[APD] CO2 in marine tanks

[Thomas Barr <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

"I was told by the curator at the local museum that you wouldn't get aragonite 
substrate to "roast" unless the pH dropped below neutral. He runs his Ca 
reactor at pH 6.6. Maybe there is a way to test to see if it will disassociate at 
a pH greater than 7. Interesting thought."

Well, I think putting it into the substrate along the back rear wall, or alternatively, have a semi kalk reactor in the HOB filter, feed the CO2 into the skilter side, and put arag in the bio/skimmer section for some CO2 roasting of the CaCO3. 

You can use other things to dissolve it like heat.
Some dissolution is going to take place, perhaps not enough to supply a 200 gal tank etc, but maybe enough for a small tank.
Putting the heater in the CaCO3 may help but I do not think that much.
Very fine Aragonite and finely ground CO2 gas "mist" should help increase the dissolution.
The gas can get trapped in this CaCO3 sand bed and the concentration can build up. But it can also burp out releasing a lot of CO2 at once, not sure if that would be such a good thing.

Perhaps I am being overly cautious about it.
I tend not to mess with my marine tanks nearly as much as FW planted tanks.  

You can take a simple bucket with arag and a CO2 reactor in it for dosing into the tank vs a kalk reactor etc.
Add the auto top off pump/float valve set up to that, pretty much like a more low tech version of a kalk reactor.
CO2 reactors are easy and cheap, bucket are cheap, you can get one of those nice electronic float valves for about 40-50$ etc or go with a cheapy float valve.
You can even put a lid over the bucket to reduce CO2 losses etc.
Or do the same thing with a batch of Kalk, which is easier?
I think the Kalk mix is. 

But......... adding CO2 FOR THE PLANTS is something that really is more what I am looking at rather than supplying the Ca and the alkalinity.

I'm not sure how some species might react. I think most will either respond well or the others will not respond either way. At least that's what I'd predict, but I might be wrong also.  

Ca, CO3/HCO3, Mg etc I can dose in a variety of compounds, I do not have to have the Kalk but settting the CO2 reactor up with very finely ground aragonite next to the heater (or have the heater in the CaCO3) would not be such a bad idea and may help some.  

"Do you have any thoughts on Fe additions? Kent makes a product with chelated 
Fe, as well as K, Mn, Mo and Zn. Interestingly enough, I was under the 
impression that FW algae could utilize K. Possibly SW macro's and the like benefit 
from K additions. I know Seachems reef plus also contains Fe."

There's enough in SW already. It doesn't hurt to add more. I certainly add iron. I have some Kent stuff that was donated(They switched to FW plants and decided it was reef specific and gave it to me). I dose about 3 mls every 2-3 days. FW and SW algae use K but it's seldom ever limiting in aquatic ecosystems but closed systems may become low,

But.......I do something called water changes, something SW folks kick, scream and moan about it, like taking their first born or something rather than do a water change. 
But they will try to dose and micro manage, they will buy 300$+ skimmers, kalk reactors, all sorts of supplements , have more test kits than you can count for the entire peroidic table ad nauseum..... 

Heck, it's much simpler just to pay some for the Salt and do a large water change each week or two. Then you do not have to test so much, dose all these other things so critically.

Maybe that's my secret. SW folks have gotten so removed from the basics like a simple large water change.

"Regards,
Tim
I glue animals to rocks"

I'm calling PETA on you. What kind of cruelty is this? Do FW folks glue their fish to rocks?:)
The horror:)

I'm going to set up a CaCO3 roasting section in the filter and run CO2 through, maybe in a week or so and see what happens. I hope the predictions are right. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr
  
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