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[APD] Re: CO2 off at night
My goodness, what a barrage. Here are some IMHO comments.
Why do we all of a sudden think "20-30 ppm" of CO2 is a good range? I've been
using a maximum of 15 ppm since 1987 with more than enough plant growth. Or
does that go along with "4-5 w/g" of light? People, people, people, more is NOT
better. All things in moderation.
Perhaps our fish are more sensitive to higher levels of CO2 since we are at
higher altitude (5000 ft). There is less O2 at "saturation" than at sea level.
We notice our discus become stressed if the CO2 is over 20 ppm. Your results
may vary.
Why all the fuss over turning on filters and adding airstones at night? You
should have good water circulation _all_ the time. With good water circulation,
O2 diffusing into the surface water gets mixed throughout the tank and you
_never_ have an O2 problem. O2 is at the water surface morning, noon and night.
All you have to do is circulate it.
BTW, airstones are not very efficient at getting O2 into the water other than
the fact that the rising bubbles create some circulation. Why have than darn
airpump humming all night?
As for running CO2 24x7, I've always done it. Why? If the CO2 is off at night
most will diffuse out of the water by the morning. If you turn on the CO2 when
the lights come on, it will take a while for it to build up to useful levels
and photosynthesis will be hindered in the meantime. And if you have the CO2
running extra hard to make up for this, you are asking for trouble. If you want
the benefits of increased O2, why waste half the photoperiod waiting for CO2 to
catch up?
Gosh, why not just have 2 w/g, 15 ppm CO2 24x7 and good water circulation? Then
you can sit back and enjoy your tanks instead of overmanaging them.
George Booth in Ft. Collins, CO (gbooth at frii dot com)
The website for Aquatic Gardeners by Aquatic Gardeners
http://aquaticconcepts.thekrib.com/ (mirror)
http://www.frii.com/~gbooth/AquaticConcepts/
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