CO2 delivery in a planted shrimp tank

[jessaweeshrimp]

I am setting up a new tank and currently have a 36" 12 gallon, a 30 gallon long, a 20 high, a 10 gallon and a 29 gallon. I am now setting up a 75 gallon. I am using a Submersible and a HOB and a UG with Power heads.

My question revolves around running the Powerheads in reverse and feeding them with CO2 from a Citric/Baking soda set up. Will the CO2 hurt the plants being delivered to the roots first for maximum diffusion? I do use Seachem Excel in my tanks trying to give the plants the edge over the algae. 

I have also used the H2O2 and CO2 punch technique successfully but haven't chatted too much about ferts and CO2. Does anyone see any concerns with my plan?

 

Edited March 23, 2017 by jessaweeshrimp
Misspelled too

[jayc]

23 minutes ago, jessaweeshrimp said:

My question revolves around running the Powerheads in reverse and feeding them with CO2 from a Citric/Baking soda set up. Will the CO2 hurt the plants being delivered to the roots first for maximum diffusion?

Not sure why you would want to do that ... feed CO2 to the UG filter.

Plants absorb CO2 at the leaves, not the roots. While it might not hurt the plants, it wont be any benefit. On top of that, your UG filter wont be doing what it's supposed to do, again it defeats the purpose of having one.

[jessaweeshrimp]

Other devices will move water and creat oxygen exchange. Impellers reportedly bust up the CO2 bubbles really well. The power heads have a line feed for air but it will already have plenty of oxygen in there.

So the thinking is run them in reverse and suck the CO2 under the gravel where the gas will break up even more trying to float up through 2" of gravel. Giving maximum dispersal to aid with plant growth and hopefully minimize the development of algae. 

I alsowanted to get any feedback regarding concerns if there are any about CO2 and healthy shrimp keeping.

I also thought that the reverse flow will still feed the bacteria and blow the waste up so the other filters can get it ?

[jessaweeshrimp]

Any additional thoughts @jayc based on my clarification? thanks in advance for your time

[Madmerv]

I would say that if you wanted to get the CO2 through the power heads then just drill a hole in the riser and inject it. Leave the power heads running the correct way. 

Plants need a small oxygen supply around the roots for good growth. Adding CO2 to the root zone would deplete this slightly and may affect how well the roots take up other nutrients. The best option would be to get an inline reactor to completely dissolve the CO2 before it even enters the tank leaving no micro bubbles to even worry about.

Shrimp are more sensitive to CO2 than fish so keep a good eye on them and so long as there is no noticeable change in behavior then it is fine. Make sure the CO2 is off about 1 hour before lights out so the O2 levels are up and CO2 level is down when dark. Or run an airstone on a timer for night time.

Edited March 24, 2017 by Madmerv
Finish off

[jayc]

11 hours ago, jessaweeshrimp said:

Any additional thoughts

Having thought about it, yes, I have one more thought.

CO2 will negatively impact the bacteria in the substrate, leading to all sorts of issues.

 

@Madmerv's suggestion is best. Feed the co2 hose into the UG riser tube, where it will be pulverized by the impeller as it shoots out to the tank's water column.

I still think it's not a good idea.

But I admit that it's innovative and thinking out of the box. 

 

 

[jessaweeshrimp]

I thought that I had replied and thanked you all properly but my mind muat have slipped...again ?  Even directing the intake venturi of the powerhead in a downward angle and feeding the CO2 in there would be of some benefit with zero modifications. I was just trying to think about maximum dissolving with minimal expense. 

Thanks for the insights, much appreciated