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Re: Aerating to get co2 into water!
Oh, oh, someone please comment. I am trying to decide if I should pump co2
into my pond! If aeration will help on this type of scale, it will be easier!
Alfred
At 07:12 PM 10/6/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 00:11:45 -0600
>From: ruddigar at home_com
>Subject: air/tank CO2 eq'b
>
>To fix my super high CO2 problem I am heavily aerating the tank, thus
>diving off CO2, right? However, the plants are bubbling away. At first
>I thought it was just stray bubbles from the airstone or powerhead, but
>no - the plants are actually pearling.
> My educated guess would be that the CO2 was probably driven off pretty
>quickly, and now instead of CO2 escaping the water, it is now dissolving
>into the water to create equilibrium with the partial pressure of CO2 in
>the air.
> What I mean is that when we aerate the, we create surface agitation.
>This agitation allows for faster gas exchange between the air and water.
>When I started the aeration, pCO2 was higher in the water than it was in
>the air. This kicked the dissolution of CO2 from the water into high.
>
>i.e. CO2 water -(fast)--> CO2 air
>
> Therefore in a short time pCO2 in the water will be less than pCO2 in
>the air. Furthermore, the plants are using CO2, creating a larger
>gradient between air and water.
> Now I believe that CO2 is dissolving into the water, from the air, and
>feeding the needs of the plants.
> So ... what I would like to know is: Should I just keep up this heavy
>aeration instead of hooking my CO2 back up? Will this supply my plants
>with ample CO2. I believe it will work, but I have no experience, which
>is why I'm asking the question. Has anyone tried it?
>
>Sorry for the long-windedness of this post.
>
>Thanks for your patience
>
>Jason Miller
>Sherwood Park, AB
>Canada
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