co2 confusion

[GodFan]

ok I was thinking about a planted tank but Im a bit lost. Do I have to have a ph thing on it? How do you fefill the bottle and at what cost? What do I need? Is there an alternative?
Thanks and God bless!

 

[CleverBs]

well you dont have to have a ph controler if thats what your asking, just test your ph reguarly and you should be fine. Buy your tank from your local welding supply store and they will normaly refill it for you, here (Omaha Ne) it cost 20$ for me to refill 5-20lb tanks, a 5lb should last me (with a 75gallon) about 6 months, 10lb a year, 20lb 1.5-2years. you need a regulator (good one dont go cheap because you get what you pay for in this department), Co2 Tank, but you need to get some type of diffuser, if you have a canister filter use an Inline diffuser thats one last thing you can have in your tank if not then get a atomic diffuser, these do well, you can really go with lots of different types of diffusers.

 

[fort384]

No you do not need a pH controller. It is a fun thing to have, and makes injection extremely precise, but it is definitely not a requirement. Bottles can be refilled or exchanged at any welding supply store, home brewery store, and several other places. The cost can very greatly depending on your location, the type of store, and the size of the bottle. I usually pay around $15 I think to refill a 5lb tank. It lasts 6-10 months on a very small tank... how long yours lasts depends on the size of the tank, the injection method, the control method, and a lot of other things. Here are some good threads that will help explain quite a bit about CO2... you can use the custom search feature linked in my signature to find additional threads as well. There is quite a bit of info on the site that you will find beneficial.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f20/1-4-diy-3-4-purchased-co2-system-136350.html

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/co2-help-136297.html#post1176824

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/how-to-set-up-a-co2-system-137982.html

 

[GodFan]

ok thanks yall