PH drop Co2

[FishyMatty]

I've been told over and over by planted tank people that the drop in PH from co2 injection will not harm fish. If thats the case then the raise in ph from aeration should also not effect them.
If this is the case then aging your water is not necessary.
In my case I inject co2 so I should be able to add the water right out of the tap because I'm going to be adding co2 anyway.

If I'm wrong please explain why.

[phidelt85]

It's not the drop itself that is harmful. It's the rapid increase or decrease in pH that is dangerous. It is more so dangerous on the way down than the way up.

Just my .02$

[Polar_Bear]

I think this is often misunderstood, and is a very good question. While adding CO2 is generally safe since H2O + CO2 = Carbonic Acid, which is a very mild acid and will tend to drop pH slowly, taking a fish from straight high pH to a tank that CO2 has been in for a while can be quite deadly to the fish. The reason that many believe in aging their water is that some have very high levels of CO2 in their tap water, which when it is released from the confines of the water mains will cause pH to rise quite rapidly due to the CO2 excaping into the atmosphere. But the main reason to age your tap water is to rid it of chlorine, not so much CO2. CO2 may or may not be a problem in your water, but chlorine always is.

[FishyMatty]

Does dechlorinator not work well enough?
So let me get this straight. If my PH goes up after 24hr w/ aeration then there is co2 in my tap. If I'm injecting co2 then it would be worse to age it and be adding a higher ph water to my tanks then one that has co2 dissolved in it and closer to my tanks ph.
Right?

[FishyMatty]

I just tested some PHs.
My tap is 7.0
My discus tank is usually 6.6 with co2 but I keep the co2 and lighting to a minimum these days in that tank. So now it is 7.0
My BB QT tank with aeration is 6.8.
How does this make any sense?

[Polar_Bear]

Does dechlorinator not work well enough?
So let me get this straight. If my PH goes up after 24hr w/ aeration then there is co2 in my tap. If I'm injecting co2 then it would be worse to age it and be adding a higher ph water to my tanks then one that has co2 dissolved in it and closer to my tanks ph.
Right?

De-chlor works fine, as long as you only have cholrine. If you have chloramine you will need a better product like Amquel Plus or Prime.

On your second question the answer is not so clear cut. While you probably can add water directly from your mains if you choose (I do, or I should say "I used to do this" without any problems at all) depending on your water supplier you may or may not be endangering your fish. Town supplies will oftentimes add more chlorine/choramine to their water to mitigate a bacterial explosion, or mains break, or for any number of reasons, this can be deadly to your fish. OTOH you may never have a problem, I never have. The CO2 is going to escape regardless of whether or not you age your water and most who do this do not use it in a planted tank. My suggestion would be to go ahead and age your water for piece of mind's sake if nothing else.

[Polar_Bear]

I just tested some PHs.
My tap is 7.0
My discus tank is usually 6.6 with co2 but I keep the co2 and lighting to a minimum these days in that tank. So now it is 7.0
My BB QT tank with aeration is 6.8.
How does this make any sense?

You have a filter in your tank, dirty filters emit nitric acid which will tend to lower your pH a bit. Exactly what you are seeing. A drop of so little is nothing to worry about IMO

[FishyMatty]

I do use prime so I'm in good shape, right?

[Polar_Bear]

I think so. Just keep up on your water changes and filter maintainance and you should do fine.

[SuAsati]

Age water not to need pH but co2 dossolve would get between fish gills and cause fin rupture so need let sit for while is good.

[FishyMatty]

Age water not to need pH but co2 dossolve would get between fish gills and cause fin rupture so need let sit for while is good.

Can you try that again I don't understand.

I inject co2 so why would I worry about co2 in the water supply?

[SuAsati]

Can you try that again I don't understand.

I inject co2 so why would I worry about co2 in the water supply?

you say

"If this is the case then aging your water is not necessary"

So i say, raise pH not only problem but dissolved co2 in high concentertion will harm gill tissue for our fish. so for not be clear.

[kaceyo]

The CO2 thats in the tap water is released when the water is no longer under pressure in the pipes. Adding the CO2 in an aquarium isn't the same as having it in the tap water and then being gassed off quickly when the water is no longer under pressure. The bubbles will expand quickly and can cause damage when trapped in the gills or elsewhere in the fishes body. It's always better to let the water age and stabilize before adding it to your tank or trying to change the parameters.
HTH

Kacey

[Graham]

A number of years ago at a Koi Show in Orlando, I took a 2 day course put on by the Vets from the U of Fl in Gainesville. One part of the course was being able to diagnose deaths based on a given set of parameters. The case studies that we used were all real events.

One of them was the death of most of the koi in a large pond over a 24 hour period. When the Vets got there, all water parameters checked out, O2 levels were fine, fish showed no outward signs of illness. The pond had received a large 50% water change just before they started dying..so why did they die?

When the Vets started doing some microscopic examinations of the gills they found that some/alot of the lamallae cells were exploded.

When they contacted the pond owner,they found out that they had a very deep well and the water from the hose had been under the water while refilling the pond. The pump that was used to refill the pond also was big and did it very quickly.

The result was high CO2 under pressure and not having time to gas off before the fish took it in...hence ruptured cells as the gas expanded.......Anyone that was a diver in the class figured it out.

So if you're adding water right from the tap blast it into the tank or a bucket to gas off CO2 and add O2

[FishyMatty]

I am beginning to understand. But here is the question. what if the ph goes down .2 to .4PH. Is that ok?

[Polar_Bear]

A jump of less than a point either way is usually no cause for concern.

[FishyMatty]

Since my aged tap PH is very close to the PH right out of the tap the I should be ok putting it right in the tank, with dechlorinator.

[FishLover888]

Most book I read says pH wings within 24 hours should be limited to .3 to .5

By the way, pH changes from day to night in a tank anyway. You can have as much as .3 between day and night because of the plants.