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Squawkbert · 10-31-2007, 08:30 AM

Didn't read all, but here's my initial reaction to the OP & questions about what constitutes "a little" higher/lower etc.

1) Method mentioned assumes that a solenoid is in use or that tank is heavily planted enough that O2 from plant respiration will displace CO2 in the water column.

2) Change in pH due to a fixed amount of CO2 being in the water will be a function of the water's buffering capacity. If GH is high, expect a modest to trivial change in pH. If GH is low, you *might* see a difference in pH (depending on KH level). This explains the lack of answers as to what "a little" is.

3) If you're adding CO2 during the photoperiod and pH actually goes up, your combination of gas exchange (due to surface agitation) and plant usage *is* exceeding the amount of CO2 you're adding (or something else happened to introduce something basic to the water).

IMHO - a drop checker is a better way to do it.

10-31-2007, 08:30 AM	#35 (permalink)
Squawkbert Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 903 iTrader Ratings: 7 iTrader Positive Rating: 100% Plant Points: 59050	Re: Amano and CO2 Didn't read all, but here's my initial reaction to the OP & questions about what constitutes "a little" higher/lower etc. 1) Method mentioned assumes that a solenoid is in use or that tank is heavily planted enough that O2 from plant respiration will displace CO2 in the water column. 2) Change in pH due to a fixed amount of CO2 being in the water will be a function of the water's buffering capacity. If GH is high, expect a modest to trivial change in pH. If GH is low, you might see a difference in pH (depending on KH level). This explains the lack of answers as to what "a little" is. 3) If you're adding CO2 during the photoperiod and pH actually goes up, your combination of gas exchange (due to surface agitation) and plant usage is exceeding the amount of CO2 you're adding (or something else happened to introduce something basic to the water). IMHO - a drop checker is a better way to do it.