CO2 Injection

[FishNut]

Hi,

My tank's PH is 7.0 but I would like to inject CO2 into my tank via a DIY
setup to help my plants grow. My question is will the CO2 lower my PH?
Will I have to constantly add baking soda to get the PH up or should I
abandon the idea all together? My tank is well stocked with fish and they
come first.

[Happy'Cam'per]

MIDPOSTED :)

> My tank's PH is 7.0 but I would like to inject CO2 into my tank via a DIY
> setup to help my plants grow. My question is will the CO2 lower my PH?

Yes, it will lower your ph. To give an example, my ph out of the tap is
about 8.2. After co2 injection @ 1 bubble per second my ph is between 6.8 -
7.2. What fish do you have? They can be slowly acclimated to suite the new
ph range.

> Will I have to constantly add baking soda to get the PH up or should I
> abandon the idea all together? My tank is well stocked with fish and they
> come first.

There is a relationship between ph and kh. If you go to chuck gadds website
you'll find a nutrient calculator for download, this has a ph/kh table you
can use to determine how much co2 is needed in accordance to your water
parameters. Adding baking soda to raise the ph while injecting co2 will
lower the ph....could make for an interesting mess ;o
It really depends on how well your water is buffered (kh) to withstand the
drop in ph caused by co2 injection. Buy a kh test kit and see how hard your
water is.
HTH
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**