Re: [AGA Member] CO2 efficiency in hard water

["S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>]

--- Amit Brucker <amitb@gtek.co.il> wrote:
> 
> 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.....
> 
> > 
> I agree on that.... just affraid a bit I guess.

If the water is circulating well, you're unlikely to have
any catestrophic condition if you turn off the aeration.

If you have lots of plants and circulationm the water will
have oxygen.

Although O2 levels will decline at night, so will the
fishes need for it -- they become very still during the
dark -- at those that are not crepuscular or nocturnal.


> > 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.
 
> > 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...

Basically, KH *will not* affect your CO2 or O2 levels.
Also, CO2 does not displace O2 nor does O2 displace CO2 in
the water. But CO2 feeding the plants makes the plants put
O2 in thewater.  CO2 for the plants, plants for O2, fish
(food/poop) for other ferts for the plants.

Do 50% weekly water changes to reduce the impact on any 
organics producing acids.

Raise the CO2 level to get up to 30 ppm  just to see if 
you can lower pH by doing so. That's 30 ppm *before* the
lights come on -- the level might drop as low as 15-20 ppm
after the lights have been on for 6 hours or so. 

On my tanks with the CO2 running constantly, day and night,
and no aerators, the pH only changes 0.2 units between it's
lowest and highest points. And the fish never seem stressed
for O2. So running CO2 constant and not aerating needn't
cause wild pH swings nor an O2 shortage at night.

If raising the CO2 level causes the fish to be gasping at
the surface early in the morning before lights on, then the
level is probably too high -- back it off a bit. If not
gasping, then level is not too high.

But don't stop the aeration and increase the CO2 at the
same time or you won't be able to tell what's causing
gasping, it if occures. So first stop the aeration and then
check the fish before the lights come on. If not gasping,
then raise the CO2 up to what seems to measure out at 30
ppm.

With CO2, over a week or two, you should be able to see
more rapid growth in your fast growing plants (swords, most
stem plants) and generally less algae problems  -- even if
something in your water is messing up being able to rely on
the CO2/KH/pH table. 

sh

=====
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