CO2 generator...necessary?

[Diego L.]

I was wondering...is a CO2 generator for a 30 gallon tank really THAT necessary? I mean...I was reading this book on keeping a planted aquarium and It talked about the CO2 generator (the water+sugar+yeast kind) the only I reason I think it wouldn't be necessary is that the fish will produce enough CO2 gass for the plants to live...maybe not...?


:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

 

[Jay]

I was wondering...is a CO2 generator for a 30 gallon tank really THAT necessary? I mean...I was reading this book on keeping a planted aquarium and It talked about the CO2 generator (the water+sugar+yeast kind) the only I reason I think it wouldn't be necessary is that the fish will produce enough CO2 gas for the plants to live...maybe not...?

IMO IME Maybe not!

Jay

 

[Diego L.]

okay...is it very expenisive and is the bottle+water pump hard to find?

 

[djlen]

Actually it's very inexpensive and will aid in plant growth, but is not necessary to have in tanks that fall into the low/moderate light category.
It only becomes a necessity in a tank that has high light. In that case it pushes plants to use available nutrients that would otherwise be used by algae.

Len

 

[Diego L.]

ooo I see! :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: cool....also is a heating cord necessary?

 

[Roan Art]

Diego,

There's a sticky at the top of the forum that tells you how to build a really cheap DIY CO2 generator. Should answer most of your questions.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31965

Roan

 

[Diego L.]

Thanks! :dance: didn't see that..I am soo smart! :thud: :duh: :duh:

edit

is aquarium silicone really needed? I mean...it won't come in contact with the water...i have everything including the hose except it's the aquarium type.... it's thing about 1/4 inch in diameter...it's about 3 1/2-4 feet long :thm: is this good...? I would like to start now so...

 

[themadblimper]

You'd be better off with airline tubing standard of the silicon variety (the deluxe stuff). It lasts much longer, and is always flexible. And yes, the silicone is needed to prevent the co2 from leaking from the bottle. Without it, you have little more than a bottle making co2 for your air. It wont put the co2 into the water, due to the pressure being released into the air that is necessary to drive the co2 down into your water. As a side note, let the silicone cure for 24 hours before using.

 

[Diego L.]

yeah... sorry... but what meant was that if the sylicon had to be 'aquarium' sylicone instead of recular cyclicon... :sim: :sim:

 

[Canuck]

Is silicone necessary?

I've made several generators and found that if the hole drilled for the airline tubing is smaller then the diameter of the tubing and "deluxe" soft tubing is used, they are lots tight enough to prevent leaks.

YMMV