Ph drop chart

[Pepere]

@Dennis Wong @Yugang as the most likely contributers.. but anybody else with the info is most welcomed…

Is there a chart out there showing likely ppm co2 at different ph drops?

And correction for undetectable ph water? Ie under 1DKH?

Not a ph, kh co2 chart but specifically ph of tank sample and PH of a sample that is vigorously shaken and aired out for 3 minutes.

I have a 20 high I keep in the basement for quarantine, and keep it planted cause the fish definitely appear more relaxed around real vegetation..

When I have an extended period without fish in the tank the plants suffer. I am guessing because co2 levels fall off without livestock and fish waste decaying…

I am looking to supplement to around 5-7 ppm to keep the plants healthy and growing, but to keep trimming workload down and co2 costs down.

 

[hamfist]

@Dennis Wong @Yugang as the most likely contributers.. but anybody else with the info is most welcomed…

Is there a chart out there showing likely ppm co2 at different ph drops?

And correction for undetectable ph water? Ie under 1DKH?

Not a ph, kh co2 chart but specifically ph of tank sample and PH of a sample that is vigorously shaken and aired out for 3 minutes.

I have a 20 high I keep in the basement for quarantine, and keep it planted cause the fish definitely appear more relaxed around real vegetation..

When I have an extended period without fish in the tank the plants suffer. I am guessing because co2 levels fall off without livestock and fish waste decaying…

I am looking to supplement to around 5-7 ppm to keep the plants healthy and growing, but to keep trimming workload down and co2 costs down.

I can't find such a chart online, although the standard CO2/pH/KH charts, when interpreted a certain way, are effectively the same thing are they not. The biggest problem with this, and the whole "pH drop method is that without expensive CO2 testing meters you cannot tell when a water sample is "fully" degassed. I expect none of us ever reach a genuinely fully degassed water sample.

As for your quarantine tank though, my first thoughts are that lowered macronutrient levels would seem a more likely cause of plants not thriving as much when fish are not present than lowered CO2 levels. I could be (and probably am) wrong though.

 

[Pepere]

I fertilize the tank regularly with same macros and micros I mix and use I use in other tanks. Nitrates hover at 10 ppm.

 

[Jeff Miotke]

I can't find such a chart online, although the standard CO2/pH/KH charts, when interpreted a certain way, are effectively the same thing are they not. The biggest problem with this, and the whole "pH drop method is that without expensive CO2 testing meters you cannot tell when a water sample is "fully" degassed. I expect none of us ever reach a genuinely fully degassed water sample.

As for your quarantine tank though, my first thoughts are that lowered macronutrient levels would seem a more likely cause of plants not thriving as much when fish are not present than lowered CO2 levels. I could be (and probably am) wrong though.

Unfortunately, No that chart does not work if you are less than 3 dkh . I fell into this issue for a long time. @Naturescapes_Rocco brought this to my attention and it made a massive difference as my dkh is 0.5. And led to CO2 concentrations far less than 30ppm i was targeting. Maybe he can expound on this further.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Yes, in our aquariums at super low KH, pH readings become unreliable especially for dialing in CO2 purposes. All sorts of other ions and compounds mess with our readings when the KH is low.

I'm learning that the Hanna CO2 test kit can overestimate the CO2 in the aquarium when KH is 0-1 or 0-2. Testing more to find out!

 

[Pepere]

Yes, in our aquariums at super low KH, pH readings become unreliable especially for dialing in CO2 purposes. All sorts of other ions and compounds mess with our readings when the KH is low.

How about at 2DKH? That is what my tap water runs and tanks run pretty close too since I do 66% water change weekly.

 

[Naturescapes_Rocco]

Definitely a lot more accurate! 2dKH is a good level for truly almost any plants.

2dKH is also perfect for testing CO2 levels with something like the Hanna CO2 titration kit, too.

 

[bradleysryder]

Yes, in our aquariums at super low KH, pH readings become unreliable especially for dialing in CO2 purposes. All sorts of other ions and compounds mess with our readings when the KH is low.

I'm learning that the Hanna CO2 test kit can overestimate the CO2 in the aquarium when KH is 0-1 or 0-2. Testing more to find out!

This is interesting about the Hanna kit, and I wondered about this myself. I recently transitioned my tank from tap water (~5dKH) to RO water (~1.7dKH) and noticed, without adjusting CO2, it seemed to be registering higher on the Hanna kit, up to 50ppm at times, and all my inhabitants are acting exactly the same. I have cardinal tetras, corydoras, and amano shrimp, and all are foraging and acting totally normal when getting readings up to 50ppm. I do try to have a ton of oxygenation (skimmer + lily pipe raised for lots of surface agitation) so that could be a factor.

Anyway, if you find out more about the Hanna kit with low KH, I look forward to that data!

 

[hamfist]

I'm learning that the Hanna CO2 test kit can overestimate the CO2 in the aquarium when KH is 0-1 or 0-2. Testing more to find out!

Tell us more (when you're ready) !

 

[Kwyet]

This is interesting about the Hanna kit, and I wondered about this myself. I recently transitioned my tank from tap water (~5dKH) to RO water (~1.7dKH) and noticed, without adjusting CO2, it seemed to be registering higher on the Hanna kit, up to 50ppm at times, and all my inhabitants are acting exactly the same. I have cardinal tetras, corydoras, and amano shrimp, and all are foraging and acting totally normal when getting readings up to 50ppm. I do try to have a ton of oxygenation (skimmer + lily pipe raised for lots of surface agitation) so that could be a factor.

Anyway, if you find out more about the Hanna kit with low KH, I look forward to that data!

My drop checkers that I made to be green at 50 ppm are still green, and fish are behaving normally. The checkers are different shades of green, probably because the 2 tanks have different kH levels. The Hanna checker, however, showed both around 90 ppm. So I asked google, and got this response:



This makes some sense for the 72 g because I’ve been adding 3 ml of Blackwater Clear solution to it daily. I still don’t know what’s going on with the 68 g. I took the sample from 3 different places and levels in the tank, holding the container downward and then turning it over to fill with water, and every time it still read 90 ppm. I haven’t changed anything about this tank, and it’s 6 hours after the ferts were dosed, so I don’t know. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to share.