Hey folks,
I have been reading a bit about CO2 and how to tune it to ensure an optimal level in the tank. I am using a Hanna pH meter for pH testing and CO2 drop checker with 4dkh solution.
Tank parameters are:
Size : 54 litres (60 cm x 30cm x 30cm)
Filter: Oase Biomaster 250 with output as a spray bar
Co2 diffusion: CO2art inline diffuser and starts 2 hrs before lights on @2.3 bps
Light: Fluval Aquasky configured at 63% intensity. Lights on for 6 hrs
Based on my water report from the water company, values are:
Total hardness GH: 14° dH
Carbonate hardness KH: 9.7° dH
pH : 7.4 (I also verified the pH with the pH tester and it was indeed 7.4)
Now if I take water from the aquarium and measure the pH after degassing for 24 hours it reads as 8.3. Is it common that there is almost a 0.9 pH difference between the tap water pH and the degassed water pH from aquarium ? Also if I leave it for more than 30 hours and measure, then the pH shows slightly higher than 8.3. Is there a time period for which we need to consider as degassed water ?
If I then run a pH profile with a bubble count of approx 2.3 bps, here are the results
Should I take the 1 pH drop from degassed pH (8.3) or the pH just before CO2 is started (7.9) ?
I haven't measured the kH of the aquarium water, but if I use the kH value from the tap water and fill the values in the Rotala calculator it says that the target pH should be 6.9. Is this correct ?
Does one need to measure kH of the aquarium water to arrive at the correct pH drop values when injecting CO2?
Is 2.3 bps a bit too much since it drops the pH by 0.7 (7.9 - 7.2) in the first hour itself and then the subsequent pH drops are much smaller.
Regards,
Mel
I have been reading a bit about CO2 and how to tune it to ensure an optimal level in the tank. I am using a Hanna pH meter for pH testing and CO2 drop checker with 4dkh solution.
Tank parameters are:
Size : 54 litres (60 cm x 30cm x 30cm)
Filter: Oase Biomaster 250 with output as a spray bar
Co2 diffusion: CO2art inline diffuser and starts 2 hrs before lights on @2.3 bps
Light: Fluval Aquasky configured at 63% intensity. Lights on for 6 hrs
Based on my water report from the water company, values are:
Total hardness GH: 14° dH
Carbonate hardness KH: 9.7° dH
pH : 7.4 (I also verified the pH with the pH tester and it was indeed 7.4)
Now if I take water from the aquarium and measure the pH after degassing for 24 hours it reads as 8.3. Is it common that there is almost a 0.9 pH difference between the tap water pH and the degassed water pH from aquarium ? Also if I leave it for more than 30 hours and measure, then the pH shows slightly higher than 8.3. Is there a time period for which we need to consider as degassed water ?
If I then run a pH profile with a bubble count of approx 2.3 bps, here are the results
Time | pH | Activity/Remarks | Drop checker color |
13:00 | 7.9 | seems like residual co2 exists | Blue |
14:00 | 7.9 | CO2 ON | Blue |
15:00 | 7.2 | Blueish green | |
16:00 | 7.0 | Lights ON | slight greenish |
17:00 | 6.9 | green | |
18:00 | 6.9 | green | |
19:00 | 6.9 | greenish yellow | |
20:00 | 6.9 | greenish yellow | |
21:00 | 6.9 | CO2 OFF | greenish yellow |
22:00 | 7.2 | Lights OFF | light green |
Should I take the 1 pH drop from degassed pH (8.3) or the pH just before CO2 is started (7.9) ?
I haven't measured the kH of the aquarium water, but if I use the kH value from the tap water and fill the values in the Rotala calculator it says that the target pH should be 6.9. Is this correct ?
Does one need to measure kH of the aquarium water to arrive at the correct pH drop values when injecting CO2?
Is 2.3 bps a bit too much since it drops the pH by 0.7 (7.9 - 7.2) in the first hour itself and then the subsequent pH drops are much smaller.
Regards,
Mel