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Re: Marc Weiss "carbonator" product
Tim wrote:
> Has anyone reviewed the Marc Weiss Co. discussion of CO2 injection in their
> "Water Marc" (Vol. 2) publication? If not it can be found at
Well, I've always thought that the Marc Weiss stuff was harmless but worthless
snake oil. Reading the complete BS that's written on that page about CO2
injection offends me.
"Planted aquariums set up following the dogma of the current crop of the gurus
of green result in algae-choked containers that are hostile to fishes. I’m"
HAH! Algae-choked containers that are hostile to fishes??? Sorry, but
that's simply not true. I'm sure some people have algae problems
when using CO2, but CO2 isn't the problem, nutrient imbalance is, and
snake oil won't fix the problem.
"it would cost you a thousand dollars extra in lights and equipment and
hours of time to do something that has been done for years with simple
techniques and equipment."
Thousands of dollars? Well, maybe for George ;-) but a planted CO2
injected tank doesn't need to cost nearly that much. And lights
are required with or without snake oil (or does marc sell Light-in-a-bottle
too?)
"Sensitive fishes such as discus, dwarf cichlids etc. will develop pitting and
erosion of the head and lateral line pores…if they don’t jump out of the tank
first or smash themselves against the glass."
I've never seen any of these problems in CO2 injected Discus tanks, or CO2
injected Cichlid tanks, or any other CO2 injected tank I've seen. This
is a pretty appalling scare-tactic.
"If you want more CO2 why not add more fish? They are prettier, at least,
than a metal CO2 cylinder. Then install some benign carbonaceous rocks to
absorb the excess CO2? This is not a secret among commercial fish farmers."
Umm, maybe because to generate enough CO2 from fish, you would need to
overstock to the point that ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and other waste would
quickly reach toxic levels.
"Do you really care if by use of CO2 injection your plants burst the
aquarium in six months, or would you rather not bother with CO2
injection and harvest the excess in seven?"
The growth difference between tanks with and without CO2 injection is
much greater. And it's not just quantity. Quality of plant growth
increases. Plants grow in lusher, and healthier, and are more able
to out-compete with the algae.
"Remember, the awesome statistics of plant growth with CO2 injection
don’t address the fishes and shrimps that can only be kept in small
numbers in such an aquarium. "
I keep my 75g pretty heavily stocked, and the rainbows there display some
of the best color I've ever seen. I believe I'm safe in saying they are
more healthy than almost any others I've seen. I also keep freshwater
shrimp, and they do just fine.
"Do you think these fishes and shrimps are raised in CO2 injected water?"
Actually, there will be some freshwater sources that have higher than
normal levels of CO2. But those same fishes and shrimp aren't raised
in Marc Weiss snake oil water, that I'm sure of.
Overall, this article is total marketing BS, and dispite the fact that
I've heard from reef guys who like the products, I will never even
consider his snake oil products. That ad pushes the BS too far.
--
Chuck Gadd