Co2 After Water Changes

[Kaidonni]

A quick question - normally, after a wate change I notice CO2 bubbles on the plants, and bubble by bubble the CO2 floats up to the surface over the period of several hours or longer. This afternoon, I had to do some relandscaping after the water clean and when the CO2 bubbles were on the plants, and a lot went to the top at the same time as I moved the plants about - will this have any serious effect on the pH? It was almost 2 hours ago now, but still, it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[Kaidonni]

Adding to the above, I did kick up quite a lot of particles (dust and detritus), and also detritus that I hadn't caught in the cleaning. It's settled now, but I do worry about the effects that would have as far as ammonia spikes are concerned, especially since the tank had settled from the water change/gravel clean I performed between 12pm-1.30pm (a light gravel vacuum, as I'm aware anything that goes deep into the gravel will be quite useful for the plants). The most detritus left over is usually in the corner by the airstone and under the airstone, although I do try to get at least some of it. I don't like messing with the tank in such a way after a water change, I prefer to do it during the water change so I can suck up at least some of what I disturb when I move plants about and dig into the gravel.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Why do you assume they are co2 bubbles?  Why can't they be air bubbles caused by the effect of the refill water going in? And, when plants pearl, they are letting out oxygen not CO2. But this is only visible in higher light tanks. For any gas containing bubble to have any effect on the water some of the gas must become dissolved in the water. Ammonia, oxygen, co2 can all be dissolved in water.

 

[Kaidonni]

It came up in the discussion with Byron. A few hours after a water change, sometimes the bubbles are all over the plants, sometimes there aren't as many. I first noticed it when I first started using the light, and there were a lot of bubbles over the plants.

 

[Byron]

In that other thread, I mentioned that I have this too, though not always.  In my situation, as it arrives in the hose connected directly to the tap, I am fairly certain it is CO2 in the tap water.  Some weeks the tank is just covered with bubbles, other weeks none, but CO2 levels in tap water can vary a lot from time to time.  I have read some who warn this is dangerous to fish, and as I mentioned previously, I have seen it on the fishes' fins as tiny bubbles, for several hours.  This has occurred for years, and I long ago stopped worrying about it, but it would be worth pursuing if anyone can offer advice.
 
Oxygen pearling from the plant leaves also occurs with all this CO2, but that is usually as a stream of very tiny bubbles emerging from the leaf.  I only see this after water changes, as the CO2 at other times is not sufficient to cause pearling.  I had a discussio with a well-known plant authority who shall remain nameless, and he suggested that this CO2 was bad for the plants and it would be better to not do water changes.  Needless to say, I refuse to listen to that.
 
Byron.