I have just begun injecting co2 into my planted tank. As a result, I have exact control over the ph of my water.
My kh/gh are both 2.
I am trying to do this without additional buffering if I can.
Oh and running my controller without the co2 plugged in told me that my co2 is 6.5 in the morning (after the plants have been on lights out all night) and 6.7 in the evening. The plants make o2 during the day, but at night become a drain on the air supply and make a lot of co2 ... so at night, I run a bubble stone to keep the fish happy and safe.
I calculate that by running the controller at 6.4 I am adding 12 ppm of co2 for a total of 16 ppm.. the tank and fish can handle a twice that easilly since co2 does NOT replace o2... but I want to make sure I'm not making the water too acid.
So, in a tank with Apisto cacs, soon to be evicted rummynose tetras, soon to be added pencil fish, otos, a couple of bristlenose plecos and some featherfin rainbows, how low a ph can I maintain?
I'd love to get the co2 concnetrations at 6.3 or 6.2 if that is okay for the fish. The charts say 6.3 gives me a perfect 30 ppm of co2, but since my starting "natural level" shows up on the chart as 12 and since that is probably 8 points off -- tanins may be driving the ph down further -- I am assuming that starting 12 is really a 4 so I subtract 8 ppm from the total.. which makes the ideal co2 levels possible at ph 6.2.
I can buffer and bring the co2 concentrations UP without lowering ph any further, but given the controller as a safety net and the fact that the co2 doesn't look like it is bouncing around at all, it seems reasonably safe to let the kh2 stand (tho I can be talked out of this if I am making assumptions that don't hold up)
thanks!!!
My kh/gh are both 2.
I am trying to do this without additional buffering if I can.
Oh and running my controller without the co2 plugged in told me that my co2 is 6.5 in the morning (after the plants have been on lights out all night) and 6.7 in the evening. The plants make o2 during the day, but at night become a drain on the air supply and make a lot of co2 ... so at night, I run a bubble stone to keep the fish happy and safe.
I calculate that by running the controller at 6.4 I am adding 12 ppm of co2 for a total of 16 ppm.. the tank and fish can handle a twice that easilly since co2 does NOT replace o2... but I want to make sure I'm not making the water too acid.
So, in a tank with Apisto cacs, soon to be evicted rummynose tetras, soon to be added pencil fish, otos, a couple of bristlenose plecos and some featherfin rainbows, how low a ph can I maintain?
I'd love to get the co2 concnetrations at 6.3 or 6.2 if that is okay for the fish. The charts say 6.3 gives me a perfect 30 ppm of co2, but since my starting "natural level" shows up on the chart as 12 and since that is probably 8 points off -- tanins may be driving the ph down further -- I am assuming that starting 12 is really a 4 so I subtract 8 ppm from the total.. which makes the ideal co2 levels possible at ph 6.2.
I can buffer and bring the co2 concentrations UP without lowering ph any further, but given the controller as a safety net and the fact that the co2 doesn't look like it is bouncing around at all, it seems reasonably safe to let the kh2 stand (tho I can be talked out of this if I am making assumptions that don't hold up)
thanks!!!