[APD] RE: CO2 too much

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

At 09:02 4/24/2005, John T. Fitch wrote: 
 I looked at the controller and saw
that the pH had dropped overnight from 6.7 down to 5.9!  So, all night the
probe was telling the controller that the pH was above 6.7 and to keep
pumping in CO2.


I have suggested folks to turn their CO2 off at night and not reply on pH
controllers.
A needle valve/timer is more reliable. Why add CO2 at night? For the pH?
That does not help and we know that.

Anytime you do a large water change on a CO2 enriched tank, the pH
dramatically shifts rapidly, fish are fine.
If not, we'd all kill our fish when doing water changes unless we added CO2
to the tap to adjust it and the KH/pH to the tank's pH as well. 

We add CO2 for the plants, not to maintain pH.
Plants only use CO2 during the day except for Isoetes(CAM plant)

Folks talk a great deal about testing NO3 or PO4 with precision, yet CO2
and light remain the two least understood and poorly measured parameters
and the largest role players in aquatic plants.

An interesting side bar: you can knock the KH to 0 and still have the same
CO2 relatively, by measuring the CO2 at 1 or 2 KH and then removing the KH
while maintaining the same CO2 bubble rate you had at 1 or 2 KH.

KH in and of itself is not absolutely needed for plant growth.
The CO2 can be estimated and then assumed to be constant then manipulate
the KH.
 *Do not try this unless you know what you are doing.*

Regards, 
Tom Barr

3rd annual Plant Fest July 8-14th 2005!
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