Ray
Member
I love all the data he gives too - it was my one disappointment with the Green Machine book that they don't give that plus the latin names of the plants in each tank. I find it interesting Amano always quotes dissolved Oxygen too. We know this is super important for bacteria (and other livestock) but we never tend to talk about it - I guess because it is hard to measure.Not sure if this helps but in book one of 'Nature Aquarium World' by Takashi Amano , next to each photo, he lists many parameters of that given 'scape including but not limited to co2 ppm. Having a quick flick through the book again, I'm not seeing anything over 20ppm or, as he prefers, mg/l. As far as the method, 'IC Controller' (internal canister?) is often stated next to 'co2 supply'.The book is a total keeper by the way, almost canonical, it might be argued.
I think we all do EI and 30ppm CO2 because it is (relatively) easy - you know you are most likely to have enough of everything for everything you want to grow.
But Amano is better than us - he has the experience to lean dose just enough, use lowish light and get by on 15ppm CO2 which is of course cheaper, better for livestock and means you have less growth (which lets be honest - after the first few months of a tank and the initial excitement is a big plus). He's much closer to all the minimums so it's harder, but also, of course, in some ways better....