is it safe to keep a CO2 planted tank in bedroom

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Q

quocthai105

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 23, 2008
25
0
0
33
Viet Nam-Ho Chi Minh city
ok guys, here's the problem.
My girl wants me to "build" (sorry, PC enthusiast use this word:naughty:) her a planted tank, I supppose the dimensions are: 60*35*35 cm

  1. -I'm planning on a green moss view on the driftwood (flame, java moss maybe, some higher grade if possible), and glossmatica:nilly: (the short grass produces runners, Amano uses it a lot) for the front view ground, keeping RC and its relatives, small decorative snails :screwy:(sorry don't know what you guys call this kind of creature).
  2. -With the "gloss", I learnt that it requires A LOT OF LIGHT, NUTRITION, CO2, so in addition, the tank will be kept in her bedroom, so could the CO2 system can cause any trouble to the person? Since the room is like 5*5 m, and "ventilation" :WHOA:is not very good, will the CO2 exaust over water surface be dangerous?
  3. And can I use the compact lights in replacement for the traditional tubes:headbang2?? You know, to reduce power consumption (my girl always wants to save to environment, how lovely:wall:)
  4. Cooling: since I live in VN, which is really close to the equator (HOT-above 30*C all the year:screwy:) so I thinking of using the PC case fan (with modification, of course:WHOA:) to cool the tank ('cause it's small enough to do that). I also thought about the chiller, but it wil cost more and create noise (unacceptable in bedroom, right:headbang2??). Any ideas about this?
 
i would try it for a bit and keep the room closed for a day or two and get a carbon dioxid detecter in there (it looks just like a smoke detecter) and if you here it go off its a no go. Are you going to plum it into the tank or did i miss somthing?
 
co2 detector seems to be luxurious tools in my country, but thanks for the suggestion. I'm going to connect it to the glass ADA diffuser or something, but I'm still affraid of CO2 "leaking" from the Co2 container. (I experience this once, and believe me, it wasn't cool at all, imagine a whole night sleeping outside in the bancony, cold and mosquitos lurking around me, finding a chance to xxx me, while the room was ventilated with 6 220v fans, yep, it was an experience....)
 
CO (carbon monoxide) is a different animal than CO2, although can be fatal in high concentrations. Here is link with some CO2 info. I personally would not be worried about the safety concerns associated with a small bottle of gas on my room, as long as safe handling procedures are followed. If a large leak were present, you would probably hear it, and barring any voilent action to the setup, it is highly unlikely that one would "pop- up" without warning. There is a large safety factor built into compressed gas equipment. If you were the type to check on your tank daily a large leak would be readily apparent (no diffuser action, and more apparent a big ZERO on the pressure gauge). If it were a small leak it probably would not be sufficient enough to seriously contaminate a room to dangerous levels over a short peiod of time. Millions of people have natural gas and propane systems in their homes WITH leaks and are unaware, even with the "rotten egg" smell added. Far more dangerous than CO2. If all safety precautions are followed you will be A-OK. Your local gas supplier will be glad to help and assist you with any questions or concerns relating to safety with with yuor purchase. Sounds like a nice setup you have planned. Good luck!
 
Have you put any thought into putting the tank outside on the balcony? just as long as the balcony can support the extra weight of the tank. If I recall from years ago, you shouldn't need anything special to keep a nice planted tank in VN just as long as the tank can get controlled lighting. Heck, during the rainy season you won't even have to change the water in the tank and with the temps there, you shouldn't have any trouble with most plants found in aquariums. An aquarium on the balcony would help settle any fears you have with CO2.
 
haha how much co2 are you planning to inject?
yes its safe i have one in my room right now.

a co2 cylinder should last a extremely long time probably atleast 6 months. your adding very little co2 daily.

edit: i actually had the connectors come lose and release all the co2 in a week, im still alive. yes i know im amazing.
 
I had a CO2 bottle in my room. My regulator broke and wound up killing all my fish and I didn't even notice a small difference in the room. I would say go for gold and keep us update with loads of pics. Sounds like a great project.
 
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