My first post, I found your forums through a link on AquaBotanic's website. Very interesting and somewhat helpful (most of you guys are running tanks well beyond my current ambitions though, so somewhat over my head).
I am making plans to convert our office's current fake plant tank into a planted one. I'm planning on 1.5-1.75 watts per gallon for lighting on a "heavily planted" tank. Low-light/CO2 requiring plants. However, I'd still like to get the most growth, development, and health out of this tank as possible. I imagine the main limiting factor for the tank will be CO2 levels. Meaning, I could use low-light plants under my lighting and supplement a wee bit of CO2 and see better growth. I'm not gonna do that, yet.
My question is on surface disruption and CO2 levels for this tank. I've read a thousand times in all my research that surface disruption depletes CO2. I get this much, and am planning on converting from a cheapo hang on filter and air stones to no air stones and a canister filter to calm the waters. The calmer the water, the more CO2 your tank will aquire from the surface atmosphere.
However, I found another thought on the subject that points out that air stones and other sources of surface disruption actually create a baseline CO2 level and does such at a rapid rate...that which will be there in say any ole bubbly stream. If your CO2 level is below that amount, surface disruption actually adds CO2. And a perfectly calm tank allows for only slightly more CO2.
So, is there a situation where you would want surface disruption? Lots of plants taking out CO2 and depleting the CO2 below the level a bubbly tank would keep it at?
Thanks for your help.
I am making plans to convert our office's current fake plant tank into a planted one. I'm planning on 1.5-1.75 watts per gallon for lighting on a "heavily planted" tank. Low-light/CO2 requiring plants. However, I'd still like to get the most growth, development, and health out of this tank as possible. I imagine the main limiting factor for the tank will be CO2 levels. Meaning, I could use low-light plants under my lighting and supplement a wee bit of CO2 and see better growth. I'm not gonna do that, yet.
My question is on surface disruption and CO2 levels for this tank. I've read a thousand times in all my research that surface disruption depletes CO2. I get this much, and am planning on converting from a cheapo hang on filter and air stones to no air stones and a canister filter to calm the waters. The calmer the water, the more CO2 your tank will aquire from the surface atmosphere.
However, I found another thought on the subject that points out that air stones and other sources of surface disruption actually create a baseline CO2 level and does such at a rapid rate...that which will be there in say any ole bubbly stream. If your CO2 level is below that amount, surface disruption actually adds CO2. And a perfectly calm tank allows for only slightly more CO2.
So, is there a situation where you would want surface disruption? Lots of plants taking out CO2 and depleting the CO2 below the level a bubbly tank would keep it at?
Thanks for your help.