Ph Shock In co2 injected Planted tank

[dan2x38]

OK I should have stated it better... the carbonic acid would be likely at it's highest so pH would be at it's lowest and possibilly CO2 at it's highest. Of course there are often exceptions to most rules...

[J]

I am beggining to get the big picture now. I think I am striving for numbers and consistency that are only obtained with alot of backbreaking work and walking the thin red line of life/death to the inhabitants of the tank.

I am going to raise kh a little, its VERY soft here and no doubt co2 will lower the ph. But other than that I'll keep an eye on the fish while I'm doing this.

[jart]

Well, if you do want to raise your kH using baking soda, of course the information on Rex' site and the Krib will both let you know how much to add.

FWIW, this is what I did for quite some time (up until 2-3 years ago) with my 45 gallon to raise the kH (kH is low here as well). I added 1/2 tsp with every water change (once weekly). I tended to add it over about 2 hours or so, in an attempt to limit any shock to the fish. Could I have dumped it in all at once? Perhaps. I never noticed any ill effects on any fish.

Good luck; keep us posted.

[charlie]

I am beggining to get the big picture now. I think I am striving for numbers and consistency that are only obtained with alot of backbreaking work and walking the thin red line of life/death to the inhabitants of the tank.

I am going to raise kh a little, its VERY soft here and no doubt co2 will lower the ph. But other than that I'll keep an eye on the fish while I'm doing this.

J , in my view it`s not work if you enjoy it  , i`ll share my thoughts on all this testing thing, i find that we as hobbyist stress more than we need to & as a result end up stressing the fish , fish are a lot more adaptable than we give them credit for, in my 75 gallon , i have from rams to cardinals to rummy nose,BN pleco , cherry shrimp, pearl gourami, cories, otto cats oh and pond snails  , my KH is non existent, PH bottoms out at around 5.5, co2 is injected to the max along with the regiment of fertilizers, on most weeks i do a 50-75% water change via the pyhton water out -water in, i live in a apartment bldg, so the water temps will fluctulate while filling, don`t ask by how much, because i never checked , same applies to the tap water PH & KH( don`t check), been a few years now & never encountered any issues related to all those fluctuations, maybe i`m lucky, maybe my fish is converting the CO2 & fertilizers to steroids making them immune to the fluctuations, this is my personal routine & experience others might have their milage differ 
Same routine applies to my other planted tanks
Please note i`m not advocating anyone try this or that this is the way to do it, just sharing my personal experience.

[dan2x38]

I'm with Charlie it is not work at all. Do planted tanks require more attention? Yes... Do hi-tech planted aquariums require more effort? For sure... But to me that is half the fun; seeing the end protect is the full enjoyment. I use to keep a log & test constantly. I enjoyed that too but got lazy. I learned a lot with the log. I have gone back and read some entries to repeat things I did and to not repeat my mistakes. Do I recopmmend it? Totally up to the individual how much time they want to invest. BUT like mentioned don't over react to any testing it can cause more harm then good. When making changes try to do one at a time then wait to see the results. This is where a log can come in handy for new set-ups.

If you've not seen this sticky in the Plants Forum check it out: http://ovas.ca/index.php?topic=32616.0

Remember it is very addictive the green side!!!  You've warned...  LOL