co2 tabs vs injection for 10g

[paku]

Heya all I am setting up my 10g to be fully planted in the future.

Full grass coverage, floating plants, small to med Anubis ECT. Allot of green!

Anyway I was looking into getting a c02 system, no I don’t want to make a DIY system (I think they are ugly). The tank will have 10k daylight @ 20+ watts of compact fluorescent lighting. Here is my question.

Do you think that the C02 fizz tabs would be good enough for a 10g or would you recommend going ahead with the c02 injection system?

 

[twig]

Excel or DIY co2 would be best. Those tabs are a farce imo.

 

[paku]

any thought on the Hagen system?

 

[flyfly]

I have the hagen ladder. The only thing I dont like about it is how often I end up having to clean it.

 

[plah831]

i would recommend Flourish Excel, too, for a 10 gal. It's a liquid carbon supplement (not CO2), but plants absorb it and use it for their carbon, instead of intaking carbon dioxide gas. It's a lot more "fool proof" (although I didn't mean to imply you're a fool ) than CO2 because excess carbon dioxide can lead to suffocation of fish. I think more than one member on this forum has had fish die due to faulty CO2 setups.

CO2 injection is more for larger tanks where Excel gets too expensive.

 

[misopeenut]

CO2 injection is more for larger tanks where Excel gets too expensive.

its much easier if you have pressurized system going on. especially when you have it automated using solenoid valve.
initial cost for pressurized is big but in the long run, its worth it.
i have a 2.5lbs pressurized co2 for my 12inch cube which is about 7 gallon.

 

[plah831]

you're right, miso. you have really pretty planted tanks. i re-read the OP and he does say he has a lot of plants. Maybe CO2 injection might be preferable, then. that's why it's always best to get more than on opinion, eh?

i have a densely planted 10 gal for my dwarf puffers and the Excel works OK, although I never could get grass-like plants to grow (micro sword, narrow leaf Chain sword, dwarf hairgrass), so maybe that's where I went wrong! i'll just stick with stem plants.