Question about taking advantage of CO2

[Roggio]

I'm remodeling my system after the hurricane took most of it. This time around I'm successfully growing chaoto thanks to the Kessil 380. I have a large fuge, probably 50-60 gallons and even plan on adding another Kessil. My ph has gone up and the macro grows really well. This time around I was thinking I could add the calcium reactor drip to the fuge. I've seen where people with planted tanks use the CO2 directly. This coul not only help with the low PH but also enhance the growth of the macro? Is there something I'm missing?

 

[TbyZ]

sounds excellent

 

[Dennis Cartier]

You might want to have a look at @karimwassef 's system. He maintains dissolved CO2 by injecting large quantities of outdoor air into his system through becketts. One of the benefits being his cheato is able to grow at a decent pace as a result. That would probably be a simpler way rather than injecting CO2 directly (for cheato) and would provide a benefit of stabilizing your PH in times of excess CO2.

Dennis

 

[Roggio]

You might want to have a look at @karimwassef 's system. He maintains dissolved CO2 by injecting large quantities of outdoor air into his system through becketts. One of the benefits being his cheato is able to grow at a decent pace as a result. That would probably be a simpler way rather than injecting CO2 directly (for cheato) and would provide a benefit of stabilizing your PH in times of excess CO2.

Dennis

Thank you and I'll check it out. The CO2 I'm thinking would already be in the effluent drip from the calcium reactor. I wonder why I don't see more of this?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

Thank you and I'll check it out. The CO2 I'm thinking would already be in the effluent drip from the calcium reactor. I wonder why I don't see more of this?

Oh! In that case yes. I have considered the same thing with the expectation that the cheato would help to raise the PH, which CalRx can sometimes depress. I must have missed the sentence about the drip from your CalRx.

If you do it, please provide an update with the effect, if any, that you are able to observe.

Dennis

 

[Roggio]

Oh! In that case yes. I have considered the same thing with the expectation that the cheato would help to raise the PH, which CalRx can sometimes depress. I must have missed the sentence about the drip from your CalRx.

If you do it, please provide an update with the effect, if any, that you are able to observe.

Dennis

So my friend is telling me that it's not going to have any affect at all because the contact time is so little. The fuge has its own controllable pump for flow so I could potential he slow that down. I plan on having to really high powered lights and a thick thing of algae. I would think that the CO2 would add a minimum get caught up in all the algae before it made its way out. Maybe I could engineer something that I could have an impact on contact time.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I can see your friend's point of view. CO2 going into the water column, whether in the fuge or elsewhere is going to become mixed rather rapidly. So it may make little difference. The only way I could see this benefiting is if your fuge is CO2 limited during lit times and the photosynthesis is being limited. Giving the fuge the first crack at the CO2 saturated CalRx feed might allow it to grow faster. I would probably not go to any great lengths to try to change flow though. Running the output to the fuge is a simple change and worth the effort (to try) in my opinion.

Dennis

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Many marine macroalgae use bicarbonate as their CO2 source and will not benefit from more CO2/lower pH.

Others will use the CO2, and if there is plenty of N and P in the water, may possibly grow faster.

 

[Roggio]

Many marine macroalgae use bicarbonate as their CO2 source and will not benefit from more CO2/lower pH.

Others will use the CO2, and if there is plenty of N and P in the water, may possibly grow faster.

So there's really no strategic place to have the effluent drip?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m just saying it might or might not improve growth. Putting it just before a skimmer inlet might help pH rise the most, but what effects you get from what action depend on a variety of factors.