Maintaining stable CO2 and pH in high-tech planted aquariums

bardia

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Hi all,

I’ve been running a 20-gallon high-tech planted tank with pressurized CO₂ and it’s been a challenge to keep pH swings under control. My drop checker is lime green by lights-on, but by the afternoon the pH has dropped more than a point even with good surface agitation.

For those running CO₂ injected planted tanks, how do you balance achieving optimal CO₂ levels for plant growth without stressing fish from big pH swings? Do you rely on pH controllers, degassing a bit at night, or tweaking your bubble rate and diffusion method? Any tips on calibrating drop checkers or measuring CO₂ more accurately?

Looking forward to hearing what’s worked for you in maintaining stable CO₂ and pH.
 
And degassing at night is a very good option because there is no photosynthesis going on so the co2 ends up turning into carbonic acid which causes ph drops and eats at your kh buffer
 
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