Removing CO2

[ReefRian]

How have you removed CO2 from your tank? I cannot get my ph higher than 8.09 no matter what I do. I can buffer it all I want and then end up with high alk. I understand CO2 could be the problem. Should I just add a bubbler in the tank or take other measures? I do not dose with kalk or have a sump or refugium.

Rian

 

[randy holmes-farley]

If you have elevated indoor CO2, aeration with more CO2-laden air won't help.

Try taking some tank water (say a cup) and aerate with indoor air (for an hour or so) and watch the pH. Do the same with outdoor air and look again. Depending on where it rises, that will tell you what the problem is.

In general, attempts to deal with CO2 usually boil down to getting more fresh air into the house, or using limewater.

Here's an article that describes how to deal with pH problems:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... 2/chem.htm

 

[LFS42]

Don't laugh.
If you run a calcium reactor, or something else that runs CO2 in the tank
and you have a newer house, the CO2 won't disapate out of the water easily. (The houses are to well sealed or something like that)
It most redily notice in winter time when things are closed up for extended periods.
I have read that all you need to do is run it over some Bio-Balls
(yes the evil little things that took years to get rid of)
that will allow the gas exchange to take place.

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
As Randy said, if the indoor air is high in CO2, no matter how much gas exchange you going to have, there is no help.

However, whenever I do a pH/CO2 calculation on salt water, it gives me a big headach (carbonates in saltwater makes thing a lot more complicated than freshwater...). As to Randy's comment, I wonder what is the CO2 concentration in the air that make the saltwater no higher than 8.09 (pH)... anybody has the number handy? (I have the number in my office, but I am taking two weeks off...)