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Figure this one out...



My brain is about to explode (so stand back!).

I'm trying to get a handle on my planted tank.  Getting the right about of
CO2 and nutrients for optimimum plant growth.  Maybe I'm trying to learn too
much too fast, but I can't help that.

My problem is that I'm getting conflicting data.  CO2 is my problem.  I am
able to keep a steady 4dKH in my tank (measured using Aquarium Pharms kh
test kit).  I use a pH monitor/controller.  Looking at the ubiquitous KH/CO2
tables, I am lead to believe that 6.8pH, 4dKH will give me 19ppm CO2.  It
does not.  Right now my tank is sitting on 6.4-6.5 pH.  At 6.4, (47ppm CO2),
my fish should be in some kind of stress, right?  They're great and the
plants bubble away at this range.  At 6.8 they would do nothing.  Maybe my
plants aren't supposed to be bubbling, I don't know.

Enter the LaMotte CO2 test kit.  Yesterday during lunch I measured my CO2
twice, just to be sure I wasn't screwing something up.  At 6.4, 4dKH, I got
about 18ppm, according to the titration tube.  I am very careful not to
swirl the solution much so as to not loose CO2 while I'm measuring.

You say "you've got something else in there affecting pH.".  Well, I don't
use peat or blackwater extracts and I only use sodium bicarbonate (Kroger
brand, only ingredient listed is sodium bicarbonate) to reconstitute KH,
Kent's RO Right for GH.


Kelly Beard, Cat IV, Team Allanti
President, Allanti Cycling Club - http://www.allanti.com 
IBM Global Services