DIY CO2 causes PH to drop

[kahhiang]

Dear members,
I'm new to planted tank and recently setup a 1ft plus tank (7.5 gallon). For such a small tank, I go for the DIY CO2. Before CO2 injection, the PH is 7.0. However after injecting the CO2 (just attached a airstone without any bell to trap the CO2), the PH drops to about 5.5 and KH is about 4dkh. Is the DIY CO2 too much for a small tank ? Is there anyway to reduce the CO2 into the tank ?

[budak]

CO2 injection will certainly reduce pH as carbonic acid is formed.

The table in this link below shows the relationship between kH, pH and CO2 concentration.
pH/kH table

going by it, a pH of 6.4-6.7 would be alright. Maybe you can try positioning your filter outlet so that it agitates the water surface more and increases CO2 loss rate.

But if your fish/plant show no sign of distress (like gasping at the surface, esp in the early morning), I think there's no need to worry or tinker much with it.

[vinz]

kahhiang,

Read the DIY CO2 thread in the AQ Aquatic FAQ forum. You can find out how to control the amount of CO2 produced.