Co2
co2 is often the most limiting factor in planted tanks. some plants need it and can speed up plant growth by 10 folds.
there are 3 common ways to add carbon to your planted tank. pressurized co2 diy co2 or excel which is a liquid form of carbon. excel can melt some plants and the gas is a better option if you can afford it.
for a pressurized system there will be more up front costs but cheaper in the long run.
must have: co2 tank, regulator, needle valve and a way to break up the co2
optional: Solenoid, check valve, ph controller, drop checker
tips on pressurized co2 set up.
co2 buy as big as you can fit. i have a 20 and a 10 pounder. the bigger ones only cost a few more to refill and last longer.
regulator there are many different ones out there. rex grigg makes top of the line one and will help you with every step. many people also pick up Milwaukee regulators on ebay or other sites.
needle valve lowers the psi so your out putting 1-2 bubbles per section. each take is different so it might take time to dial in what yours needs.
solenoid isnt a must but lets you save co2 by shutting it off and on at night or hooked up to a ph controller.
check valve keeps water from backing up for what ever reason and flooding the house.
ph controller with a ph controller you can set it for the ph you want. once it gets to that level it will shut the co2 off.
drop checker this is a simple yet great way to measure co2 in you tank visually. it changes color as the co2 levels raise or lowers. one important part is to make sure you have 4kdh liquid to fill it with.
Drop Checkers/CO2 Indicators-Why and How
the problem i often see is how to break up the co2 into the water. there are lots of options.... glass diffuser input or output of a filter, reactor, ladders, power heads, wood air stones and more. all these have their own place some work better then others. ill break them down with pros and cons in how i see them. again my experience might be different the others.
Glass diffusers breaks up the co2 into small micro bubbles great to put under the out put of the filter to help blow them around. the con is it can clog up over time.
input/output filters one of my more favorite ways to break up co2. i put the tube into the input or to the out put of a canister filter or hob. this breaks it down really well and spread though out the tank. the con in the input it can air lock a filter some claim it even breaks down a canister. con for the output doesnt always break up the co2 as well as input
reactor is a great diy type of way to break co2 up. i feel the best ones are working with the output of a canister powering it. there are also intake reactors but take up tank space.
powerheads are another one of my favorite ways to break up co2. it does take up some take space but it breaks the co2 very good and pushes it though out the tank.
wood airstones while these work they dont work very well
tips on DIY co2
its very easy but takes time. you need soda bottle/juice bottle sugar yeast tubing.
mix 2 cups sugar and 1/2 tsp of yeast with warm water 2/3 the way high. it should last 2 weeks or so depending on temp. i would also highly recommend adding a 2nd smaller bubble counter. this will keep the mixture out of your tank.
Co2 Thread
DIY CO2 i say its only good up to 20 gals tanks though people do use multiple bottles.
a couple places to get regulators that i have seen here.
http://www.greenleafaquariums.com/
Best Aquarium Regulator