2 much 02?

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Creamhorses

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
496
90 gallon planted tank
PF550 HOB @ 300gph
2 drop tubes for UGF runing on air stones....

3 large gourami's
1 4" Bala shark
5 2.5" Clown Loaches
2 3" Red Tail Sharks
Trio of Golden Killies
4 Algae eaters
1 small Zebra Loach
2 4" 3-line cats
1 Upside down Cat
2 3" Common Pleco's

4 10-12" Anbias
4 8-10" African Swords
5 6" red leafy ???
4x12" mat of moss from local forest [way cool]
2.5-3.5 deep sustrate gravel then stone.

Lighting.....oh boy..2 40watt 4' flouecent grow lights on a timer 14on 10 off.

PH <8.5
GH 12-15



The HOB pumps water into the tank with a lot of air bubbles with the return water. The airstone lift tubes bring a constant supply of tiny bubles to the surface. I have two buried air stones for visual effect.

Is it possible to over-do oxygen level without seeing pearing? Could my plants be suffering from an imbalance of C02/02?

And this final Q for the UGF guyz.....Would I be better off replacing the air driven system with power heads kept under the surface to minimise bubbles? And what GPH x2 power heads would you recommend if this goes that route?

Did I leave out my bathroom schedule? :lol:

TIA

CH
 
You have no problems. O2 does not replace CO2. They are independent of each other. Lots of O2 can only mean one thing, a good thing. Better to have too much than not enough. :)
 
Just remember that air bubbles don't really add much oxygen to the water. Most of the O2 in the tank comes from the surface, absorbing it from the air above. Still water absorbs very little O2. Disturbing the surface of the water adds the O2, and good circulation (currents) distribute it throughout the tank.
 
Actually O2 is like CO2, both can get diffused into the water. Just like a CO2 bubble in a bubble ladder, same goes with O2. And if the impeller chops it up and the bubbles get kicked around some, it's adding O2 to the water as well, as long as the water isn't saturated. If it's saturated, then it doesn't add to the water.
 
Yes, but like CO2, it needs to be held in contact with the water for a long time before it diffuses. Airstone bubbles, and bubbles from a power head, stay in contact with the water for a VERY short amount of time. Yes, there are more of them than with CO2, but the total oxygen added directly by the airstone is far less than what is added by the surface disturbance the bubbles make as they breach.
 
And a CO2 injector pumps in pure CO2, an air bubbler pumps in atmospheric air. Which is only a few % O2.
 
O2 saturation in aquarium temp water is 4ppm. very low.

You can't have too much O2.

The bubbles from the airstones that break the surface of your water...that's the point which gas exchange occurs..at the surface. AS was said, the bubbles don't stay in contact with the water long enough to do much...hence the need for fancy CO2 diffusers/reactors.
 
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