Does Co2 Affect O2 Levels?

connorsbala

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If i add co2 into my tank to help plant growth, wil it affect my fish? Im planning to go by this guide http://www.fishforums.net/Nutrafin-Co2-Bas...de-t164548.html
Does it actually help wiht plants or not? At my LFS, our plants arent in co2 tanks so will they be alright going straight into a co2 tank?

ALso, will this help my floating riccia grow? How long does it take for it to start making plants grow?
 
You should be fine. Yes, CO2 can affect O2, but with the yeast-based systems it won't happen. If you've got a pressured CO2 injector, then you have a regular and take precautions not to suffocate your fish, but the yeast-based systems just can't get that much CO2 into your tank.

No problems with the LFS plants being put into your set-up; lots of people here (myself included) had plants in their own tanks a while before adding CO2. You'll notice a big difference in your plants anytime you change one of the three main factors of plant growth - nutrients, CO2, or light. The thing to keep in mind (and the folks in the planted forum can give you lots more info) is that if you dramatically improve one, you'll likely have to improve all the others or risk an algae bloom.
 
You should be fine. Yes, CO2 can affect O2, but with the yeast-based systems it won't happen. If you've got a pressured CO2 injector, then you have a regular and take precautions not to suffocate your fish, but the yeast-based systems just can't get that much CO2 into your tank.

CO2 and O2 are independent of each other. But it's tricky to keep CO2 in the water whilst getting a good level of O2, as you need surface agitation for this and with this you normally "loose" some of the CO2. CO2 is better avoid is you are keeping large fish or fish from high oxygen level, subtropical areas like mountain streams.
 
So if i reduce the amount of o2 coming from the air pump using one of those control things it should be alright? Or if i put the airstoen at the opposite end of the tank?
 
The air is neither adding pure O2 or making that much difference, whereas if you have little surface agitation the pure CO2 will make quite a lot of difference. I'd either use the CO2 and not the air pump or not bother. What fish are in the tank?
 
Corys, neon tetras, emperor tetras, zebra loaches, guppies and a few lil gouramies
 
CO2 and O2 are independent of each other. But it's tricky to keep CO2 in the water whilst getting a good level of O2, as you need surface agitation for this and with this you normally "loose" some of the CO2. CO2 is better avoid is you are keeping large fish or fish from high oxygen level, subtropical areas like mountain streams.

This is essentially correct. To be completely technical, the level of CO2 and O2 do have an affect on each other, but the effect is so very tiny that unless exceptionally fine control of the levels (like on the order of 0.001 ppm) is needed -- impossible on an aquarium BTW but not industrial processes -- the affect can be ignored. So, levels of O2 and CO2 are independent. But, like jay said, the balance is between losing CO2 and gaining O2 via surface agitation.
 

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