an air pump to put in too), it should work fine. Mine’s been off for a while now because the plants are doing just fine without, but I used 1 cup of sugar for 1/4 teaspoon of yeast, and then added water to about the point where the bottle starts to curve in. To finish the reactor, you drill (or poke) a hole in the lid and add a tubing adapter/connector to attach to the tubing. You’ll probably want to add hot glue around the lid to prevent gas from escaping.
But CO2 reactors are easy enough to make, and will help your plants grow. Just be sure not to use too large a bottle (again 20 oz works fine for me) and make sure that you have enough surface movement to add oxygen. Though I suppose since Bettas can breathe from the surface, it’s not too much of a risk…