Please help with pressurized C02!!!

This the one on the bottle? If so open it - you should not have to regulate your flow with it.

 

Agree with Ferdie. That is a working pressure regulator. You should open the valve in the front all the way first and remember to leave the needle valve closed. Regulate the flow with the needle valve. It sounds to me like you leave the needle valve open and try to regulate with the pressure valve. That is very tricky to achieve as that valve can not fine tune the bubbles per second. That is why we use needle valves.

 

Think I am getting it now. Will try again later. Do u guys mean that I should close the needle valve?

 

That's correct. Sounds like your needle valve is open all the way and you are trying to set with the pressure valve (valve on the front). You should do it the other way around. Set the bubbles per second with the needle valve.

 

Ok then. Problem sorted. I got the C02 to bubble with a fine mist. C02 valves shoeing nice pressure etc.... but..... would u know my luck, I had to turn the C02 off because all my fish were at the surface, gasping for air. How do I fish this!!????

 

Ok, sounds like there's too much co2 coming out of the reg. Do you have a bubble counter on the Co2 piping? Usually you'd run it at around 2 bubbles per second in the bubble counter. This ensures you run a small enough amount to not gas your fish, and you can increase the Co2 when your plants start growing.

Also, ensuring that you have a good amount of surface movement on the water, will ensure that you have enough oxygen in the tank, but don't let the surface of the water break, as that will dissolve the co2 out of the water.

Also, what is your tanks temperature? The warmer the water, the less oxygen in the water. Try keep the temp stable at around 25 degrees.

 

I assume not bubble counter yet .. well that is what started the thread.