Surface agitation in a high CO2 environment

[Dave Clark]

Newbie here. I have a nano tank without a skimmer. This tank is in a room with high ambient CO2, and I've found that by decreasing surface agitation, pH is higher in the morning (7.85 after lights on, as opposed to being below 7.8). All other water parameters are good (alk = 9.5).

There's currently no way I can decrease the amount of CO2 in the room. I'm considering a refugium, or a CO2 scrubber, or possibly dosing (?), but in the meantime ...

When hobbyists talk about gas exchange, is this primarily to rid the water of CO2? Or does it also include introducing O2? Is it potentially harmful to the livestock to have a low amount of surface agitation?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Gas exchange does importantly include adding O2, especially at night. How low it might get would depend on a lot of factors.