Re: [GSAS-Member] First night with CO2; nothing seemed to change, but also no fish are dead

[Matt Staroscik <matt@wrongcrowd.com>]

On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 1:23 AM, Algae Magnet <algaemagnet@gmail.com> wrote:

> Do you have any pH buffers (phosphate) in your tank?  They will through off
> your CO2 calculations.


Nope, nothing like that. RO/DI water, fish, and cuttlebone.


>  With a bubble counter, I find that I can see changes
> in CO2 concentration within an hour (especailly after a water change where
> CO2 goes from 3ppm back up to 20+ ppm.)  As a reference, my 20g runs at
> around 2 bpm and my 45 gal at around 3-4 bpm both targeting around 25ppm
> using bubble counters (but it is darn tough to read the color accurately
> and
> the valvles need adjusting every coupled of days.)
>

Very helpful reference points, thanks. I knew that 1 bps was on the low side
for a 90 gal tank but if your 45 gal runs at 3-4 bpm I may be too low to
effect any sort of change at all.

I think my pH test kit may be stale too, so I got out my Pinpoint pH probe
and calibrated it. The electrode is old and has been stored for a couple of
years to boot, but it seemed to hold calibration and it shows the tank as
being about pH 7.0 instead of the test kit's pH 6.8.

Unfortunately I can't trust the pH test kit or the probe completely. I
should get a new probe electrode and a fresh KH test kit since it's just as
old as the pH test.

Wish I had a tricorder, or at least a drop checker with fresh standard
solutions.

MS
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