Re: [APD] Estimating CO2 from pH

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

I believe it was Sally Rand who said, "All bubbles are not
created equal."

They come in dif sizes depending on how much oomph it takes
to greak a bubble away from the dispenser surface. Also the
size of hte opening can affect bubble size. 

But even assuming a standardized bubbles, the desired
number of bubbles depends on the size of tank, how fast it
absorbs and sheds CO2, and how much the plants use -- which
in turn depends on lighting, nutrients, and so it goes.

Once you have a tank stable and know the CO2 levels, you
can count the bubbles and use that as an ersatz indicator
so long as contiditon in your tank don't change a lot.
Switch from a canister to a wet/dry on an aquarium that
otherwise does not shed CO2 reaidly and the old bubble
count that "worked" withthe cansister will yield
surprizingly disappointing results.

But if you think measuring pH is fraught with inaccuracies,
measure events per second is quite possibily evn more so. 
Bubbles per minute is a more convenient measure for most
folks, I'd wager.

Scott H.
--- Steve Pushak <teban at powersonic_bc.ca> wrote:
> Estimating CO2 using pH is always problematic, in my
> opinion especially
> if you have peat or other organic material that
> contributes organic
> acids. Instead I just ensure that the bubble rate is
> adequate. I used to
> recommend 1 bubble / 8-10 seconds based on static
> measurements I made
> many years back to attain 15ppm. In light of Thomas
> Barr's
> recommendation to increase CO2 input & because my tanks
> contain a LOT of
> plant material, I am now using 1 bubble every 1-2
> seconds. . .

=====
S. Hieber
-  -   -   -   -   -   -   -
Aquascaping by Takashi Amano and more at
the AGA 2004 Annual Convention
Nov 12, 13 & 14; Marriott Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Aquatic Gardeners Association www.aquatic-gardeners.org

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