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Re: CO2 levels and nasty bugs
Steve Amor wrote:
[snip]
> I recently tested my pH for the first time and found it to be >7.4 (the
> max. my kit goes up to!) This corresponds to my tap water too.
A pH of 7.4 isn't necessarily a problem for your tank.
[snip]
> I took the following samples:
>
> pH 7.4+
> Carbonate Hardness 120ppm (does this equal 6.7dH???)
> Phosphates 1mg/l
> Iron negligible
120 ppm is 6.7 German degrees.
> How does my water hardness compare?
Your water is well buffered.
> Is KH the same as dH.
"KH" is alkalinity. I think the way that you're using it, "dH" is a unit
of measure that can be used to measure alkalinity. So they aren't the
same, any more than "distance" and "meters" are the same thing.
> From an old
> table that I found pH vs KH, I figure my CO2 level is around 8ppm - is
> this correct?
I can't see your table from here, but it sounds about right to me.
> What do I have to do to be able to increase my CO2 levels?
You probably don't need to increase your CO2 levels. 8 ppm is fine.
As I think you found out, lowering (or trying to lower) pH with a
non-carbonate buffer doesn't permanently change your CO2 concentration.
If you really feel that you need higher CO2, then tune your DIY CO2
system to get a higher CO2 yield, or find a better way to get CO2
dissolved in your water. You don't really describe in this post what
you're using for a CO2 reactor. Lots' of folks get good performance by
bubbling the CO2 into a powerhead. You also might be able to increase the
CO2 concentration by reducing the loss of CO2 from your tank by reducing
turbulence or removing aeration.
And in another post...
> In Sydney, Australia this last week there has been a reported 'giardia'
> outbreak in the cities' water supply. To the non-technical water people
> like myself this is a nasty little germ that lives inside animal
> intestines and makes people sick. Australia (unfortunately) has no
> standards on levels of giardia (and other, similarly nasty bugs) in their
> water supplies, only 'guidelines'.
>
> My point is, are there similar 'nasties' found in tap water around the
> world that would infect our freshwater fish and plants? If so, is there
> anything we can do about it, or do we just hope that we never get any of
> them?
Giardia is a problem in lots of places. Cryptosporidium is another nasty
bug that can get into water supplies and parasitize humans. These are
in addition to the more "traditional" water-borne pathogens like typhoid
that we've been worrying about for a long time. To my knowledge none of
these human pathogens effects plants or fish. As far as fish are
concerned, I think there are a number of parasites or pathogens that can
be carried in the water supply. Columnaris bacteria and ich come to mind.
I don't know of any water borne disease or parasite of aquarium plants.
Roger Miller
Who is sometimes glad his water supply comes from deep ground water.