CO2 schedule ?

[Complexity]

Yeah, and with amount of money, you can buy a pH meter with probe.

[Raul]

yep well the, DIY ph controller probably will not happen I found the probe to connect to the controller and it might be an interesting project but expensive the probe and PH board is already $96.00

http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10972

[Complexity]

Well the ph controller will be my next gadget but have to put my wallet to rest for some days :)

Yup, the wallet is the one thing that I think holds most people back. But when you consider how much money we put into our tanks, filters, CO2 equipment, lighting, decor, fish, inverts, and plants, I figure what's another hundred?

[Raul]

I might endup doing this since I have a couple of arduinos here, looks like a nice project.

http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1240000018

[Raul]

Well the ph controller will be my next gadget but have to put my wallet to rest for some days :)

[Complexity]

Personally, I prefer to just use a pH controller. Then it won't matter what needle valve you use since the pH controller does all the real work. As long as you get the needle valve in the ballpark, it's good enough.

The pH controller also takes care of the turn off at night issue. It handles it automatically. Since the plants aren't using the CO2 at night, the pH won't rise at night so the pH controller won't tell the regulator to dose any CO2. The only exception would be if the CO2 outgasses from the surface, but then it would only dose a small amount to make up for what was lost. Then, when the lights come on in the morning, the CO2 is all set for the plants to use.

As the plants begin to use the CO2, the pH will rise, and then the pH controller will tell the regulator to does more CO2. It will only dose as much CO2 as needed.

So when you've just done a major trim, there's less plant material to use CO2 so the pH controller will dose less CO2. However, when the plants have really grown, there's more plant material to use CO2 so the pH controller will dose more CO2. it's all automatic. Your tank always has just the right amount of CO2 that the plants need based on their actual usage.

You can't do that with any needle valve, no matter how high the quality.

[Raul]

I am going to get the fabco nv 55-18 and the 1/8" mip to 1/8" barb hose fittings and run it inline. The watts A-42 I have right-now works very stable but can't do small adjustments but it doesn't change the flow been monitoring it every other hour, once I get the fabco will start messing with the schedule.

[Raul]

what about the fabco needle valve that rex sells with the inline adapters ?

[Raul]

well I will probably will not get an ideal needle valve that soon, but I did a test with a needle valve i had but it is not as precise as the ideal one but it seems it is more stable, it is an inline WATTs A-42 that I got from home depot it is not for milimiter adjustments but it seems it is more stable when i shut and then turn the solenoid on it keeps the same bps also I am running now a 30psi and the valve can keep the steady flow.

Can ideal valves be also set inline and i just leave the needle valve of the regulator open or do I have to remove the installed one.

[wesleydnunder]

Raul, once you get your new needle valve installed, you can use a separate timer to turn the co2 on and off. I had my co2 set to come on an hour before the lights and to go off an hour before the lights went off. It is a waste to run the co2 at night and the fish are not bothered by the ph swings incurred.

Mark

[myjohnson]

Yup!

You are exactly correct! You can either remove the stock one or leave it wide open and add the ideal needle valve to it.

[Raul]

ah!! ok so I assume the needle valve can be replaced then I am learning this when you said ideal valve I thought it was literally, I guess you were referring to this valve:

http://www.idealvalve.com/52-series-forged-brass-needle-valves.html

by looking at this I guess the one from the MA957 can be replaced with thie or not?

[myjohnson]

Solenoid wasn't too bad.

It work for close to a year and they sent me another one for free. Might have just been my first one. second one worked like charm.

Its really on the needle valve. The stock one really isn't design for what we do. You can find a good one for cheap....doesn't have to be an ideal needle valve. Those just happen to be the best ones made.

[Raul]

then it sounds the solenoid is not that good so even with a ph controller it will end up failing, well it is my first one, was not ready to put money down on something more expensive, but well will leave it then 24/7.

[myjohnson]

In that case you're better off leaving it on 24/7.

You aren't going to be able to keep the bubble court consistant if you cut it on/off.

I had the same regulator.....went through two solenoid...to say the least you get what you pay for.

I'm in the market for a regulator and my next one will have an ideal needle valve.