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Re: CO2 Depleting Buffers



> > True or false: with CO2 injection, a tank with a kH of 5 will be
> depleted of
> > calcium hardness in a matter of days by the carbonic acid if no
> extra buffering is added, causing the pH and CO2 concentration
> to drop?

The CO2 put into an aquarium doesn't (all) stay there.  In fact, most
CO2 leaves rather quickly into the atmosphere.  Part of the trick of
doing CO2 injection well, besides using an efficient reactor like Tom
Barr's 

(  http://www.spectrumdesignplastics.com/petsup.htm  ), 

is trying to minimize how quickly the CO2 is shed to the air.  The
plants use some and the air takes much of the rest.  We keep adding CO2
because much of it keeps leaving as we add it.

If it never left and just kept building up (which it can't), then
all/any alkaline buffers present in the tank would become "used up."  
Even then, the plants can only use so much and the water can absorb
only so much CO2, and after that the rest would still be passed on into
the atmosphere and the CO2 level would drop, but would remain at that
maximum saturation level. 

I think I said this right.  I'll sit down now and wait for corrections.


Scott H.

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