Oxygen Depletion?

celaeno · Aug 1, 2008

i added 25 lbs of bluestone rocks to my 20 gal tank today and tonight, i noticed that there are less bubbles at the surface than usual (i run a bio-wheel power filter and a small airstone).

is the oxygen in the water being depleted? can this be caused by the rocks, some of which have a rusty color on the surface?

here's a photo of the rock formation:

Biulu · Aug 1, 2008

No, I don' think oxygen is being depleted. but did you do the acid test before you added the stones to ensure that your pH is nog being altered?

celaeno · Aug 1, 2008

yes, but i only tested the largest rock and a medium-sized one with hydrochloric acid (from api nitrate test bottle #1). both tests resulted in no fizzing.

Biulu · Aug 1, 2008

Then it should be ok,I guess.

TylerFerretLord · Aug 2, 2008

The first bottle of the API nitrate test is hydrochloric acid? Really? :blink:

celaeno · Aug 2, 2008

yes, 41% of it.

johno · Aug 2, 2008

So thats what was giving me the burns on my hands

my fault for not washin my hands after i suppose

Corleone · Aug 2, 2008

Yeah, a few months back somebody on the forum accidentally knocked that bottle into their tank and wiped it out entirely, even with massive water changes. Noxious stuff - I was doing tests with a cut on my finger and touched a drop hanging on the rim of the tube, and nothing would stop the burning.

Back to the OP, it's probably not oxygen deprivation, but something that occurred to me is that you may have altered the flow patterns in the tank, which could effect the surface bubbles.

celaeno · Aug 2, 2008

could zucchini that's been in the tank too long cause oxygen depletion? i usually leave zucchini in the tank for 48 hrs, but it's going to be 36 hrs from now on.

Corleone · Aug 2, 2008

I don't think so. It's dead, so it isn't using oxygen itself, though if it starts to rot, the bacteria breaking it down might. I usually take veggies out after 24 hours, but I keep fresh lettuce in just about all the time.