Holy Co2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jay-Stew

Jay-Stew

AC Members
Jan 18, 2006
149
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26 miles North of Lake Erie
Ok ,What did I do, tell me I did this all wrong... I just put a yeast co2 reactor on a 65 G tank yesterday. i just took the measurements with the lights off for 12 hours. PH 6.4, KH 5, 89.5ppm, Gh 7,125.3 ppm. I just calculated my co2 level to be 59.8 ppm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Should i have have measured with the lights on? anyone ? :eek: :eek: Is this right?? Can someone explain this to me??????????
 
All the fish look good, they are swimming around, if the co2 was in fact that high would they not be at the top of the tank gsping for air???? Any thoughts?
 
take a glass of tank water and let it sit overnight. Compare the pH of the glass's water to the pH of the tank water. If the PH is 1.0 lower, the amount of CO2 is 30-40 ppm. If it is .7 lower, the amount of CO2 is 15 to 20 ppm, and if it is 1.3 lower, it is 60-80 ppm. The kH/pH test is not completely accurate so this is another method to determine what CO2 numbers are. If you are into doing pages of math, look up the kA value for H2CO3 and HCO3- and you can work out more accurate numbers. With CO2 yeilding a diprotic acid in water, the math becomes more complex but is doable. If you are not into complex math and reading, here is a the pH - pH method formula

ppmCO2=degassed ppm CO2*10exp(degassed PH-PH)

degassed ppm CO2 would range from 2-5 ppm depending on where you live. If you are sea level use 5. If you an the rocky mountains use 2 otherwise pick a number in between. Degassed pH is the pH of the water you let sit overnight.
 
Ok , I can try that for sure, but the kit only measures 6-7.6ph. I guess I have .4 to play with.... do you really think it is that high? I just don't get it. The tank is 2/3 planted, surely it can us the co2 injection. I just don't want ot crash the tank.
 
i keep my co2 reactors on heat in the winter,to get them shooting the bubbles out,but as its now warmin up (yes we do kinda get a summer in england)..well i kept the heat on and with the higher temps...i had the other day a ph 6 and kh 3...so a c02 reading of 90 and this fish were fine.

turned the heat of now :duh:
 
Jay-Stew said:
Ok , I can try that for sure, but the kit only measures 6-7.6ph. I guess I have .4 to play with.... do you really think it is that high? I just don't get it. The tank is 2/3 planted, surely it can us the co2 injection. I just don't want ot crash the tank.
Click to expand...

If it was really that high, your fish would be dead. I am sure something is messing with the readings. Just to be safe, I would run an airstone at night to gas some of the CO2 out. The plants don't need the CO2 at night so why subject the fish to it. Don't worry about the pH swings, the fish could care less. Some fish living in lakes in the wild have to deal with daily pH swings where the water goes from a pH of 6 to 10 and back daily.
 
i fugure they should be dead too, i have a powehead in there with a o2 attachement i guess i could just turn it up a bit. i would really like to know what those readings mean. Anyone????????
 
Have you got anything in your tank that could be lowering your ph.(bogwood,peat).etc
These will mess up your KH,PH readings?
Try doing a ph reading without c02
To get a good c02 reading,you want the c02 to be the only thing lowering the ph
 
does your tank have a lot of surface aggitation? if not then the CO2 is probably unnesisary, the fish should provide enough CO2 for the plants.
 
wickerman said:
Have you got anything in your tank that could be lowering your ph.(bogwood,peat).etc
These will mess up your KH,PH readings?
Try doing a ph reading without c02
To get a good c02 reading,you want the c02 to be the only thing lowering the ph
Click to expand...

I have 3 good sized pieces of Mopani driftwood. But they are 3 months old,I don't think they are a big factor. I did however take another KH read and I got 4Kh ,I previously got 5Kh...... I have a glass set aside to do a test in the morning, I wonder if testing with the lights off changes the results. With those new Kh tests that lowers the co2 . I am still stumped though...
 
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