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Is CO2 really worth it??

John q said:
Just to add a cautionary note to the above idea of adding carbonated water to our aquariums... Be careful. Whilst it may seem a romantic, possibly safe method of adding Co2, it should be approached with the view that "risk wise" its no different than injecting Co2, possibly even more risky due to the speed of the ph drop.

Step forth el experiment.

10 ltrs of water in a bucket straight out of the tap.
View attachment 205410

Ph of water.
View attachment 205411

Carbonated water and 30ml measuring container.
View attachment 205412

30ml of fizzy water added to bucket and stired once with a knife. Instant ph drop of 0.72.
View attachment 205413

Another 30ml added and a quick stir.
View attachment 205414

Final 30ml added
View attachment 205415

So in this case it took 90ml of carbonated water to get a full 1ph drop in 10 ltrs of un gassed tapwater.

My concern is how quickly the drop happened, its within a few seconds. We know fish can adapt and deal with ph drops resulting from injecting C02, but can they deal with an instantaneous drop, I'm not sure.

So if anyone is thinking of doing this please Proceed with caution, and maybe add the fizzy water slowly.

Ta.
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Wow that's crazy quick John, don't think I'll be trying that one then 😅
 
Pure Highland spring sparkling water.
20230517_205134.jpg
 
It is instant, and critters will not appreciate it even if it amounts to just 1 unit drop in pH. They will still be left gasping at the surface. Used as a temporary measure it gives plants access to at least some CO2, which is better than none at all. Outside of that I don’t think it’s a practical or safe method of adding CO2.
 
I think I mentioned on another posting that I have a plastic reservoir fed from a large aerosol (11g) in one of my tanks. I would say it is only suitable for small tanks up to 60l, though you can link several reservoirs together. It's impossible to overdose the co2 but there must only be a minute amount diffused through the day as the can lasts around 4 to 6 weeks!
I have no space for a huge fire extinguisher & all the other necessary equipment & I really don't think I could deal with the accelerated growth. I get just as much pleasure from watching plants grow in over weeks and months rather than being hit by instant growth! Must be an age thing....
I have simple low light nano tanks with easy to grow plants, mainly because they must have covers & a 5 or 10w led is all you get. If I could find a dimmable light that would fit under a hood without overheating I'd be tempted to try some more demanding plants with this tiny co2 boost, though I do like my calm green little jungles!
 
Hi all,
The Miniaturist said:
I get just as much pleasure from watching plants grow in over weeks and months rather than being hit by instant growth! Must be an age thing....
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Same for me (both growth and age thing). I actively want plants <"that will grow slowly">. I like a fast growing plant purely as a nutrient sponge (<"belt and braces">) should any <"untoward event occur">.

I've got around the potential "lack of CO2" issue with <"a floating plant">.

<"Atmospheric CO2 is free"> and <"you get 420 ppm"> of it, it never runs out, in fact there is actually more available every day. What more could you possibly want?

cheers Darrel
 
Andy Pierce said:
If really soft you won't have much buffering capacity and the pH will shift easily.
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Thought I'd re do the experiment with water that had a higher Kh to see the difference. The speed of the drop was exactly the same, but the amount of drop was marginally smaller, however like Paul Daniels used to say... "not a lot".

Today's water reading on my not so scientific ph meter slightly higher than yesterday.
20230518_171037.jpg


To increase the kh I added a quarter of a teaspoon of potassium bicarbonate. By my maths it should increase the kh by 3.8 ish.
20230518_171234.jpg


New ph reading after a few good stirs and a break for a cup of tea.
20230518_171740.jpg


30ml of Highland bubbles. 0.57 drop.
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Another 30ml. 0.88 drop.
20230518_172235.jpg


Final 30ml, 90ml in total. 0.99 drop.
20230518_172404.jpg


So from this test the ph drop is very similar regardless of having a 1 or 4.8 kh.

Next up I plan to split the atom with rubber mallet. 😁
 
John q said:
So from this test the ph drop is very similar regardless of having a 1 or 4.8 kh.
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So everything we have been taught about higher KH/alkalinity increasing the resistance to pH change is bunk then :lol: ... probably not ;)

John q said:
Next up I plan to split the atom with rubber mallet. 😁
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well, if you can swing it very close to the speed of light you might actually be successful!

Cheers,
Michael
 
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MichaelJ said:
So everything we have been taught about higher KH/alkalinity increasing the resistance of pH change is bunk then :lol: .
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Lol no, but where co2 is concerned the kh will shift the start and end point of the ph, the drop remains the same.

Edit: well in my test it did 😆
 
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hypnogogia said:
It being a rubber mallet, will time slow down more than with a metal mallet? 😂
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What you are probably thinking about is time dilation due to a strong gravitational field… I.e time going slower as closer you get to the center of that field. Time dilation is independent of the mass (in this case a mallet) as you approach relativistic speed (when approaching the speed of light that is). The relativistic mass of the mallet however will increase at relativistic speed - so the rubber mallet will be a better choice as it weigh less... If the weight of the mallet is 1 kg (stationary) it's relativistic mass will increase to 70 kg at 99.99% the speed of light and 5000 kg at 99.999% :)

Everything gets to be really weird and wonky as we approach the speed of light.

Cheers,
Michael
 
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I admit I’ve only bought easy to grow plants from Tropica but they grow like mad without any CO2 in my 60L and 37L Nano’s. I regularly have to trim the plants to stop them overgrowing. I don’t even add much in the way of liquid fertiliser either. It’s a mystery to me why the plants grow so well, I never managed it years ago in a much larger tank. I like the tech side of Aquariums so I did originally intend to use CO2 but the cost of constantly buying cylinders put me off. I’m glad now that I saved my money as right now I just don’t seem to need it.
 
Aqua sobriquet said:
they grow like mad without any CO2
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That is why I rather prefer slow growers. Plants like Tonina fluviatilis, Bacopa myriophylloides, or Ludwigia Pantanal grow a bit too fast for my lazy bones. And each of them is usually considered requiring CO2 injection...
This week I'm in love with Cyperus helferi. :lol:
 
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