# Oxygenation via plants



## Soilwork (18 Sep 2020)

Has anyone with a dissolved oxygen meter ever measured the oxygen levels in the water column in a heavily planted tank that does not rely on surface agitation or aeration as other forms of oxygenation?
I’m curios to see how they compare?


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## tiger15 (18 Sep 2020)

I have a planted shrimp bowl that has complete coverage of carpet plants and floaters that block off surface gas exchange.   I can see heavy pearling when sun light hit the bowl in the afternoon when  pH rises from 7.5 to 8.8 at the peak  indicating CO2 is stripped to 0.2 ppm based on kH pH table, and DO must be up high even without measurement.  There must be enough DO reserve for the remainder of the day as I’ve never observed my shrimp and snails grasp for air outside the 4 hour sun light period.


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## dw1305 (18 Sep 2020)

Hi all, 





Soilwork said:


> Has anyone with a dissolved oxygen meter ever measured the oxygen levels in the water column in a heavily planted tank that does not rely on surface agitation or aeration as other forms of oxygenation? I’m curios to see how they compare?


I think @Geoffrey Rea did it fairly recently. There is also <"Canford Park">, which would fulfil those criteria even though the "planting" was unconventional.

cheers Darrel


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## Soilwork (19 Sep 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, I think @Geoffrey Rea did it fairly recently. There is also <"Canford Park">, which would fulfil those criteria even though the "planting" was unconventional.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Hi Darrel

when you mention that most keepers need, oxygen, plants and time to be successful.  Do you think that the oxygen part from healthy plants is enough to not need other forms of aeration?

i want my plants to provide the o2 for the system during the day and use an aerator at night. If I use the aerator during the day the plants get less access to co2 though it is a constant supply.

this means they grow slowly and leak less oxygen in to the substrate which means less microbial activity in the substrate.

If you are going to use plants, wouldn’t it be better to trying to maximise co2 so that they provide more o2?

thanks

CJ


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## Geoffrey Rea (19 Sep 2020)

Broader answer to this topic in this journal

Starts at post #118 to #133 

Further discussion in Maximising dissolved oxygen


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## Soilwork (19 Sep 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Broader answer to this topic in this journal
> 
> Starts at post #118 to #133
> 
> Further discussion in Maximising dissolved oxygen



Thanks Geoffrey.

Ive been using a bubbler and then a bubble wall for a while.  I wasn’t using a filter.  This has positives and negatives as I’m sure you are aware.

keeping pumps external to the water must be better for fish.  The bubbler produces fine bubbles which maximises and increases o2 availability and keeps it as well as co2 stable reducing ph swings.  The fish are more lively as well as the shrimp and snails.

What I don’t enjoy about this set up is that the bubbler keeps particles that have been kicked up suspended.  The noise another con and the spray causes quicker evaporation even with a cover.   If you don’t have enough plants mass the rapid microbial activity tends to favours algae.  

Despite no addition of fertilisers I am constantly removing duckweed which looks perfectly green and healthy with long roots.  So I know the plants are limited only by co2.   Don’t get me wrong, they grow, just much slower with aeration.  

My thoughts are that they substrate becomes healthier in terms of biofiltration and symbiotic microbial relationships with plants if the rhizosphere is well oxygenated and higher co2 lends itself to this.


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## dw1305 (19 Sep 2020)

Hi all, 





Soilwork said:


> Do you think that the oxygen part from healthy plants is enough to not need other forms of aeration?


I would always have some form of water circulation, but I have tanks that really are full of plants, so there will always be the possibility that oxygen levels may become depleted at night. It is "belt and braces" really, I'd rather have insurance, some usually two filters on larger tanks.

cheers Darrel


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## Soilwork (19 Sep 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, I would always have some form of water circulation, but I have tanks that really are full of plants, so there will always be the possibility that oxygen levels may become depleted at night. It is "belt and braces" really, I'd rather have insurance, some usually two filters on larger tanks.
> 
> cheers Darrel



Hi Darrel

I’m using circulation currently.  Bubble walls also tend to create quite a lot of water movement.

I understand the belt and braces reasoning but my question is about plants and their ability to saturate the water column in a heavily planted tank.  I will always use aeration at night.   If you can get pearling plants in a heavily planted aquarium with high light.  Would this not suggest that an aerator is not necessary as the plants have saturated the water column with oxygen?


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## tiger15 (19 Sep 2020)

Soilwork said:


> Hi Darrel
> 
> I’m using circulation currently.  Bubble walls also tend to create quite a lot of water movement.
> 
> I understand the belt and braces reasoning but my question is about plants and their ability to saturate the water column in a heavily planted tank.  I will always use aeration at night.   If you can get pearling plants in a heavily planted aquarium with high light.  Would this not suggest that an aerator is not necessary as the plants have saturated the water column with oxygen?


It depends on the stocking and the amount of pearling.

In my zero tech shrimp bowl, pearling sustains for several hours when sunlight hit the bowl in the afternoon.  Pearling is an indication of O2 saturation because oxygen can no longer dissolve in water passed the Saturation point.  Because  I provide no circulation and the surface is  blocked by floaters, there is minimal surface gas exchange.  O2 is largely preserved and slowly consumed by shrimp, snails and micros throughout the day in exchange for CO2 plants consume during photo period.  The O2 cycle is complete as  the bio load of inverts is low.

 If I had low light, minimal pearling or heavy stocking with fish, O2 cycle will be incomplete and supplemental aeration is needed.  This is the case with my high tech tanks in which pearling rarely occurs, light is medium, and fish stocking is so heavy that  without supplemental aeration, O2 will soon be depleted at night.


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## dw1305 (19 Sep 2020)

Hi all, 





Soilwork said:


> Bubble walls also tend to create quite a lot of water movement.


They do. 





Soilwork said:


> If you can get pearling plants in a heavily planted aquarium with high light.  Would this not suggest that an aerator is not necessary as the plants have saturated the water column with oxygen?


Yes, it will also have saturated the internal spaces of the plants with oxygen. 

You also have to think about replenishing CO2, water circulation will help do that. I just think that having water circulation makes aquarium management easier.

cheers Darrel


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