I'm coming back, but as a plant noob.

katuuuz said:

Hey gang. Long time no see some of you. Hope all is well.

Decided to get back into the hobby, but mostly because of the live plants believe it or not. Never messed with co2 injection and figured now what be a good time to do just that... What a difference in plant health vs. a tank w/ no co2 (a.k.a. my last 2).

So here's the plan. I've dug up my old 20 gal w/hood. 1. What is the best way to clean it and get it ready for captivating life like it once did? All I remember was to stay away from windex.
Vinegar or bleach will work. With both of those, rinse very very well.

2. I'm going to go the pressurized co2 injection route for fear of the ghetto-ness of diy, plus I hear that yeast smells. I'm shooting for the co2 system kits at al's. Now there is a $50 price difference between the kit with and without that solenoid thing. From what I can tell that is a part that shuts the co2 off when it reaches a certain level? Could I save $50 by plugging it into a timer w/ my light(s)? Any other kit you guys can suggest.. I'm all ears. Oh ya, and how long would a paintball canister last before refill normally if I get that version of the kit. Basically just started reading on co2 injection. This isn't overkill for a 20g is it?
Don't cheap out on your co2. most of the kits on most sites are cheap. sumoregulator.com greenleafaquarium.com both good sites

3. Lighting. Never used anything but stock hood lamps so please enlighten me. Probably going to keep the hood on because my cat FDR plays in the g.d. toilet, so I can only imagine.
you can most likely, for now, get by with just upgrading your bulb to a 6700K flourescent light bulb. 2 standard bulbs would be ideal, but 1 will do you just fine IMHO

4. What should I use for filtration? Like to steer clear of canisters. Mighty expensive/overkill for a 20g IMO. I'm almost sure using a diffuser on my co2 will allow me to use a standard filter. Again, I'm only experienced w freshwater non-planted aquariums. Not sure if introduction of co2 requires a higher rate of filtration.
Get the canister. 10x turnover/hour is fine. I have 360 gallon turnover in my 30 gallon tank every hour. Sunsun(ebay specials) are great filters (from reviews i have read) or someone on ebay is usually selling a marineland c-220 for 100 shipped (80+shipping)

I'm sure of one thing, here is where I will find answers as I did back in my aquarium days of past. Thanks A.C.

Excuse grammatical errors, this was posted from my iPhone.

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katuuuz said:

Ok, I'm leaning toward just going for it, because I do want to have a tank again. Just the act of providing ideal water conditions in a glass box for life to thrive in just blows my mind. I used to see fish tanks in pet stores and peoples' houses and subconciously ask the fish, "bet you wish you were in my tank, don't you?". haha.

Ok, back to business. As said, I'm biting the bullet. Lucky I'm single, because this probably wouldn't go down if I wasn't. After scoping Green-Leaf and Sumo my gut tells me go with the $325 primo on GL. Soley because it comes with a 5lb tank (from what I read they last up to 6 months). Question on that is how big is this whole thing-a-ma-jigger? Especially with the 5lb tank attatched to it. Also, is this going to comfortably fit/mount on the inside of a 20 gallon stand/cabinet? Should I even mount it..? Can I just lay the thing down in there? Also, something about me handling compressed air (something I've never done before) worries me. I want my security back on my apt is all.

Sorry about the inundation of questions, but I'm just reiterating what was going through my head while I was comparing these high-ticket items.

Edit: unfortunately, this re-entry into the hobby will be shut down if i can't hide this thing in the cabinet. It's one thing to have a beautiful tank, and another to have a mad-labratory looking science project in my kitchen. sorry, forgot to stress that early.

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