Measuring CO2 from Excel

DGalt

DGalt

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Jun 1, 2008
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I was going to put together a drop checker, but someone pointed out that Excel is not a gaseous source of CO2, meaning that it wouldn't have been that useful.

Is there any way to check the CO2 levels that result from regular dosing of Excel? Would the KH - pH route with the charts and all be the only way or would these not be affected by Excel either?
 
Excel is NOT CO2. It is a form of carbon that plants can utilize LIKE CO2.
 
I would email Seachem and ask them what a single dose of Excel is comparable to in ppm of CO2.
Usable Excel remains in the water for up to 24 hrs, but I'm sure the levels drop off rapidly during heavy plant use. I'm not sure how it would compare to CO2 over the entire 24hr period.
 
247Plants said:
Excel is NOT CO2. It is a form of carbon that plants can utilize LIKE CO2.
Click to expand...

right...I know. I guess I should have said "Carbon" in the title rather than CO2.

reading up a bit more about why pH and Kh can be used to get the CO2 levels, I see why that wouldn't work either.

hmm...ok.

I wonder if there is a way to just measure how much carbon is in the water. Maybe I'll email my organic chem professor (along with Seachem :))
 
You can determine pH and KH from CO2, cause it is a gas that has an measurable/known acidic property. Excel cant be determined that way cause it doesnt cause any measurable pH change, that a hobbyist can detect.
 
well...yes...kinda. CO2 forms carbonic acid (a weak acid) when dissolved in water, which is what lowers the pH. More of technicality I guess, since knowing one basically means knowing the other.
 
There isn't a hobbyist method for measuring carbon levels. It would require research grade laboratory equipment.

Aside from simply adjusting the dose suggested on the bottle, or finding out how other hobbyist dose it for certain levels, emailing Seachem is your best bet. In my experience, they have always been rather helpful and forthcoming.

You basically want to know what the ppm of glutaraldehyde is in a standard dose, and then you can calculate from there what you want to dose.

However, you shouldn't shoot for 30 ppm of glutaraldehyde(active ingredient in excel) the same way as you shoot for 30 ppm of co2. They are not the same molecule and shouldn't be thought of as such.

I would follow dosing guidelines provided on the bottle.
 
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