# Liquid Carbon Dosing



## Tank Stand (Jan 24, 2018)

I have TNC Carbon, when is the best time to dose it. I currently dose it half an hour before the light go on. Also, how long should my lights be on? At the moment the photoperiod is around 5 and a half hours. 90 minutes in the morning, the rest is from 17:00 - 21:00. I will start dosing TNC complete once a week as well sometime soon. My substrate is a mix of Ada Amazonia and Eco complete. 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

For the sake of discussion, I'll assume that TNC carbon is yet another type of gluteraldehyde like Excel and Metricide. As such, it needs to break down in order to supply the plants with carbon so you can add it anytime as the 'carbon' the plants use will be the result of what you added yesterday.


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi @Tank Stand,

TNC, Excel, Metricide and other glutaraldehyde carbon supplements have a half-life of about 9 hours. It is better to dose near the beginning of the photoperiod than in the middle or end to ensure maximum carbon availability during the photoperiod.


----------



## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

The myth of "liquid CO2" and the dangers of Gluteraldehyde


----------



## fishyfishy101 (Nov 12, 2014)

AbbeysDad said:


> The myth of "liquid CO2" and the dangers of Gluteraldehyde


I am currently staring at my gallon of glutaraldehyde like it's the devil


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Even for someone who "respects" glut that article is a bit over the top..
Excel is not any more safe than any glut (the matter of concentration is minimal AFAICT)..and any glut will "degrade" to CO2.

https://www.jbl.de/en/blog/detail/133/the-story-of-liquid-co2-fertilisation-the-reliability

glut IS a cold sterilizer. It kills stuff...
And should be treated accordingly.. inhalation is the worst thing to do.



> Glutaraldehyde, sold under the brandname Glutaral among others, is a disinfectant and medication.[3][4] As a disinfectant it is used to sterilize surgical instruments and other areas.[3] As a medication it is used to treat warts on the bottom of the feet.[4] It is applied as a liquid.[3]
> 
> Side effects include skin irritation.[4] If exposed to large amounts nausea, headache, and shortness of breath may occur.[3] Protective equipment is recommended when used.[3] Glutaraldehyde is effective against a range of microorganisms including spores.[3][5] It works by a number of mechanisms.[5]
> 
> Glutaraldehyde came into medical use in the 1960s.[6] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system


as to Seachems claim of "special" glut.. i'm still open to this but ????
Glut naturally changes form in water..


> Like other dialdehydes (e.g., glyoxal), it does not exist as the dialdehyde in water, but as the hydrate. These hydrates adopt several equilibrating species.[



do LOVE the algecide properties and even in higher than "recommended" concentrations hasn't (so far) killed anything it wasn't targeted to kill..

bit more info;
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s002440010248


----------



## Tank Stand (Jan 24, 2018)

jeffkrol said:


> Even for someone who "respects" glut that article is a bit over the top..
> Excel is not any more safe than any glut (the matter of concentration is minimal AFAICT)..and any glut will "degrade" to CO2.
> 
> https://www.jbl.de/en/blog/detail/133/the-story-of-liquid-co2-fertilisation-the-reliability
> ...


Thank you for that. I'll just wear gloves now and keep the window wide open when I inject it into the tank. I use half the recommended dose, I think I should start increasing it to the recommended does from now on as well. Once it finishes I'll look into investing into a c02 kit in a few months. How much does it cost?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Nlewis (Dec 1, 2015)

Tank Stand said:


> Thank you for that. I'll just wear gloves now and keep the window wide open when I inject it into the tank.
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


That’s way overkill. Just go wash your hands if you get it on you. Frankly all I’d do is dip my hand in the tank water if it gets on me.


----------



## JusticeBeaver (Oct 28, 2017)

fishyfishy101 said:


> I am currently staring at my gallon of glutaraldehyde like it's the devil


I wouldn't worry about it too much. Treat it like you would treat any other cleaning agent in your home. It just has a side benefit of killing algae and providing some extra carbon for your plants. Even dihydrogen monoxide is pretty lethal to humans, only takes about 6 liters to kill a 165lb human yet we use it in all our aquariums.


----------



## Tank Stand (Jan 24, 2018)

Reading the JBL article that was posted above, isn't liquid Carbon useless according to that? 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Tank Stand said:


> Reading the JBL article that was posted above, isn't liquid Carbon useless according to that?
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


Just remember that Seachem SELLS liquid carbon and JBL sells regulators/co2 equipment so both will take their interests to the extreme.


----------



## madcrafted (Dec 23, 2017)

Interesting article. After using a 100 mL of the stuff, I have come to my own conclusion that it is definitely not a replacement for carbon dioxide. To be honest, I didn't see where it did much of anything when I was using it in a low tech setup. Chances are, if you are using low light (low tech), you won't be placing a huge demand on co2 anyways so you won't see a huge difference even if injecting co2. People that are getting good results using glutaraldehyde will probably continue to have success without it's use. Placebo effect perhaps? I'm not saying it's snake oil. I have used and even recommended it to others for knocking algae back but h202 will do the same thing. Neither will keep algae from reappearing. Chances are, if you don't address the original issue, it will reappear a week later... if not after a few days. Will I replace my empty bottle of the stuff? Probably not.


----------



## Tank Stand (Jan 24, 2018)

What's the easiest way to set up c02? If I were to purchase this for example if it included


1x CO2 regulator with magnetic solenoid valve plus bubble counter

1x PH Drop checker with PH reagent

1x Glass U-tube for mounting

1x 4 in 1 CO2 diffuser ( build in check valve and bubble counter function)

1x 2 meter quality CO2 tube (free gift)



All of that costs £55. What else would I need? Or is there something better for that price?

Or are there any ready made kits where you don't have to manually turn the c02 on and off. I'd be interested in adding a small amount of c02.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

> Metabolism of glutaraldehyde was quite rapid under aerobic conditions, with a half-life of 10.6 h based on the disappearance
> of the parent compound from the water phase. Glutaraldehyde was metabolized ultimately to CO2, achieving a yield
> of 68% after 30 days. Based on the experimental results obtained in this study, an aerobic metabolic pathway can be
> proposed: Glutaraldehyde is first biotransformed into glutaric acid. At this intermediate point, further oxidation can proceed
> ...


TNC-Carbon:


> Contains :- 2% Gluteraldahyde


and to the orig. question, my opinion:
CO2 levels will be high from nightly respiration..so I'd probably dose right after lights on (assuming mostly darkness prior, not getting a lot of ambient morning light)
and possibly a little later..

That said I turn on gas CO2 at lights on as well.. so it's just my opinion..

oh and just get a bottle of Metricide 14.. Save a lot of money..
Throw out activator...


----------



## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

Tank Stand said:


> Or are there any ready made kits where you don't have to manually turn the c02 on and off.


That's the purpose of the solenoid. Hook it up to a wall timer and you don't have to manually turn it on.


----------



## Tank Stand (Jan 24, 2018)

vanish said:


> That's the purpose of the solenoid. Hook it up to a wall timer and you don't have to manually turn it on.


Are they any that you would recommend? My tank is 27 gallons. In two or three years I plan to upgrade to around a 40-50 gallon tank. So something that would last in the long run.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

Tank Stand said:


> Are they any that you would recommend? My tank is 27 gallons. In two or three years I plan to upgrade to around a 40-50 gallon tank. So something that would last in the long run.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


Any what? Timers, or solenoids? Timers, there's a million of them, and most are fine. Solenoids, I'm not qualified to answer.


----------



## Tank Stand (Jan 24, 2018)

Well I'm looking at the Pro-SE Series Complete Aquarium CO2 System for tank up to 500LBS341/DIN477/W21.8x14 /.

Has anyone used that before? It's on co2 art

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Tank Stand said:


> Well I'm looking at the Pro-SE Series Complete Aquarium CO2 System for tank up to 500LBS341/DIN477/W21.8x14 /.
> 
> Has anyone used that before? It's on co2 art
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


A dual stage for about $150 USD. Why so cheap?


----------



## Tank Stand (Jan 24, 2018)

houseofcards said:


> A dual stage for about $150 USD. Why so cheap?


I'm not too sure but the reviews on the sit are quite good. There is also a ten year warranty if anything goes wrong.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------

