Neither..
If water in natural equilibrium only contains 4mg/l of CO² than that's all it has.. Glut doesn't add extra CO² and it doesn't increase CO² uptake. Even if it would, what the water doesn't contain can't be taken up.
So it cannot increase the uptake efficiency of whatever the amount of co2 is in the water? Why not?
Why this stuff increases plantgrowth is actualy a little mystery even scientists don't realy fully understand. There is a thread somewhere here at UKAPS from a member very knowedgable in biochemistry going into the issue. I'm very bad at bookmarking things, so i lost track of it. But i'm also not knowledgable enough to understand it anyway. But the plant internaly converts CO² into other molecules and glut helps the plant to create this building block via other routes. It's biochemistry to the max and as said it seems, so likely it's also just a theory.. There is no real definitive answer to find on the net, some say they know but are by contract not liberated to speak about it.
I do find it hard to believe that modern day scientists can’t figure this one out. Perhaps there is little work done on this.
But for us hobbyists, who cares it works, what more do you need to know??
Just out of interest really. I don’t work on the premise if it works who cares. I like to know how things work
Well as algicide it works because it's a disinfectand killing organic cell walls, algae are single cell organisme and thus their cell wall gets destroyed beyong repair. True aquatic plants also have a more vurnerable softer cell structure than bog plants and also their cell structure can be weakend by gluts disinfectant proppertie and die. The non true aquatic aquarium plants, thus bog plants which are originaly terrestrial have a much more complex and stronger cell structure and are not affected negatively, but actualy positively if grown submersed. The why remains a question.
This bit I already know
Further it is also used in the medical area as disinfectand and has a hazard code as a toxic chemical. The use in aquarium in relative very small dosage is somewhat controversial.. It is not known nor yet prooven if it has negative long term effect on other aquatic life. But if it kills algae it obviously also kills other beneficial single cell micro organisme.. Maybe not to an extend of fatality, but it does.. In any way you should be very carefull with this stuff, eye contact can cause immediate damage.
I know this too
For the rest it's a moral issue, if you think like "What we don't now wont hurt" than happily enjoy it till prooven otherwise. Or think like many others do, it's a toxic chemical rather do not because we don't know.. There are other prooven safer ways to achieve the same. All tho adding extra CO² also becommes controversial because in some sientific studies it is under suspicion to cause a kidney disease in fish.
Hallelujah Amen....
