# CO2 in tapwater.



## Edvet (11 Oct 2013)

I understand that in low tech tanks, in order not to get to much CO2 changes, you don't do water changes a lot (seeing new water brings higher CO2).
However, since i do tend to feed a bit much, i get some leftover food i want to siphon off every now and then. (app 10% of the tank volume it takes).
Question now is how do i get the extra amount CO2 out of the tap water? Just let it stand for a day?.
If i use RO water for it does that have less CO2 anyways? (there are some blackwater fish in there, so i am lowering the microsiemens value slowly).


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## Tim Harrison (11 Oct 2013)

Ah...that old chestnut. I don't think you've got anything to worry about, just do what you need to with regards water changes. I think that rather perversely the whole low-energy and water change philosophy has somehow become turned on it's head One of the attractions of the low-energy method is that it requires less in the way of water changes, for the sake of effort, not because of supposed increases in CO2...The CO2 thing is almost certainly complete hokum.

My latest low-energy effort Cryptic Haven regularly gets 50% water changes and for the first two weeks got a 30-50% water change every other day - and guess what no algae...imagine that The following discussion will perhaps help to put it all in to context Low Energy, Water Changes, CO2, Algae, and Pseudoscience. | UK Aquatic Plant Society. But the upshot is if your tank is well balanced it should be robust enough to withstand mild fluctuations such as those brought about by water changes - even frequent and substantial ones.


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## Edvet (11 Oct 2013)

kk thx, i won't worry for now and just change when needed. No signs of any algae at the moment, just some light surface scum.


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## GreenNeedle (11 Oct 2013)

It's not so much the CO2 that is in tap water because that will gas off very quickly hence why we are pumping CO2 in continuously and fighting to get enough to all parts of the tap before it gasses off.  If we were talking about the CO2 in the tap water being the problem then we could simply add in CO2 for 10 minutes at the beginning of the light period then turn the CO2 off.

I would suggest it is more to do with leaving stuff (like excess fish food, plant leaves etc) to rot and produce natural CO2 within the water.  When I last did a 'proper' non CO2 tank I didn't do a single water change for 14 months with no problems to shrimps or fish.

I say proper there because it was an uber heavily planted tank whereas even though all of my current setups are non CO2 they aren't as heavily planted and I change 10% a week.

I never clean gravel, sand or soil though, just clean the glass and siphon 10% of water out.


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## Edvet (11 Oct 2013)

Wel if all keeps going OK i will start leaving more "mess" in. I need to add some snails i just remembered, they will proces that too.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (11 Oct 2013)

Lower the amount of food your putting in? 

Shrimples!


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## Edvet (11 Oct 2013)

I need to buff up some fish, and i can only feed them once a day, so i need to put in plenty for a while, just a few weeks.


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