I was contemplating oxygen levels in our tanks and began thinking about NITROX used in scuba diving. Has anyone experimented with bubbling NITROX into their tanks to see if there were any benefits to having an increased oxygen load? Would it just be the same as bubbling in ozone (assuming there was some separating of the O3 molecule into O2)?
Has anyone dosed O2 into your tank?
- Thread starter hypnoj
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Assuming the tank has adequate circulation and close to 100% dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, there is no point in added O2. In fact, too much O2 in solution can cause problems. In practice, outside of very densely stocked culture situations, there isn't a practical reason to increase O2 in such a manner.
I've heard of folks making a Co2 scrubber for their skimmer intake using soadlime.
I made one a few years ago and my PH went up a bit but, didn't notice anything else. I'm gonna make another one cause I still have a ton of the soadlime hanging around. Just to use up the money I've already spent.
I made one a few years ago and my PH went up a bit but, didn't notice anything else. I'm gonna make another one cause I still have a ton of the soadlime hanging around. Just to use up the money I've already spent.
disc1
-RT * ln(k)
What does that have to do with oxygen level?
While I don't know, didn't know my Co2 levels for sure, due to not having a a O2 test. I assumed that my tank had an excess of Co2 build up being in the middle of winter. I guess I could have just run my intake outside to test the "open a window" theory from Randy. When I did the test of taking tank water and running an air pump in it for an hour. (In the garage) my Ph went up. Making me build the scrubber.
Did I miss something? I am completely challenged when it comes to chemestry.
Edit;
Or are you in reference to something else?
Like. The scrubber removed the Co2 on my skimmer intake giving me less Co2 saturation in the air in my tank water. In as in the bubbles in my skimmer
Bill, I agree that there may be no benefit. I've just seen the benefit of increased O2 levels in healthcare situations (wound healing etc) and wondered if that benefit could translate over to corals. Of course bubbling a higher mix of O2 laden gas into your tank doesn't necessarily mean your O2 levels will rise, but it got me thinking regardless.
This is sorta the same theory, besides helping your skimmer work better, is there any benefit to having a CO2 scrubber? I'm assuming it won't alter the percentage of O2 in a tank regardless.
hypnoj is talking about oxygen (O2), not carbon dioxide (CO2)
While living organisms can effect O2 and CO2 levels due to repiration, there is no chemical relationship that causes one to increase or decrease just because you add or remove one or the other.In aquatic systems that only works if the O2 saturation is low. When oversaturated it will lead to something known as gas bubble disease...basically the excess gas wants to come out of saturation, and if that excess gas is in an animals tissues it will form bubbles inside the fishes body, sort of akin to a diver getting the bends.
hypnoj is talking about oxygen (O2), not carbon dioxide (CO2)
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So, if an aquarium is in a room that may have increased Co2 levels in the air. A Co2 scrubber wouldn't absorb some of that Co2 before your skimmer injected the said air into your aquarium water thereby increasing the O2 level of the tank?
IIRC, this idea is to reduce the carbonic acid effect. Which should increase the PH.
I must have the two ideas completely mixed up. Like I said, I'm no chemist but, often times it's posts like mine that get these types of threads the help they need. I know we can't help everyone. This is how I learn too. Having no education in chemistry, I have no reference to bounce any info off of to grasp the idea behind the question.
Edit;
Do the two gases Co2 and O2 saturate the water column differently? Meaning, can they be absorbed at completely different rates and one doesn't drive the other out? Not speaking about life in the water, just the gases themselves.
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disc1
-RT * ln(k)
You seem to be making the assumption that by lowering the CO2 levels you will cause oxygen levels to rise or that by raising oxygen levels you will cause CO2 levels to fall. That is absolutely not true unless you are doing it via photosynthesis and respiration. If you are talking about adding oxygen or using a CO2 scrubber then the two are completely independent. The OP is asking about adding oxygen into a tank and you are talking about removing CO2. They are completely different things.
You posted while I was typing my edit to my post. The question in my edit is exactly this.
I've driven this thread off course enough. Thank you.
One possibly clarifying comment on CO2 and O2.
If you breath in your home and consume O2 and cause the CO2 level to double (350 ppm to 700 ppm; which could cause a drop in pH of about 0.3 pH units), the change to O2 is minimal because there is so much more O2 to start with.
In fact, O2 would drop only from about 209,500 ppm to 209,245 ppm.
That brings up the curious fact that in an airtight room, you'd die from elevated CO2 before lack of O2 caused a problem.
Also, in a reef tank, you can have both elevated O2 (from internal photosynthesis) and elevated CO2 (from your home air being elevated in CO2) at the same time.
If you breath in your home and consume O2 and cause the CO2 level to double (350 ppm to 700 ppm; which could cause a drop in pH of about 0.3 pH units), the change to O2 is minimal because there is so much more O2 to start with.
In fact, O2 would drop only from about 209,500 ppm to 209,245 ppm.
That brings up the curious fact that in an airtight room, you'd die from elevated CO2 before lack of O2 caused a problem.
Also, in a reef tank, you can have both elevated O2 (from internal photosynthesis) and elevated CO2 (from your home air being elevated in CO2) at the same time.
If O2 is less than saturated, adding O2 may be beneficial, but as Bill mentioned, adding too much is not good.
Unless you get it by aeration, measuring and controlling it is likely not worth the significant effort involved.
Unless you get it by aeration, measuring and controlling it is likely not worth the significant effort involved.
I have one, but the purpose is not to increase oxygen concentration, but to avoid introducing too much co2 from a room with a high co2 level, which is quite different.
You will not increase oxygen by using a co2 scrubber at all. You will reduce co2.
