Importance of CO2 in a reef tank?

[Everyones Hero]

I was reading through the ATS thread & read that an over sized ATS can reduce coral growth & reduce their vibrance. I also read that someone added a Ca reactor to their system & their ATS algae became healthier looking, as well as getting a good response from the corals.

My train of thought is that the ATS not only removed nutrients from the water, but also removed CO2 from the water column, reducing the rate of photosynthesis in the corals. One of the by-products of running the Ca reactor was more CO2 in the water, which promoted photosynthesis in the corals.

Then I got to thinking- SPS are plants & animals. Plants need CO2 for photosynthesis. Would adding CO2 to our reef tanks benefit photosynthetic corals? At what rate would should you add the CO2 & what would be the most effective way to measure the amount of CO2 in the tank?

Overall I have a lot more research that I have to do, but once I get my tank running again I'm thinking I might incorporate some kind of CO2 system.

 

[Darth Vedder]

Ok, this may make me look stupid but SPS are both plant an animal? I am fairly certain that sps is just a colony of invertabrates... If I am wrong please someone correct me

I assume you are referring to the Zooxanthella's symbiotic relationship as the plant part?

 

[coralreefdoc]

Elevated CO2 levels inside most residences negates the need for supplemented CO2, if anything there is a need to reduce those CO2 levels via CO2 Scrubbers, etc. As excessive CO2 can and will drive down your pH/dKH values, causing these two crucial parameters to be artificially low as well as flutuate rapidly.

Carbon Dioxide is an important aspect of photosynthesis, yes, but only in a balanced state of equilibrium

 

[Everyones Hero]

Ok, this may make me look stupid but SPS are both plant an animal? I am fairly certain that sps is just a colony of invertabrates... If I am wrong please someone correct me

I assume you are referring to the Zooxanthella's symbiotic relationship as the plant part?

Yes, that's what I was referring to.

Elevated CO2 levels inside most residences negates the need for supplemented CO2, if anything there is a need to reduce those CO2 levels via CO2 Scrubbers, etc. As excessive CO2 can and will drive down your pH/dKH values, causing these two crucial parameters to be artificially low as well as flutuate rapidly.

Carbon Dioxide is an important aspect of photosynthesis, yes, but only in a balanced state of equilibrium

But what is that balance or correct amount?

 

[jerpa]

But what is that balance or correct amount?

I would imagine this balance is met when the PH of our tanks is within the generally acceptes value of 7.8-8.4. I could see how a system with enough photosynthesis to drive PH above this range would benefit from additional CO2 but unless PH was very high i don't see a reason to use it. Most people run a low PH due to being indoors as stated above.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, it is very easy to tell if you have adequate CO2 because pH is a direct indication of CO2. If you have normal alkalinity and pH is not too high, you have plenty of CO2. Alkalinity and pH in seawater exactly determine the CO2 level.

Bear in mind that in a seawater environment, CO2 is not nearly as important as in fresh water. Many of the organisms that take up CO2 can get it from bicarbonate (alkalinity).

HCO3- --> CO2 + OH-

 

[Everyones Hero]

So Jerpa answered it, but RHF had to break it down for me.

You guys saved me a lot of time messing around with any kind of CO2 setup.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:thumbsup:

Happy Reefing.

 

[joelespinoza]

Honestly dosing Kalk in top off water and having a Calcium reactor sounds like gold to me. I am not saying they cover everything, but they sure seem like a nice combo. Throw in an ATS and you have a pretty sexy setup.

 

[igot2gats]

honestly dosing kalk in top off water and having a calcium reactor sounds like gold to me. I am not saying they cover everything, but they sure seem like a nice combo. Throw in an ats and you have a pretty sexy setup.

ats?

 

[joelespinoza]

Algae Scrubber. ATS stands for Algae Turf Scrubber, but turf is not used so much any more in home aquariums, often its just green hair algae.