CO2/KH/PH problem

A

Aquafreak

Aquarist
Dec 11, 2002
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Sydney Australia
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I have KH of 4.48dH, GH 15.68dH, pH 7.3. Now I have a carbo plus co2 system, I've turned it up to 70% which should be plenty if not too much co2 for a tank my size (33gal). But the pH remainds pretty much the same, it might drop anywhere from .2-.4, now according to this co2 chart on the web http://www.floridadriftwood.com/page.asp?id=16
I don't have anywhere near enough co2 in this tank, is my KH too low for the carbo plus to work? My Green Cabomba is growing just fine sprouting and shooting new leaves everyday, all the plants in the tank seems to grow at a speed that's only possible with co2, but on the other hand I don't have much co2 in the water at all according to chart. This is starting to bug me, someone please reply.

Thank you for your attention
 
Your target pH is 6.8 for the numbers you quote.
The lower the kH the easier it is to lower the pH. With a kH of approx. 4.5 you shouldn't have any trouble bringing your pH down to a lower, more optimum level.
I don't know squat about the "carbo plus" system, but if you can turn it up an get more CO2 out of it, that's probably what you need to do. Also, a lot depends on how reliable a reactor you're using and whether you have a lot of surface agitation gasing off your CO2.
Len
PS That picture in your other thread about iron deficiency looks like a perfectly happy plant to me. Sometimes, pictures don't show the plant the way it looks in real life. It'll be interesting to see what others think.
 
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It produces very very small bubbles of co2 in the water, doesn't need a reactor as far as I'm concerned, problem is, no matter how high I turn this thing up, the pH won't budge a bit.
Thanks for the reply anyway.
 
Canister filter, no spray bar, no air stones, no powerheads and nothing above the surface. I'm starting to think I have a faulty pH probe.
 
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Originally posted by Aquafreak
It produces very very small bubbles of co2 in the water, doesn't need a reactor as far as I'm concerned, problem is, no matter how high I turn this thing up, the pH won't budge a bit.
Thanks for the reply anyway.
Click to expand...

If these very small bubles are justing floating to the top, then they are not being dissolved into your water. I would second the recomendation for a reactor or a small power head to mash and mix these bubbles better.
 
I've just put in a Sera CO2 test thingy into the tank, see if that would solve the mystery, if it shows that I do have enough CO2 in the tank, then I'll be totally stumped on why the pH is stuck.
 
Well the sera CO2 test kit shows that I do not have enough CO2 in the tank, but I've already cranked it up to 70%, can someone tell me why this carbo-plus that can do tanks of 75gals if not more would need to be turned to 70% in a 33gal? Is my KH too high? I'm stumped.

*Update*
The pH is dropping now with the CO2 bubbling away to 6.9 from 7.2. So should I follow the Sera test kit or should I stick to the online KH/pH charts?

Thanks for reading
 
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