To co2 or not to co2

[plantbrain]

Well DIY can be done for this size tanks but it's like me towing a 5th wheel with a 4 cylinder small pick up vs a V-8 dually. It's a pain, things need to be maintained much more often, you need to be careful and plan for working a lot. Most folks never have enough CO2 and then end up trimming and hassling with a large tank full of algae. Small tanks are bad enough.

The gas, once set up, it about like the lights as far as maintenance... not much.

For about 120$ you can set up CO2 and for another 10-20$ you can splice off the same system and add CO2 to another(and you can keep doing this so you can have many CO2 enriched tanks from the same system)

I'd stay with 2w/gal for lighting either way.
I think most, mayb e98%or more are very happy once they got gas CO2 and comparing it to their non CO2 days.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[cpr4cpu]

I got scared there when I saw the post from Off-ice, was afraid it was going ot be another "Great CO2 Debate".

I have taken Plantbrain and Off-ice's plentiful advice and broken down . . . I actually dismantled my Beermeister to steal the 5 poungd CO2 cylinder. I now have a functioning injection CO2 reactor working.

My tap is pH 7.0, after 24 hours it is pH 8.8. Imagine what that does to the poor fish. With the CO2 injection the water changes fluctuate only slightly, 7.0 to 7.2 or so. With some peat moss in the filter, and lots of bogwood, my dream of a softwater (blackwater stream) can now be a reality with tap water.

I add CO2 because I want to keep my pH down, and my plants growing up!