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Re: CO2 Comments
J. Odian wrote:
>2) I went to the Florida Driftwood Page for which someone provided
>the link on this list. They advertise an anaerobic filter. I am not
>going to discuss the merits of this filter, but 2 statements on the
>page are either confusing or incorrect.
>Adding O2 does not displace CO2. Having surface agitation can allow
>the CO2 to dissipate, but you can always increase the CO2 injection
>rate to maintain a desirable level.
Me:
One CAN maximize O2 & Co2 saturation as long as you avoid surface
agitation. Attempting to both encourage surface agitation AND maximize Co2
saturation are contrary objectives do nothing but waste energy and Co2.
J. Odian wrote:
>In addition, aerating water does not make algae grow faster. Just
>take a simple look at nature. Do you ever see algae growing in a fast
>flowing river? No!
Me:
YES!!! What makes you think this isnt the case? Have you ever lived
downstream of a farm? I have! Its amazing what the high
nitrates/phosphates of scat runoff will do to a pristine river. Some
algaes don't like to be bounced about but others are WELL adapted for it.
Note the morphology of certain algae eaters SAEs for example. These guys
EVOLVED in fast streams to lift clinging algae from rocks.
J. Odian wrote:
>It grows in stagnant water and ponds that are
>deficient in O2.
Me:
Not so! They once thought the everglades was a big, stagnant swamp once.
Till they finally came to understand how it actually works. However, TRULY
stagnant "ponds" do NOT do a good job supporting what we all refer to as
algae.
Reminds me of a conversation I was just having w/ Chuck Gadd about one
particularly bothersome algae; Blue Green Algae (BGA). He made the
interesting observation that this pest seems to like to hang around the
inflow/outflow of filters (O2 rich) even when it has been defeated in the
rest of the aquarium. I've seen the same thing myself! He also noted
something we have all observed how EXTREMELY adaptable this particular
algae is.
Face it, oxygen is both a sufficient AND a necessary condition for healthy
plants and algae. However, surface agitation w/in a Co2 injected aquarium
is anathema to plants but helps out certain algaes.
Aquarium Plants and Hardware:
http://www.floridadriftwood.com