Looking for CO2 Advice for new 90 gallon tank

[Desrali]

Hi all. First time poster, long time lurker. My xmas present came early, and I've got a big, beautiful 90 gallon tank I'm just getting started. I'd love to do a planted tank, but I'm not sure where to begin as far as CO2. I don't have any fish yet, so I don't need to worry about killing anything. Where do I go from here? Thanks in advance!

 

[mbkemp]

My advice, others will differ, is get the best set up you can. I bought a kit from green leaf aquariums. I do not remember the number but most everything I needed was included. Step two, I get my gas from a welding supply place. If you go down this path do not buy a tank. Praxair will have you pay a deposit. It cost me about 13 dollars ever 5 months or so

Figure out how you are going to dissolve the gas, reactor, or diffusor. I use a reactor because it is outside of the aquarium

Flow in the tank is critical. In a 90 you you might need two powerheads.

Fertilizer, gla or nilocg will not do you wrong. I use rotala butterfly to figure out how much of what

Lots more details but the last thing is lights. More is not better. Be smart here, no Tim Taylor. You need the right amount. In a 90 you might need two if you use led.

 

[ZxC]

90 gallons are quite deep, so lighting may be a big player in the growth you get.

As for CO2, I hear people say green leaf aquatics all the time, so I think that would be a good way to go. You should get at least a 5 lb tank, 10 lb bett for a 90 gallon. Brewers and gas suppliers are usually the best place to look for CO2. Sometimes they require specific tanks so pic where you will get the gas, and find a tank after that.

For diffusion usually a reactor is best suited for your tank, it offers 100% diffusion at a low cost, but they do take away from flow and require either a canister filter or dedicated pump outside of the tank. In tank or inline diffusers could also work, its really up to you.

 

[Desrali]

Thanks for the responses. I am also a homebrewer, so I actually have CO2 tanks for my kegs. The local homebrew store does an exchange once you empty the tank, which is nice.

I'll check out green leaf. I found an article on their site that seems pretty helpful: The Complete CO2 System – Planted Tank Blog

 

[Bert2oo1]

You’ll 100% want a reactor. Here’s the best diy ones u can build,

http://rotalabutterfly.com/rex-grigg/diy-reactor.htm

https://glassboxgardeners.com/threads/how-to-build-a-cerges-co2-reactor.346/

I have both on 2 different tanks and I prefer the Cerges for ease of maintanence. Didn’t really notice any change in flow to be honest