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Balancing CO2 and O2 with a Safety Factor



Hello all.

I have a 46gal tank with a DIY CO2 generator plumbed into a Magnum 350
canister.  I have redirected the returns and stopped using an air pump to
minimize surface agitation (and CO2 loss) as the plants generate more than
adequate O2.

While vacationing, my lighting fixture failed and the plants stopped O2
production.  With the summer time heat pushing the tank to 80-84 degC, the
resulting lack of O2 (my hypothesis) killed several species of pleco (all
that were in the tank).  All other fish survived without note.

My concern is that in achieving the higher CO2 availability, I put the O2
sensitive species at risk.  Has anyone else noticed a similar risk?

In my larger setup, I was considering adding an second inline CO2 diffuser
with room air as the supply source rather than CO2.  This would supply
oxygen even if the plants fail to for some reason without driving off the
CO2 at the water/air interface the way an airstone can.  Comments?

Thanks in advance.
J Sullivan
=======================
Jason Sullivan

Wayne, NJ
mailto:jsull97 at earthlink_net