[AGA Member] CO2 efficiency in hard water

["Amit Brucker" <amitb@gtek.co.il>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>
To: <aga-member@thekrib.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2004 3:00 PM
Subject: Re: [AGA Member] CO2 efficiency in hard water


> 
> --- Amit Brucker <amitb@gtek.co.il> wrote:
> > Scott,
> > Thanks for the answers.
> > Let me make myself clear a bit more,
> > If I'll take out my CO2 system - I am not sure it will
> > effect the plants
> > much.
> 
> If you take out hte CO2 system, will be be allowing your
> plants only the CO2 that's normally inthe water, just f few
> ppm or what they can get when they reach the water surface,
> where the level of CO2 is measured in hundreds.
> 
> > Assuming that my PH/KH are stable at all times - this
> > means I'll have stable
> > amounts of dissolved CO2 ?
> 
> If you took away the CO2 injection and you pH did not rise
> after a few days, I would take this to mean that you were
> not getting any CO2 into the water with your CO2 system
> *AND* you were lowering the pH by some other acid. I don't
> think you can have a KH of 12 and  pH of 7.2 without some
> acid being present.
That's the point!!!! I bet if i'll take it out,my PH will stay or raise to 7.3/4 I would expect much higher PH levels....yes I am trying for a long time to understand why does it not effect the PH.....

> 
> > Is this also may be the reason for not seeing to much CO2
> > diffusion in the
> > water ???
> 
> I'm not sure what you're looking for. If you want 100% of
> the CO2 to dissolve into the water, get or make an external
> reactor. There are some simple inexpensive plans around for
> DIY. The ready-made reactors tend to be very pricey.  With
> an external reactor you'll get 100% absortion of the CO2
> into the water.
> 
> > Sure I know that CO2 is one of the three important
> > nutrient, but my tap
> > water seems to have fair amount of it considering
> > KH&KH....
> 
> Even if your tap water has CO2, water doesn't hold onto CO2
> very well. You have to contiually add it since it
> continually escapes.
> 
> > So it seem to my that my system does not contribute too
> > much for my tank.
> > Now ask this: Ok, stop using the CO2 system. Lets
> > consider plants taking up
> > all CO2 in the water, what then ?
> > 1. I don't think this should have any effect on PH and
> > not I don't think PH
> > levels would rise.
> 
> Why not. You remove an acid from the water andthe pH will
> rise unless your tank was buffered to the point that you
> had carbonate precipitates. Then removing the acid would
> jsut mean more of the precipitate would dissolve -- but for
> Caclium carbonate, for example to precipitate, you'd need
> the pH to be way up past.
> 
> > 2. The tank is aerated during the night - I  guess that
> > some CO2 enters the
> > tank as well.
> 
> More likely, it drives off watever is in there down to the
> normal levels in water of just a few ppm.

I agree on that.... just affraid a bit I guess.
> 
> So now you take all day to try to build up the levels
> again, only to literally blow them out of hte water each
> night.
> 
> I'd like to know if any other acids are in the water. Are
> you adding any buffers. Organics aren't a source unless you
> go long period without water changes and have lots of
> detrituts inthe tank. 
I do not add and acids/buffers only tap water, as for the detrituts don't think I have a lot of them
> 
> Stop the nightly aeration -- rely on your plants for
> oxygenating the water during the day. After staturation,
> the levels will be fine all night.
Yes well this I might try....and I agree it will remove exess CO2 out of the water but I will try
However I think the problem is my KH as well which is relativly high...
> 
> Do 50% weekly water changes to reduce the impact on any
> organic.
> 
> Raise the CO2 level to get up to 30 ppm just to see if you
> can lower pH by doing so.
> 
> sh
> 
> =====
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> 
> 
> 
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