Air Pump on Timer

[androo303]

Hi All,

Just wondering if I should put an air pump on a timer and run it during the night to provide oxygen to the plants/fish while the CO2/lights are off. will this cause ph swings?

[pm]

I have never checked the ph swing, but I run one for a few hours each night with no problems.  My main reason is that the bubbles break up the surface scum.

[androo303]

Hmm well I've upped my co2, so tonight I am running an air pump on a trimmer to turn off before lights turn on. Fingers crossed and I will check the KH and pH tomorrow night.

[exv152]

I found an airstone will dramatically reduce the co2 concentration levels in the tank, taking that much longer for the system to bring it back to an acceptable disolved level of 15-30ppm the next day. Unless you begin dosing co2 an hour before the lights come on. Personally I don't see the advantage of an airstone.

[androo303]

hmm... the reason why i ask is because the fish seem to be gasping at the top a lot lately since i've added CO2 (which run's 24/7)... another reason to look forward to the new build!!

[exv152]

You mean you're doing DIY yeast?

[daworldisblack]

You mean you're doing DIY yeast?

On a paintball system eh Andrew? How many bps are you doing? I used to keep mine at around 1bps 24/7 and the fish and plants seemed to be doing great. I now ramped my co2 to around 2bps since my plant mass has increased. I have turned the dial so I get a somewhat consistent 2bps. So now I switch it off manually about an hour before lights-out by using the ASA valve. Just unscrew it to switch it to 'OFF'. You will still see bubbles for a little while as there would have been residual co2 in the valve and pipes, under pressure. Then the next day i turn the ASA valve back to 'ON' an hour before lights come on. Works great but not the best if one is not home at those times.

[exv152]

DIY paintball?

The sooner those parts get here the better eh?

[androo303]

On a paintball system eh Andrew?

Yes sir. I'm not going to lie, I am fairly cheap and after reading all the successes from this setup, I decided to try it out too (since it costed me well under $20).

I did a CO2 test the other night and my KH was at 2 with PH around 7.2, so i upped my output to try and get it up a little higher. I am going to test after work to see where it is at then.

The sooner those parts get here the better eh?

For sure, I am excited for the build now. I have a timer all ready to go for the lights/CO2 and then another timer for my air pump.

So now I switch it off manually about an hour before lights-out by using the ASA valve. Just unscrew it to switch it to 'OFF'. You will still see bubbles for a little while as there would have been residual co2 in the valve and pipes, under pressure. Then the next day i turn the ASA valve back to 'ON' an hour before lights come on. Works great but not the best if one is not home at those times.

Too much work for me, haha. I like automation!!