RE: [AGA-Member] Low-light tanks & CO2

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

You don't have to add CO2, it's just one way to lower pH
and it's very beneficial to plants.

If you do not add it, the CO2 level will be low, as you
have discovered, since the only source is mainly from gas
exchange betweent he water and the air (and osme from fish
respiration).

You can grow plants that way. If you have a lot of light
and don't add CO2, then you can exacerate algae issues, but
with moderate lighting, you don't *have* to add CO2 jsut to
be able to have plants.

sh


--- Adam Michels <amichels@trafficleader.com> wrote:

> That's a really good point. They don't mind the 7.5 pH.
> But it means I
> don't have a lot of C02 in my water, when charted with my
> 4-degree KH.
> I'm actually more concerned about getting the plants to
> grow well.
> 
> Adam
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: aga-member-bounces@thekrib.com
> [mailto:aga-member-bounces@thekrib.com] On Behalf Of
> D'Wyatt
> Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 4:33 PM
> To: Aquatic Gardeners Association Member Chat
> Subject: Re: [AGA-Member] Low-light tanks & CO2
> 
> Why do you need to lower the ph?
> 
> The Discus are just fine in that water. Most all of the
> Discus today 
> are raised in tap water
> so there is no need to try to have them in very soft
> water.
> 
> D'Wyatt Green
> 
> 
> On Sep 27, 2005, at 6:20 PM, S. Hieber wrote:
> 
> > A buffer will raise you KH, not lower it. The easiest
> way
> > to lower the pH is to add a mild acid. Adding CO2 will
> do
> > this since a portion of it in water forms carbonic
> acid. IF
> > your tapwater is 7.5, you shouldn't have any problem
> > getting the pH down to discus-target levels by adding
> more
> > CO2. If your KH was 3 degrees, 30ppm of CO2 would drop
> you
> > down to a pH of 6.5. So with tapwater of 7.5, and not
> > adding other acids, CO2 should do the trick without
> ever
> > getting to harmful levels.
> >
> > I would probably raise the KH a couple of degrees by
> adding
> > some calcium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate with each
> > water change. A little buffering will keep the pH a bit
> > steadier. Even if you raise the KH up a couple of
> degrees,
> > you can still get a nice 6.5 pH without overdosing on
> CO2.
> >
> > Adding CO2 doesn't require adding more light although
> the
> > inverse is not necessarily true.  YOu might find you
> need
> > to add a littel more ferts or fish food -- but with
> discus,
> > that is usually not a problem, given their ravenous
> > appetites. ;-)
> >
> > hope that helps,
> > sh
> >
> > --- Adam Michels <amichels@trafficleader.com> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Hi, everybody. I joined AGA only a few weeks ago; I
> was
> >> wondering why
> >> everyone liked mosses so much until I received the new
> >> quarterly!
> >> Anyway, I'm confused about achieving equilibrium in my
> >> low-light plant
> >> tank, and I could really use your advice.
> >>
> >> Tank specs:
> >> Tank: 75 gallon
> >> Lighting: 4 28W T5 full-spectrum(2) and 6700K(2), 1
> 20W
> >> fluorescent, 1
> >> 15W fluorescent
> >> Filter: Fluval 304
> >> Substrate: 2/3 Flourite, 1/3 Eco-Complete
> >> CO2: 2 Hagen Nutrafin DIY yeast reactors + 2 ladders
> >> Heating: 2 250W Stealth
> >> Set-up: 2 10lb. plus driftwood stumps
> >> Plants: 1 large Aponogeton boivinarius, 2 Aponogeton
> >> madagascarensis, 1
> >> Aponogeton crispus, several odd smaller Aponogetons,
> 12+
> >> Crypts, 1 large
> >> Kleiner Bar Sword, 1 Echinodorus major, 1 Echinodorus
> >> osiris, several
> >> large Anubias barteri tied to driftwood, mid-sized
> >> Anubias congensis,
> >> nana, azfeli, frazeri, Sagitarria subulata, many
> >> Sagittaria pusilla
> >> (Dwarf Sags), many Echinodorus tenellus and some java
> >> moss
> >> Fish: Five 4-5" Discus, five Roseline Barbs
> (denisoni), 3
> >> spotted
> >> headstanders, 1 gold nugget plec (small), 1 rubbernose
> >> plec (small), 1
> >> pair killifish (Nothobranchius kafuensis) and 4
> emerald
> >> cories
> >> Tap water: 7.5 pH, 1 dH(17.8 ppm) carbonate hardness
> >> Tank temp: 81-82 degrees F
> >> Additives: Kent Freshwater Plant liquid fert. every
> water
> >> change,
> >> crushed coral in the filter bed to raised KH and GH
> >> Water Parameters: NH4=0, NO2=0, NO3=less than 12 ppm,
> pH
> >> 7.5 before
> >> turning off lights (haven't checked morning reading)
> >>
> >> I wish I had a picture. Things are fine other than I
> do a
> >> lot of water
> >> changes. But I want my plants to flourish, and the
> fish
> >> to enjoy water
> >> parameters similar to their natural habitat. The
> problem
> >> lies in that I
> >> can't get my pH down. I do so many water changes for
> the
> >> discus that the
> >> driftwood doesn't have a chance to release enough
> tannic
> >> acid fast
> >> enough, and I don't add enough C02 to lower the pH.
> >> Should I buffer? I
> >> want my pH under 7.0, for sure.
> >>
> >> Am I going about this correctly? I raised my discus in
> a
> >> species tank,
> >> bare-bottom, but they don't seem to mind the new
> >> additions. The killis
> >> look hilarious, but I don't have any where else to put
> >> them!
> >> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
> >>
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> >>
> >
> >
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