CO2 - what is it? Use of CO2 in the aquarium. CO2 supply system

Sooner or later, before every serious aquarist, the question arises of supplying the CO2 aquarium. And for good reason. What is it for aquarium plants?

So, CO2 - what is it? We all know that aquatic plants primarily feed on carbon dioxide dissolved in water. This is CO2. In nature, plants receive it from the pond in which they grow. Since the volume of water in natural reservoirs is very large, its concentration in them is usually constant. But this can not be said about aquariums.

Plants quickly use all of the CO2 gas from aquarium water, and in itself the restoration of its concentration will not happen, because the aquarium is a closed system. Even the fish contained in it can not make up for the lack of CO2, because they exhale so small its share that it will never be enough for plants. And as a result, aquarium plants stop growing.

In addition to the fact that plants cease to grow due to lack of CO2, water, in which its content is low, has an increased stiffness (pH), which is fatal for them. Even inexperienced aquarists probably noticed that after adding plants tap water becomes more rigid than it was in an empty aquarium. This is explained by the fact that carbon dioxide contributes to the appearance of carbonic acid in the water, and it lowers the rigidity. That is, it is important to understand: the less CO2 in the water, the higher its pH.

How to help plants in the aquarium?

There are several ways to solve the problem of supplying CO2 plants. You can install a special cylinder and the corresponding equipment, or you can go the other way and try to do everything you need with your own hands. Many people like this method more. And it is understandable why - it is much more interesting and pleasant to solve the problem independently, without resorting to the help of purchased equipment.

The only thing worth paying attention to is the result. Not knowing how everything works in the aquarium, you should not climb there and change something and alter it so that you do not get upset. It is important not to participate, but to understand what you are doing.

In our time, more and more aquarists are engaged in the cultivation of aquatic plants and independently solves problems with a lack of carbon dioxide in the water. To some extent, such a scale can completely negate all the results of combating harmful emissions of enterprises and cars, because self-made aquarium devices have become necessary and very fashionable, and their volumes are sometimes quite large. Of course, this is a figurative comparison, but there is some truth in these fears.

So, CO2 gas - what is it? How to deal with carbon dioxide in our aquarium and how to produce it inexpensively and in sufficient quantities? But it is quite realistic to make such a system and refill it 5-7 times a year.

What do aquarium plants need?

Once again we recall what CO2 is and what it needs for plants in the aquarium. CO2 for the aquarium is the source of carbon needed by plants, as food for humans. Plants consume it in the light, but in the dark they need oxygen no less. This is the first problem that novice aquarists face.

If you forget about it, then at night in the aquarium begin to freeze. Even if there is no obvious loss of the flora, the plants will simply stop growing normally, and this will make all our efforts meaningless.

In other words, in the aquarium there must always be diffusion (aeration). And oxygen should be enough for the dark half of the day. Usually it is a lot at the beginning of the day, but the plants, like the fish that breathe them, "pick" it pretty quickly. In this situation, CO2 will not only not be able to help, but it will also exacerbate the problem.

No less often there is another. Beginners in the aquarium business, seeing how their seemingly unpretentious vallisneria or uncomplicated in care richchiya with hygrophilous refuse to grow at all, begin to wonder with CO2 and experiment in the hope of improvement. And it's not about the lack of carbon dioxide or light. These plants, which are simple in content, also live well under less illumination and in less water saturated with carbon dioxide. It turns out that simply either the plants were bought "on the verge of death," or the ground is too poor or the water is new, not yet established.

What is most important - light, fertilizer or CO2?

The formula leading to success is simple: CO2 for the aquarium, nutrients and light. And you need to treat it not fictitiously, but with all respect, because all its components are equally important for plant life. If you "disperse" the system in the direction of one of them, without taking into account the other two, then you will quickly and inevitably come across the manifestation of Liebig's law instead of admiring a strong and healthy flora in your artificial pond. This is the so-called swing effect. Moreover, the more strongly the system is disbanded, the more interference will be required, and in the meantime the plants "get tired and yearn for".

As a result, instead of the vigorous greenery in the aquarium, everything gradually fades, and then some of the plantations die. Either the water begins to fill with algae, if our "broth" plants can not "digest".

Factors affecting the composition of water in the aquarium

It is interesting that often, thinking about CO2, oxygen, light and nutrients, completely forget about the temperature. And it is the main regulator of aquarium photosynthesis. Not light and not CO2, as it may seem. This is well-known botanists, but "aquarium explorers" of this fact is often forgotten.

The regulating role of such waves, as infrared, reflects precisely this function. Perhaps, this is due to the fact that it is unprofitable to recall temperatures in the technologies of making light sources used for aquariums. Therefore pretend that it is not important.

What can any aquarium do without?

Aquarium can do without fashion and glamor excesses. And not only can, but also successfully manage. The main thing is to balance the knowledge in the system and the cause-and-effect relationships obtained through research. If the system is already in equilibrium, then it no longer needs to be touched! And do not try to fix something that works.

And yet, if the aquarium tank is too densely planted with plants, even with good lighting, it can suffice for CO2. This is especially true for weakly alkaline hard water. If the species that can absorb only unoccupied carbon dioxide are combined (these are all types of moss, many herbs that grow only in acidic and soft water, lobelia), and euryionic and stenionic species that are capable of extracting carbon from carbonates (and this is vallisneria , Elodea, ekhinodorusy, etc.), then the concentration of CO2 will be especially low.

Cure is not difficult at all, since it is enough to simply populate more fish in the aquarium. In those aquariums in which everything is normal with the ecology, and when the animals are densely populated, they do not lack carbon dioxide even with a fairly powerful light. But in any case, an additional dose of CO2 will not be superfluous for such a body of water.

We discussed in detail the role of CO2. What it is, now also certainly understandable. It remains to learn how to produce it at home.

The affectionate method of supplying the aquarium with carbonic acid

To enrich the aquarium with carbon dioxide, it's easiest to use ordinary brag. However, it is unstable. In the beginning, an overabundance of gas will result, which will evaporate, create a greenhouse effect or create an extra concentration of CO2 in the water. Then the speed of its production will drop sharply.

Disadvantages of the method using braga

There are only two of them:

• The need for too frequent recharges (1.5-3 weeks).
• The complexity of monitoring the operation of the system during the day.

However, this does not mean that you are not able to supply CO2 to the aquarium, since these drawbacks are easily solved when using a system with a cylinder. True, it has a fairly high price, and besides buying, it still needs to be tuned in a qualified manner.

Consider one of the recipes for using such a mash. Its dignity lies in the fact that fermentation is very smooth and long (3-4 months). Of course, there is nothing new in science, more gas will not come out of the same amount of matter, but the aquarium will receive the required volume of CO2 evenly and slowly. For those who need a large amount of carbon dioxide, this recipe will by no means fit, they definitely need a CO2 cylinder. In principle, no brag is suitable for stable high concentrations. But it is quite satisfactory with the task of supplying carbon dioxide of the average aquarium with a dense "population", nutrient soil and good illumination, if its hard water is surrounded by euryionic and stenoionic species.

How to make a CO2 production system for an aquarium with your own hands

We use a polyethylene capacity of 1.5 and 2 liters. In each specific case, the size of the containers may vary, depending on the volume of the aquarium and the amount of carbon dioxide required.

1. Pour in the container components: 5-6 tablespoons (with a slide) of sugar, one spoonful of soda and 2-3 tablespoons of starch (also with a slide).

2. Pour 1.5-2 cups of water, as seen in the photo.

3. We send everything to the water bath.

It is important: in a saucepan there should be almost a level of liquid in bottles, otherwise the composition on the bottom will not become thick, but on top will remain liquid.

4. Cook until the consistency of thick jelly, that is, until ready. You need to get a very thick mixture. If you overturn a bottle, then it almost does not have to drain.

4. Cool the resulting mixture.

While the bottles are cooling down, we are manufacturing sealed and reliable lids with neat tube fittings. After all, CO2 - what is it? This is gas, and therefore, sealing must be very thorough. It is convenient to use fittings for the VAZ brake system (approximately 12 rubles / pair in auto parts stores). We need two such fittings, gaskets and washers for 8 (about 40 rubles / pair of sets in OBI), as well as a pair of nuts for 8.

With a knife and a heated nail, it is necessary to make a hole, then drive the thread into it with threaded thread (thread inside the bottle). Above through the washer, and below the scheme: gasket / washer / nut.

Use for sealing various adhesives does not make sense, because they will not give the required protection. But the lid made according to the described scheme will reliably hold the tube, while the entire CO2 supply system will be quite resistant to manipulation and recharging.

After the bottles have cooled, add yeast (you can dry) to our tea-spoon, before mixing it thoroughly in water. For example, in a glass or a glass.

Prepared in this way the bottles are put in place, carefully connect and do not touch them for 3-4 months. Carbon dioxide is released evenly and slowly, and if we use weak-flow reactors of the "bell" type, the entire process will be easily controlled visually. When the level in the bottles drops below the middle, it's time to recharge them.

Recharging is easy. The fermented mixture again turns into liquid and pours out, a new one is put in its place, and you again get CO2 for the aquarium. With their hands, the made device based on plastic bottles will easily survive many such recharges without losing their qualities. Gas is supplied around the clock.

Types of Reactors for Aquariums

• "Bell" is an inverted glass of any reactor. Other types of reactors are not recommended to dissolve the brew, since the process of carbon dioxide release becomes uncontrollable, and the density of CO2 is uneven.
• The simplest reactor of this type is a single syringe attached to the wall of the aquarium on the sucker. Pretty aesthetically look and redone drinking bowls for birds, besides they are inexpensive. There are a lot of options: from a plastic cup, turned upside down, to complex designs.

The efficiency of any reactor directly depends on the "contact spot" - the size of the area of contact between water and gas. Laffart advises that for every 100 liters of water (with a hardness of 10 grams) to make a dissolution area of 30 square meters. See This is not so much - just something like 5x6 cm.

So, there is a dilemma - to make a large reactor, or small, in which the dissolution process will go much better than in the large one.

This effect can be obtained by directing a part of the water along a thin tube from the filter under the "flute" to obtain a "fountain" inside the reactor. If such a flow is organized, for example, in a reactor from a syringe (20 cubic meters), dissolution will improve several times, and the concentration of CO2 will be uniform. And this is tantamount to the use of a bell-type reactor, which has a more cumbersome dimensions.

Balloon method of CO2 enrichment

For large aquariums, the optimal method of water enrichment with carbon dioxide is the balloon installation method. Such a system consists of a cylinder and a system for monitoring, that is, a reducer, a valve, fittings, a coil with connectors, a pneumatic hose and a power supply. It is easy to assemble such an installation yourself, but it is easier to buy already ready in the store, however, it will cost several times more.

Advantages and disadvantages of the balloon method

Benefits:

• Stability of CO2 production.
• A large amount of produced gas.
• Economical.
• If you connect a pH controller and CO2 analyzer, you can fully automate the process.

Disadvantages:

• High price.
• The complexity of self-assembly.
• A high pressure balloon is required.

Finally

Returning to the choice of the CO2 generator, we should mention another type - the chemical one. Unlike a generator operating on a barge, the chemical uses the reactions of acid with carbonates. Like the method with brag, such chemical reactors are suitable for small aquariums - up to 100 liters. In addition to everything mentioned in this article, there is an opportunity to purchase a gas analyzer CO2 in the store and with its help to constantly monitor the state of water in your artificial pond.