Hi all,
Hoped you guys could shed some light on an argument I've been having with my dad about waterchanges in my high tech tank.
In my lowtechs, I do waterchanges whenever, usually during the day when the lights are on and it's easy. That's what the family is used to.
I also have a 180L hightech, where the CO2 comes on at 11am, then the light at 1pm. The CO2 goes off at 7pm, and the light at 9pm (with a ramp down of an hour between 8-9 so it's quite dark). The light is a twinstar at 40% intensity maximum.
It is my understanding that I need to do waterchanges before the CO2 comes on at 11am, or after it's off at 7pm, so as no to disturb the plants growing cycle and create CO2 fluctuations. This is what I've been doing so far.
This morning, I wanted to use the kitchen for 40 minutes to do the hightech waterchange, when my dad said he was using it and so I couldn't. I said ok I will do it this evening after 7pm then, and then I'll make dinner after that (which means a late dinner). I need to do it today, because the family are around and it's a two person job as the tank is on a different floor to the tap & our new kitchen tap requires watching/adjusting when adding the water in. I do all the work, the other person just has to watch it fill so it doesn't overflow.
So then my dad got annoyed and asked why I can't just do waterchanges at any time and switch the CO2 and lights off. I said I think that this would cause CO2 fluctuations upsetting plants and encouraging algae (which I have been battling), and found <this thread on it> which seemed to confirm what I thought.
He thinks that that's rubbish and it would be fine to do during the day, and I'm just being obsessive for no reason, and that is too impractical. The argument on his side is that in gardening there are all sorts of obsessive rules people follow which he has found to be wrong (he is a trained horticulturalist and working gardener of 40 years), and that this sounds like more of that to him. I don't really know what to say to that so I was hoping some of you would have a clear perspective to show I'm not doing it for no reason. I think pretty much everything I've learnt about CO2 is that you shouldn't let it fluctuate by doing things like this, but I don't have one great source that shows this well that I can cite.
On the other hand, if it is unnecessary and he's right I don't mind, it would be useful to be able to do waterchanges at any time tbh.
What do you guys think?
Hoped you guys could shed some light on an argument I've been having with my dad about waterchanges in my high tech tank.
In my lowtechs, I do waterchanges whenever, usually during the day when the lights are on and it's easy. That's what the family is used to.
I also have a 180L hightech, where the CO2 comes on at 11am, then the light at 1pm. The CO2 goes off at 7pm, and the light at 9pm (with a ramp down of an hour between 8-9 so it's quite dark). The light is a twinstar at 40% intensity maximum.
It is my understanding that I need to do waterchanges before the CO2 comes on at 11am, or after it's off at 7pm, so as no to disturb the plants growing cycle and create CO2 fluctuations. This is what I've been doing so far.
This morning, I wanted to use the kitchen for 40 minutes to do the hightech waterchange, when my dad said he was using it and so I couldn't. I said ok I will do it this evening after 7pm then, and then I'll make dinner after that (which means a late dinner). I need to do it today, because the family are around and it's a two person job as the tank is on a different floor to the tap & our new kitchen tap requires watching/adjusting when adding the water in. I do all the work, the other person just has to watch it fill so it doesn't overflow.
So then my dad got annoyed and asked why I can't just do waterchanges at any time and switch the CO2 and lights off. I said I think that this would cause CO2 fluctuations upsetting plants and encouraging algae (which I have been battling), and found <this thread on it> which seemed to confirm what I thought.
He thinks that that's rubbish and it would be fine to do during the day, and I'm just being obsessive for no reason, and that is too impractical. The argument on his side is that in gardening there are all sorts of obsessive rules people follow which he has found to be wrong (he is a trained horticulturalist and working gardener of 40 years), and that this sounds like more of that to him. I don't really know what to say to that so I was hoping some of you would have a clear perspective to show I'm not doing it for no reason. I think pretty much everything I've learnt about CO2 is that you shouldn't let it fluctuate by doing things like this, but I don't have one great source that shows this well that I can cite.
On the other hand, if it is unnecessary and he's right I don't mind, it would be useful to be able to do waterchanges at any time tbh.
What do you guys think?
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