Need some CO2 System advice

S

slakkr2

AC Members
Mar 5, 2005
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Hi all,

Well, I'm trying to come up with a game plan for my new 125 (72x18). I'd like to establish live plants along with fish. I've got a pretty good list going on things I need for the tank (thanks to the folks on this site), so here I am. In the past couple of days I've read a lot of information surrounding CO2 and am wondering what type of system I should consider looking into. Please keep in mind I've never worked with CO2 before and frankly it makes me a little uneasy.

I read about the Milwaukee and JBJ regulators - are they any good? Is one better than the other, or, should I be looking into something completely different. If I were to purchase one of these systems is there anything additional I'll need to buy for them to work properly? Is there a reputable online site you might refer me to for purchase of these units?

Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks a bunch!!!
 
slakkr2 said:
Hi all,

Well, I'm trying to come up with a game plan for my new 125 (72x18). I'd like to establish live plants along with fish. I've got a pretty good list going on things I need for the tank (thanks to the folks on this site), so here I am. In the past couple of days I've read a lot of information surrounding CO2 and am wondering what type of system I should consider looking into. Please keep in mind I've never worked with CO2 before and frankly it makes me a little uneasy.

I read about the Milwaukee and JBJ regulators - are they any good? Is one better than the other, or, should I be looking into something completely different. If I were to purchase one of these systems is there anything additional I'll need to buy for them to work properly? Is there a reputable online site you might refer me to for purchase of these units?

Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks a bunch!!!
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The Milwaukee is great. Your gona need a good reactor though for a tank that size. Whats your budget?

also how much light do you have over this tank?
 
Mooch28 said:
The Milwaukee is great. Your gona need a good reactor though for a tank that size. Whats your budget?

also how much light do you have over this tank?
Click to expand...

Budget, well, I haven't exactly established a budget as of yet, but I think I'm going to start purchainsg things piece meal style. I'm not in a hurry and want to do it right, but don't want to drop a grand all at once; prefer to disperse it over a few months.

So, as far as a reactor goes, I don't need to have top of the line, so how about something in the middle?

Lighting, well, I have the regular All Glass hood that came with the tank, but I'm assuming that I'm going to have to purcahse a new hood and lights. Unless I hear otherwise of course and can purchase the appropriate size bulbs for what I already have. Anyway, I haven't had the opportunity to research this yet.
 
i've got a JBJ and love it but i've been hearing alot about warranty issues on other forums so.....just something to consider i guess.
 
I was a little scared of keeping compressed gasses in the house at first too. As long as you stay safe and follow instructions when handling the canister, you should be alright.

And don't pay for a reactor. Extremely effective reactors can be made for a fraction of the price of manufactured ones.

http://www.gwapa.org/articles/inline_co2_reactor/

I made my industrial-sized (3' tall) Reactor along these same lines, and have had no problems.
 
slakkr2 said:
Budget, well, I haven't exactly established a budget as of yet, but I think I'm going to start purchainsg things piece meal style. I'm not in a hurry and want to do it right, but don't want to drop a grand all at once; prefer to disperse it over a few months.

So, as far as a reactor goes, I don't need to have top of the line, so how about something in the middle?

Lighting, well, I have the regular All Glass hood that came with the tank, but I'm assuming that I'm going to have to purcahse a new hood and lights. Unless I hear otherwise of course and can purchase the appropriate size bulbs for what I already have. Anyway, I haven't had the opportunity to research this yet.
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As tim said, a reactor can be built for a fraction of the cost in stores. What kind of filter do you have though?

As for lighting, for a tank your size, the light under the hood is no where near enough for any plants. Your gona need atleast 2 watts per gallon. To reach that you would need 250 watts of lighting for your 125 gallon tank to get 2 watts per gallon. Another thing to consider is, the more light and C02, the more chances of algae, so you have to fertilize daily or every other day depending on how many plants you have to keep a balace in your tank to keep algae down.
 
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Mooch28 said:
As tim said, a reactor can be built for a fraction of the cost in stores. What kind of filter do you have though?

As for lighting, for a tank your size, the light under the hood is no where near enough for any plants. Your gona need atleast 2 watts per gallon. To reach that you would need 250 watts of lighting for your 125 gallon tank to get 2 watts per gallon. Another thing to consider is, the more light and C02, the more chances of algae, so you have to fertilize daily or every other day depending on how many plants you have to keep a balace in your tank to keep algae down.
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I'm planning on buying 2-XP3's.
 
I just ordered my first pressurized CO2 system.

http://aquariumplant.com/cgi-bin/cart/pr800.html?id=QdxTktQx

It appears to be the “good Stuff” and I wanted to get a “complete” system from the start. The package price and shipping seemed to be less expensive than others. I could have made some of the equipment and saved a few bucks, but I felt the parts cost and the time would not been worth it in the long run. I went for the ph controller for convenience and lessen the risk of killing hundreds of dollars of fish.

For lighting I have been very happy with ah supply. I have 2 tanks with their lighting.
 
You do not have to have C02 to start a first time plant tank, and have a nice selection of plants. Just stay away from most of the stem plants and stick with swords, Anubias, crinums, ferns and Cryptocorynes. Lighting is the first thing to address and then having the right substrate. The biggest mistake people make with C02 is not understanding it before they get into it. You need to understand a little about water chemistry and why you are adding C02 in the first place and what your target range should be. Until you are comfortable with that, stay away from C02! Just stick with moderate light and slow to moderate growing plants. You would be surprised how impressive a looking tank you can have!

garyduke.jpg
 
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