Will DIY co2 kill shrimps?

[gelgel]

Hi all, I've heard that due to the inconsistent output of diy co2, there's a potential that shrimps will be killed by it? Is this true?
And is excel harmful to my shrimps too?

I really want to try out plants like Tonina Belem which needs lots of light so I need co2. Is pressurized co2 my only way out?

[dxiong5]

Hello, welcome to ShrimpNow!

DIY CO2 works fine, as long as you are not injecting too much and your water parameters aren't fluctuating too much. I use it to bring my pH from 7.4 to around 6.9. My shrimp are doing fine.

I do not have experience using excel.

[retardo]

Tonina belem requires soft water and a nutrient rich soil, such as ADA Aquasoil, for the best results. The species does not do well in hard water. If you are increasing your light output, you will most definitely need to increase your CO2 output to compensate; otherwise, you may run into problems with all sorts of algae. Pressurized CO2 is your best bet. With any type of CO2, you will need to monitor the fauna to make sure that the CO2 content is not too high, whether that's pressurized or DIY. DIY, in my experience, does not generally produce high enough CO2 output to cause harm to fish or shrimp, but it is possible. DIY recipes vary and their outputs most certainly will as well, depending on the type of yeast you use, the type of protein you provide, the amount of sugar, etc.

Excel used properly is not harmful to shrimp.

[gelgel]

Thanks for the replies.


Hello, welcome to ShrimpNow!

DIY CO2 works fine, as long as you are not injecting too much and your water parameters aren't fluctuating too much. I use it to bring my pH from 7.4 to around 6.9. My shrimp are doing fine.

I do not have experience using excel.

So it does fluctuate the ph quite a bit. When you do water change, do you keep the new water ph at 7.4 and let it drop to 6.9 or keep the new water ph at 6.9?


Tonina belem requires soft water and a nutrient rich soil, such as ADA Aquasoil, for the best results. The species does not do well in hard water. If you are increasing your light output, you will most definitely need to increase your CO2 output to compensate; otherwise, you may run into problems with all sorts of algae. Pressurized CO2 is your best bet. With any type of CO2, you will need to monitor the fauna to make sure that the CO2 content is not too high, whether that's pressurized or DIY. DIY, in my experience, does not generally produce high enough CO2 output to cause harm to fish or shrimp, but it is possible. DIY recipes vary and their outputs most certainly will as well, depending on the type of yeast you use, the type of protein you provide, the amount of sugar, etc.

Excel used properly is not harmful to shrimp.

I've heard to use half dose of what the instruction says. Is that true?

[retardo]

I've heard to use half dose of what the instruction says. Is that true?

Recommended dosage is fine. No need to reduce the dose.

[three-fingers]

I've had troubles with using regular doses of Excel with shrimp.
It was fine without shrimp, but it killed a lot of my Malaysian Rainbow shrimp.
My cherry shrimp seemed fine.

DIY CO2 is OK, but I'd recommend removing the airline from it at night. At night, the plants don't use CO2 (but still generate it themselves from respiration). If you have soft water, using DIY CO2 at night could let the pH plummet don't to pH 5 or below. For some fish, this isnt a problem, but for more sensitive shrimp, it's best avoided by just removing the CO2 line at night :).

I also recommend using a drop checker to monitor CO2 during the day. If it goes above 30ppm, sensitive shrimp and fish can start to die.

I would only recommend DIY CO2 if it is a small tank and you are prepared to refill it regularly and monitor CO2 levels. It can sometimes result in fluctuating CO2 levels, which some have noted to contribute to algae issues.

I've used DIY CO2 and yeast based kits such as the Nutrafin one a few times before on several tanks, and have now decided that either pressurised CO2 or no CO2 are the best options.

For plants that are listed as needing high CO2, if you don't want pressurised, Walstad style tanks are great - and shrimp LOVE these tanks.

[Makoto]

I recomment you invest in a CO2 cylinder with selonoid, because DIY can be a mess with wite filament.

[michaelmah]

I've had troubles with using regular doses of Excel with shrimp.
It was fine without shrimp, but it killed a lot of my Malaysian Rainbow shrimp.
My cherry shrimp seemed fine.

DIY CO2 is OK, but I'd recommend removing the airline from it at night. At night, the plants don't use CO2 (but still generate it themselves from respiration). If you have soft water, using DIY CO2 at night could let the pH plummet don't to pH 5 or below. For some fish, this isnt a problem, but for more sensitive shrimp, it's best avoided by just removing the CO2 line at night :).

I also recommend using a drop checker to monitor CO2 during the day. If it goes above 30ppm, sensitive shrimp and fish can start to die.

I would only recommend DIY CO2 if it is a small tank and you are prepared to refill it regularly and monitor CO2 levels. It can sometimes result in fluctuating CO2 levels, which some have noted to contribute to algae issues.

I've used DIY CO2 and yeast based kits such as the Nutrafin one a few times before on several tanks, and have now decided that either pressurised CO2 or no CO2 are the best options.

For plants that are listed as needing high CO2, if you don't want pressurised, Walstad style tanks are great - and shrimp LOVE these tanks.
I also agree with Tree-finger. I experience every time change or refill yeast for diy co2, there will have 1 or 2 casulty of crs, but maybe only happen in my small tank.30cm

[mighty muffin]

i use diy-co2 in my small (30cm) tanks and it works great.

for the night, i move my filter slightly up, so it is over the waterline and the water brings in oxygen and takes out co2.

my crs and bees are fine with it, the shrimplets are too.

[fishcop444]

In my experience, DIY CO2 with a ladder-style dispenser does not raise CO2 levels so much to worry about night time spikes. I grew some nice HC and dwarf hairgrass in a 10 gallon tank with it. Tank size could also influence which CO2 setup to get. DIY is easier to deal with in smaller tanks, up to 20 gallons or so. With larger tanks I think its easier to have a tank. Mixing yeast bottles gets old after a while.