I'm thinking that I should do a 2l DIY system. Overall, I think it will be better for me, and I won't have to spend $30. I also think I'm going to use an airstone as a diffuser, and put it underneath a filter.
Thanks to everyone who helped!
i agree for a high light system jpappy, but he is trying to keep his costs down. many people (including me in my other tank) grow plants just fine without co2. like i said the hagen system is way more than enough for my 50 gal also whereas no co2 creates ALOT of algae and plant death.
saying x-amount for x-gallons just isn't realistic for co2. i'd say that would work more linear when compared to lumens, watts or par readings, not gallons.
also with diy the yeast may or may not activate if it was exposed to air (opened ever). this makes the same mix give different results. the hagen ladder can compensate for this. if this batch works better than the last you can always move the tube up for less diffusion.
i agree for a high light system jpappy, but he is trying to keep his costs down. many people (including me in my other tank) grow plants just fine without co2. like i said the hagen system is way more than enough for my 50 gal also whereas no co2 creates ALOT of algae and plant death.
saying x-amount for x-gallons just isn't realistic for co2. i'd say that would work more linear when compared to lumens, watts or par readings, not gallons.
also with diy the yeast may or may not activate if it was exposed to air (opened ever). this makes the same mix give different results. the hagen ladder can compensate for this. if this batch works better than the last you can always move the tube up for less diffusion.
I've tried it on my 30 gallon with only 60w and had little improvement with my plants. I realize it is a larger aquarium than the OP but I've asked around AC and was told that it really doesn't cut it for aquariums larger than 10 gallons with the lighting I had (which I believe is proportional to the OP's?). I believe that, the container is minuscule compared to a 2 liter bottle.
My honest opinion is what you are paying for is the ladder. That's the only part of the system that is worth anything, yet there are cheaper ways to diffuse.
I am not using Co2 atm either, and my plants are doing just fine. However, a DIY would be more cost effective and would allow for the addition of another bottle if need be. I got to the point where I had a total of 6 liters of DIY running my 30 gallon to keep hair algae and BBA away. Overboard for most tanks but I saw fenominal growth compared to the Hagen system. Pressurized, even better, but not within the OP's budget I would assume.
Btw, there is always Co2 in a tank unless it is completley sealed off and devoid of gas exchange...
very much agreed... and actually i find running an air pump adds enough co2 for my smaller tank... got that trick from tom barr i think... thanks tom! it also gasses off co2 at night... double whammy.
almost forgot... the "smaller tank" is running about 2.7 wpg. but it's all how i have it. the lights are hung and it works out well. i just had to decide on height!
I'm going to have 40 watts total for my tank, would the DIY 2l be ok for balancing the algae? Or do you guys don't know, and I'll just have to run the co2 and find out myself?
I would run two smaller batches and change them on a different schedule (ie a new batch one week while the other is still running, then change that one the next week) so your levels do not dip dramatically as the batches age together. Fluctuating CO2 levels = algae.
