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Re: Lamotte O2 test
> From: John_P_Bonin at eFunds_Com
> Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 16:24:38 -0500
>
> The reason I'm injecting O2 is because I don't have a lot of plants in my
> tank. Actually, I don't want a lot of plants. However I do want a lot of
> fish and I believe some (like parrot cichlids) have died as a result
> (little movement and very heavy gill breathing).
Or they died because they are feeble mutants.
> So this is a true concern
> for me. I don't use an O2 tank for this. I choose to do this by running
> the tubing from my air pump into my canister filter (using a cheap metering
> valve inbetween) rather than just running a plain airstone. This
> eliminates the salt and mineral build up on my glass tops.
OK, you're NOT injecting O2. For all practical purposes, you are not even
"injecting" much air. The best way to make sure O2 levels are OK is to have some
turbulence at the water surface (to help gases in the air diffuse into the
water) and to have good circulation throughout the tank (to help get the gases
dissolved at the surface into all areas of the tank). Sorry about your glass
tops.
> And if you inject O2, there may be even less O2.
I'll guess one of the "O2"s there should have been CO2. And it is NOT TRUE that
injecting CO2 causes less O2. At the CO2 levels we use, there is no interaction
between O2 and CO2 in the water. Having healthy plants with CO2 injection will
increase O2 levels when the plants are synthesizing. Injecting CO2 will NOT
change the amount of O2 in the water other than what the plants add.
> How do you know with your current load of plants that there is enough O2 to
> handle more fish.
If you have good water circulation, O2 is generally not a problem. O2 may be a
problem if you have an very high bioload; too many fish, too much decomposing
crud, etc. If you are trying to jam too many fish into your tank, planted or
not, you are not practicing good fish keeping.
> And I am struggling with some plants as it is, in which case they may do less
> in contributing oxygen.
If plants aren't growing well, they contribute nothing except extra bioload.
> I'd just like to know what range of acceptable tritation tube readings are
> for this kit.
Oxygen saturation at sea level and (I beleive) 75 degrees F is 8.1 mg/l. At
higher temps and higher altitudes, saturation is less. Typical aquarium values
are 90-95% of this figure.
So, if you are at sea level and your water is 75 F, readings of 7.2 and above
are OK.
---
Well, I'm off the air for a few days while my office gets moved. Toodles.
George Booth in Ft. Collins, Colorado (booth at frii_com)
http://www.frii.com/~booth/AquaticConcepts