Cheap CO2

Heck no to the first one and thumbs up to the second. I have the Hagen Nutrafin CO2 system and it works great for me. The ladder is great for dissolving CO2. You are going to want to make your own recipe for the mix, because the packets cost too much and aren't that effective. This should be good for you size tank. What lights do you have? What plants are you thinking about?

I use around a half teaspoon of yeast, fill to the bottom line marker of the cannister with sugar and fill to the second line marker with warm water. Make sure you use warm water and not hot or else you will kill the yeast. It also might be better to dechlorinate the water first or else they'll die, but I have done it before without dechlorinator and it was fine. You'll understand what I mean about the markers when you get it.

I usually put the water in a separate cup and add the yeast to it with a pinch of sugar and mix it up to get it started. Then I fill the cannister with the sugar and then add the water/yeast mixture. Then I screw the cap on tightly. Make sure the cannister won't get knocked over. Also get a check valve to prevent water from siphoning from the tank into the cannister, which ruins the mixture. You also might want to look into getting a bubble counter/ separator to prevent yeast/water from going back into your tank.

Blue RAm MAn said:

whats the recipe
?????

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The recipe he speaks of is in a replacement for the refill packets of "Activator" and "Stabilizer" for the system. Those really are nothing more than yeast and baking soda (at least i think it's baking soda). Those refill packets can run you a bit of money over time.

That system is based on a common DIY project of making your own CO2 generator with yeast, sugar and a 2 liter bottle. My favorite article on the subject is http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html. Basically, the Hagen system takes this concept and pre-packages it for you. You could just as easily do it yourself, if you are feeling handy.

Different people will experiment with different recipes of yeast / sugar in order to fine tune it for their own environment.

Yeah, the Hagen system is just prettier to look at and there is no building involved. I like it. And yes if you have soft water you should add about a half teaspoon of baking soda. Oh yeah, quilaho, I'm a her, not a him. Ha.

That will be more than enough. Generally you want 1 pound for every gallon, but it also depends on the dimensions of the tank. You should be fine with 20lbs, though. For a planted tank you usually want 2-3 inches of depth for the plants to stay rooted. I guess putting gravel on top is up to you. I don't see a reason for it, but maybe someone else with that has done that before will chime in.