New to the plant game C02

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jmicus123

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
May 28, 2009
Messages
7
Location
massachusetts
So im pretty new to the plant game but im looking to play around with it. Ive been spending some time doing some research on DIY c02 systems but feel i would rather just purchase a c02 injection setup.

I used to be a big paint ball buff and have about 8 20 0z c02 tanks lying around, the paint ball place up the street is relatively cheap to fill them so i figured why not put them to good use and purchase this setup

CO2 System 500 - For "Paintball" Cylinders (Red Sea)

CO2 System 500 - For "Paintball" Cylinders (Red Sea)

do i have the right idea here?
does any one have any expirence with red sea products, any horror stories?

and also i know it says "paintball" cylinders but will actuall paint ball cylinders fit. Idiot question, but you never know.
 
go for it. the only downfall will be frequent refills.
just remember that you're gonna need to think about ferts and light too.
 
i go to school down at mass maritime academy and life up on the north shore in ipswich. For lighting i have the coralife delux 36" hood with a 96w CF light. I also have my old hood on there but never really turn it on that contains a 45w light as well. Any reccomnedations on fetilizers?
 
i was looking at ground cover and am intersted in tring java moss or clover. Right now i have 2 amazon sword plants and some sort of onion plant my friend gave to me. I also placed a baffle on surface of the tank and have duck weed covering about a 1/3 of the surface.

Im hoping to have the tank bottom pretty well covered as well as moss grown on some of my drift wood pieces hopefully with some larger plants here and there. any information or plant reccomendations would be greatly appreciated
 
Java moss is VERY slow but lools GREAT. Its kind of a pain tho because you have to keep tying it to stuff so it doesnt float off :p
 
ok i say dont get it. thats $160. if you look on ebay you should be able to pick up a regulator for $80ish... even with shipping you are looking at $100 or less. you have a very good chance of finding a co2 bottle local for $60. so for the same price as that paint ball regulator you can get a normal one which will last you a lot longer. one great thing about co2 is you can almost start it and forget about it. a 5 pounder should last 6-12 months depending on if you turn it off and on at night.

ok so not only you will get a tank for the same price that you wont have to worry about as much the price to fill up the 5 pounder vs 8oz is a lot cheaper. you will save more money over time.
 
Good point. For the time being im using a DIY setup with a 2 liter, but am currently bidding on a regulator, solenoid and bubble counter for pretty cheap. Bid ends tomorrow so hopefully i get it
 
ok i say dont get it. thats $160. if you look on ebay you should be able to pick up a regulator for $80ish... even with shipping you are looking at $100 or less. you have a very good chance of finding a co2 bottle local for $60. so for the same price as that paint ball regulator you can get a normal one which will last you a lot longer. one great thing about co2 is you can almost start it and forget about it. a 5 pounder should last 6-12 months depending on if you turn it off and on at night.

ok so not only you will get a tank for the same price that you wont have to worry about as much the price to fill up the 5 pounder vs 8oz is a lot cheaper. you will save more money over time.

Agreed. A good quality regulator will last a lifetime and only run you $80-150 depending on the complexity of what you want. I can't remember who I got mine from (was through a recommendation on this forum), but was very high quality. I think the regulator was $150 shipped but included a low pressure regulator (highly recommended as it prevents the end of fill tank dump that can happen which can kill your fish if you are not around), a 1-way valve (to prevent water going into the tubing when the gas shuts off), and an electronic solenoid valve (which allows me to only have the CO2 running when the lights are on; this will triple the time between fills if you run 8 hours a day). Then locally got a 5lb CO2 tank (I think mine was overpriced at $80-90).

I use a powerhead with a very fine airstone for my diffusion, and have had nothing but success since switching from DIY. With DIY and 2 2L bottles staggered, I constantly had algae problems due to the fluctuating levels of CO2 being produced (not to mention nutrient deficiency and green water). The pressurized system is worth it's weight in gold!

Diffuser setup
dancingbubbles.jpg


5lb tank and regulator
pressure1.jpg


HTH
 
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