PH on the roof

[Elpez]

There is no such thing as liquid CO2 that can be added to a tank. Did you add a liquid carbon solution like Excell?

Good call removing the shells and coral from the tank. With those gone you shouldn't need peat moss. Especially if you use RO water to cut your tap water.

It's actually called CO2 booster by API. it does state that it provides CO2 and simple organic carbon.
And yes liquid co2 exists. Liquid co2 is used to make dry ice.
There is also liquid nitrogen! Remmember you could practicaly liquify any gas under the correct temperatures and pressures.

 

[severum mama]

It's actually called CO2 booster by API. it does state that it provides CO2 and simple organic carbon.
And yes liquid co2 exists. Liquid co2 is used to make dry ice.
There is also liquid nitrogen! Remmember you could practicaly liquify any gas under the correct temperatures and pressures.

True, but not for aquarium use, which is what the previous comment was directed at.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

It's actually called CO2 booster by API. it does state that it provides CO2 and simple organic carbon.
And yes liquid co2 exists. Liquid co2 is used to make dry ice.
There is also liquid nitrogen! Remmember you could practicaly liquify any gas under the correct temperatures and pressures.

I never said liquid CO2 didn't exist. I said that there is no liquid CO2 that "can be added to a tank". It can be added to a tank if it is converted to a gas or accidentally added if a pressurized CO2 tank is tilted on it's side and the valve is open. Would be a disaster though! I only meant that liquid CO2 can't be purchased in a bottle and dosed into an aquarium by the capful like other liquid ferts. Maybe I'm just missing something here. I use a liquid carbon source for my tank similar to API's Liquid CO2 booster (Excell). It just isn't actually liquid CO2. Do you mean to say that it is? Am I wrong here? I really don't want to mislead anybody about this.

 

[jcolon]

I never said liquid CO2 didn't exist. I said that there is no liquid CO2 that "can be added to a tank". It can be added to a tank if it is converted to a gas or accidentally added if a pressurized CO2 tank is tilted on it's side and the valve is open. Would be a disaster though! I only meant that liquid CO2 can't be purchased in a bottle and dosed into an aquarium by the capful like other liquid ferts. Maybe I'm just missing something here. I use a liquid carbon source for my tank similar to API's Liquid CO2 booster (Excell). It just isn't actually liquid CO2. Do you mean to say that it is? Am I wrong here? I really don't want to mislead anybody about this.

Correct... We use a liquid carbon supplement such as excel. For liquid CO2 to exist on earth's surface ... the air-pressure would have to be 5x what it is now. Currently, not naturally possible conditions on or near the surface.

But in fairness, I catch myself referring to excel as liquid CO2 ... It's a phrase i've read and it's something that's caught on.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Correct... We use a liquid carbon supplement such as excel. For liquid CO2 to exist on earth's surface ... the air-pressure would have to be 5x what it is now. Currently, not naturally possible conditions on or near the surface.

But in fairness, I catch myself referring to excel as liquid CO2 ... It's a phrase i've read and it's something that's caught on.

Woah, you really know your stuff! Yeah, I've seen other people refer to it as liquid co2. A lot of beginners follow these forums and honestly, all these terms can get confusing. I'd just hate to see starting aquarists get misinformed at the very place they look to find clear answers. Thank you for explaining all that. *bows* . It probably doesn't help when some mandacturers misrepresent what their products actually are. *sigh*

 

[Elpez]

Nice wikipiding, as I mentioned earlier, pure form of CO2 can exist in liquid form under certain conditions. These bottled co2 we buy are solutions which include co2, h2o, os2, other hydrocarbons etc. Just like oxigenated water.
In any case we are going way out of the subject.
I tested the coral, live rock and shells and yes FIZZING R US. So they came right out of the tank.
CO2 disolved in water(happy?) was not helping as it's used as a reactor along with calcium to disolve calcium in the water. Ideal for salt water tanks. Not mine.
And yes I am an amateur in the aquirium world. But I did go to school.
By the way, great tip on the PH down, it worked great! Instantly.
Looking at the ingrediants it contains 9.6% sulphuric acid so yes much better than ginegar and off course it will totaly dissolve calcium.

 

[christine2012]

Nice wikipiding, as I mentioned earlier, pure form of CO2 can exist in liquid form under certain conditions. These bottled co2 we buy are solutions which include co2, h2o, os2, other hydrocarbons etc. Just like oxigenated water.
In any case we are going way out of the subject.
I tested the coral, live rock and shells and yes FIZZING R US. So they came right out of the tank.
CO2 disolved in water(happy?) was not helping as it's used as a reactor along with calcium to disolve calcium in the water. Ideal for salt water tanks. Not mine.
And yes I am an amateur in the aquirium world. But I did go to school.
By the way, great tip on the PH down, it worked great! Instantly.
Looking at the ingrediants it contains 9.6% sulphuric acid so yes much better than ginegar and off course it will totaly dissolve calcium.

Woohoo! You probably wont even need to use peat moss now that you've taken those out

 

[Elpez]

No I wont if I do some water changes with RO water. Out of my filter the PH is 6.4. But I was reading about other beneffits peat moss has. I'll keep looking though, you just cant trust everybody.

 

[christine2012]

you just cant trust everybody.

Couldn't have said it any better

 

[jcolon]

Nice wikipiding, as I mentioned earlier, pure form of CO2 can exist in liquid form under certain conditions. These bottled co2 we buy are solutions which include co2, h2o, os2, other hydrocarbons etc. Just like oxigenated water.
In any case we are going way out of the subject.
I tested the coral, live rock and shells and yes FIZZING R US. So they came right out of the tank.
CO2 disolved in water(happy?) was not helping as it's used as a reactor along with calcium to disolve calcium in the water. Ideal for salt water tanks. Not mine.
And yes I am an amateur in the aquirium world. But I did go to school.
By the way, great tip on the PH down, it worked great! Instantly.
Looking at the ingrediants it contains 9.6% sulphuric acid so yes much better than ginegar and off course it will totaly dissolve calcium.

Good to hear you found pH culprit.

Yep.. Wikipedia does come in handy at times ... But this was something that I discussed with my students last year. One of them wanted to try and liquify CO2. or was it melt dry ice? Actually, because of this thread, I ran across this link ... on wik...(below) with a handy chart I'll share with my students for the upcoming year ... But I'll double check it with the chemistry teacher first .. And I'll mention to him the pH down as an acidic supplement.

Supercritical carbon dioxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Elpez]

Thanks J,

Trust me, I understand pure co2 can not exist in liquid form exposed to atmosphere. But it does if it's part of a solution or diluted. After all, in a gas form after injected in a tank of water the co2 remains there for awhile. Otherwise why bother injecting it right?

 

[jcolon]

Thanks J,

Trust me, I understand pure co2 can not exist in liquid form exposed to atmosphere. But it does if it's part of a solution or diluted. After all, in a gas form after injected in a tank of water the co2 remains there for awhile. Otherwise why bother injecting it right?

Yep .. You are correct .. It can exist as part of a solution .. Carbonated water = CO2 in a liquid. I just try not calling it liquid CO2 anymore ... Although I do catch myself from time to time.

 

[Elpez]

I forgot to mention, I also tested beach sand I had in a small aquarium and also fizzed up like champagne.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I forgot to mention, I also tested beach sand I had in a small aquarium and also fizzed up like champagne.

I love doing these kinds of experiments. I bought a gallon of muriatic acid to test my rocks (smallest size at the home center). It's way more of a pain than using something like pH down that comes in a tiny bottle.

Let us know if your pH starts to mellow out. I'm betting you'll have a much easier time now.

 

[Alyxx]

I love doing these kinds of experiments. I bought a gallon of muriatic acid to test my rocks (smallest size at the home center). It's way more of a pain than using something like pH down that comes in a tiny bottle.

Let us know if your pH starts to mellow out. I'm betting you'll have a much easier time now.

While cleaning out an apartment for my boyfriend's dad, we found a jug of muriatic acid. I thought about taking it, but I wasn't sure if it was contaminated or anything. The tenants who were evicted, and who trashed the place resulting in him hiring us to clean it, were cooking crack. So, who knows what was actually in that jug.

 

[Elpez]

Definetly!
Last night after removing rocks, coral and snail shells I couldn't resist adding another 10ml of PH down to see the effects. Previously, right after adding PH Down I would see an immediate drop of 0.2 (after a few minutes, enough to cycle the water in the tank and sump) and 24 hrs later I would see an increase in PH of 0.4!
Last night it dropped 0.2 as usual. I will test again tonight when I get home. It better be the same or less. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Elpez]

Ok PH at 7.8! So that was it. It should be fine from now on. I'll stop using PH down and I'll just add RO water during water changes.
I went to petsmart last night to get some peat moss but they didnt have any, nor driftwood. So I got 5 black skirt tetras and two gold mickey's and two bunches of grass. I cant remmember the name, could it be molo grass?

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Ah.. well, if it's mondo grass then it's not an aquarium plant but a terrarium plant and will die if placed under water for a long time. Petsmart is so dumb for selling it to planted aquarist.

 

[Elpez]

That sounds right, I think that's it. Well, it was under water and it looked really nice, and they didnt say anything and s...... me got it.

 

[jcolon]

That sounds right, I think that's it. Well, it was under water and it looked really nice, and they didnt say anything and s...... me got it.

Yep ... It'll be ok for a month or so ... But it'll slowly die and rot ... A very common non aquatic plant Petsmart sells.