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Aquatic Plants Digest V4 #28
>To show that Hgb is not involved, fill the bag with CO and a CO2
>absorber (it's a calcium salt, forgot which one) and inhale as deeply
>as you can and hold it. Then when you can hold it no longer, start
>breathing (into and out of the bag). There will be no CO2 buildup and
>no panic, but your Hgb is completely occupied by CO, as will be
>evidenced by your passing out (from anoxia). Be sure to have someone
>on hand to remove the plastic bag and revive you. I do not recommend
>you actually carry out this last experiment as it is dangerous and you
>could die, but you might want to sacrifice an animal if you need to see
>it actually happen. I am content with anecdotal evidence about CO
>asphyxiation.
This example will work with any gas other than oxygen - nitrogen, helium,
argon, etc. and not just CO. You pass out from anoxia because there is no O2
available and the fact that CO is bound to your hemoglobin is irrelevant.
The danger with CO is that it binds to hemoglobin better than O2 binds, so
CO can cause death from anoxia even when there is plenty of O2 available.
Now I am not sure how this relates to aquariums unless your fish tank is in
the garage!