• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Breaking the habit

Reuben

Member
Joined
17 Feb 2013
Messages
179
I currently add Easycarbo in addition to having good levels of Co2 gas.

I'm thinking now that I have got the knack of Co2 injected aquariums (in the sense that my plants are very healthy and no algae at all) I'm thinking I can probably quit the Easycarbo addition (fewer chemicals).

So the question is: Do I need to slowly lower the easycarbo dose, or because my Co2 is good can I just stop? Dont want the plants going cold turkey.
Thanks
 
Hi.
I have discontinued abruptly Easy Carbo on many occasions as I used it as an algycide in CO2 injected tanks and I had no problems.
Based on that, I would say that plants can switch easily from one source of carbon to another.
However, I would first make sure that I indeed have appropriate levels of CO2 in the water (ph vs kh charts) and only afterwards quit adding Easy Carbo.
 
Using EasyCarbo as an algecide is not the same as long term use of Easycarbo. Plants do not switch from one form to another. It's exactly the same form from the plants perspective.

Also, ph/KH charts tell you nothing about the actual level of CO2 in a tank.

In general, the safest approach to discontinuing liquid carbon is to do so gradually and to allow the plants to improve their CO2 uptake mechanism. Having said that it should be noted that their reaction all depends on what percentage of their uptake is due to the liquid carbon. If it was a minor amount then the transition is less traumatic and cold turkey might be no problem. If it were a significant percentage there might be problems. It also depends on lighting levels, distribution, flow and so forth. That's why different tanks will have different reactions. The list of variables is too long to have a single answer that applies to all. If you're in a hurry then try cold turkey and see if you start to get issues such as hair algae.

Cheers,
 
Hi.
I have used easy carbo as an algecide for long term :)) (shame on me, I know), i.e. 4-5 months, that's why I feel fairly confident about going cold turkey, with the major caveat that one needs to make sure that CO2 levels in the tank are indeed appropriate. It is worth mentioning that I am using a PH controller, so my CO2 levels are pretty stable.

Of course I know about the deficiencies of the ph/kh charts, i.e. CO2 might not be the only source of acidity in the tank (due to wood and other sources of humic acids etc.)
But in my experience, generally speaking for the average tank out there, the amount of acidity induced in the tank by sources other than CO2 is negligible.

So I am curios why do you say that ph/kh charts are completeley useless. Is it because of the above reason or another reason?
They are inexact and in some rare cases completelely misleading, granted, but I would not say completely useless, but a fair indicator with known limitations.

thanks.
 
Yes, the pH charts are not valuable and the numbers are all complete illusions, especially since the plants are not really seeing what the pH tester is seeing and since the CO2 distribution in the tank is not homogeneous.

As I mentioned, different tanks will have different reactions, so just because things worked out in your particular case, one cannot be confident that in all tanks the same success will be had. It's not enough to make a general statement unless all combinations of light/gas/liquid/flow/distribution/tank size and so forth can be accounted for. That is specifically why I prefaced my response with "In general, the safest approach..." In fact, some have done the cold turkey routine and have had CO2 related problems and some have had no issues. It depends on each situation.

If something has the reputation of sometimes being completely misleading then I generally class it as being useless. The trick is to find some other method of accomplishing the goal that is not misleading.
Generally, folks who use the tables almost always have CO2 related problems. They often don't realize that it's a CO2 related problem and they blame the problem on some other totally unrelated factor.

So, if you were using liquid carbon as an algecide for long term, it might be construed that the reason you needed to use an algecide for 5 months was because you were using the pH charts and that the chart was misleading you. That's considered useless in my book.

Cheers,
 
Back
Top