# cheap c02 setups



## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

*cheap c02 setups and zebra plecos*

first off, hello.

bit a of a newbie to the whole live plant deal and havent actually set up the tank yet but have been trying to research as much as i can. i have been looking at the cheap little c02 setups that mimic the diy setup and wanted to know if it would be sufficient for my needs.

the tank is a 29gal with black sand for substrate, will have a eheim canister filter, looking at lighting now and plan on some simple low light plants. this tank will also be housing a few zebra plecos so im kinda of weary about all the chemicals and co2.

the two setups i have been looking at are these two....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=8981&N=2004+113779

and this one

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=14711&inm=1&N=2004+113779+2035

im leaning more towards the second one but would like some opinions and i have thought about the diy setups as well but would like an opinion on the two here.

also thought about using this in the sand bed to kelp nourish the plants some.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4867&N=2004+113222

also will dosing co2 cause problems for my zebra plecos? it would be an expensive lost to find out on my own. also will the flourish and stuff like that be ok on the plecos. also some suggestions to what plants would work with the plecos would be great as well.

thanks for any help.


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## LordSul (Mar 17, 2006)

Hello,

I have been using Carbon electrolysis sytems for my 10G and 15G tanks for more than a year now. One unit costs me 30$, and it lasts nearly a year, which I think it is quite costeffective, in small tanks. I have not used them in tanks larger than 20G before.

In my newly set up 10G tank, my pH is 6.7, and the system is working at idle.
Before had the system installed my pH was 7.3, so if the unit is working at full power it should also be effective for larger tanks.

But, a big disadvantage is that you dont have full control on how much CO2 is given off. You'll have to test regularly.

This is identical to what I using right now, although the price is higher:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

Good luck


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## reasonable (Jul 25, 2006)

I recommend the DIY set of Co2 with using sugar & saccharomycete[yeast])

It costs only 90 Taiwanese(How can I change it to USD??)

It is funny and I think that you can enjoy in the DIY process

I am using it for my 72 litres tank(How can I change to Gallon??)

I think that the DIY set will be much powerful when it is using in a large tank

Please forgive my poor syntax!


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## CherylR (Aug 12, 2004)

DFWAPC has an article on DIY CO2. www.aquatic-plants.org. Of course, I'm sure that just about every local club has an article of this sort. 

Cheryl


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## aquatic-store.com (Jun 23, 2004)

Red sea makes similar diy unit I think don from Freshwateraquariumplants sells. We do not sell it but it is an easy starter set for diy and appears to do good on tanks your size.
Once you get the bug you can always upgrade.


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## swallace602 (Jul 20, 2006)

I guess I am like a lot of people who would like to save money so I am interested in DIY CO2, but can it be used in a 62 gallon tank? What if two gallon water bottle's are used (alternately swapped out every two weeks or so? I was thinking one of the reasons soda bottles are used is because they are made to handle pressure.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

> I guess I am like a lot of people who would like to save money so I am interested in DIY CO2, but can it be used in a 62 gallon tank?


 Some folks have used it successfully in a 75gal, but, imo, it's not easy. If you want to try it, then go with 3 bottles of mixture, have their schedules staggered, so every week, you're changing out one of them. I would also suggest keeping your lighting reasonable around 2 -2.25 wpg. If you go with higher lighting algae will be much harder to keep in check. Keep in mind, one of the problems with diy is lack of stability.



> I was thinking one of the reasons soda bottles are used is because they are made to handle pressure.


 You don't want pressure to build up in your diy reaction vessels! The gas needs to freely flow into whatever reactor you choose to use. Pressure will ultimately cause an explosion and a mess in your house/tank.


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## CherylR (Aug 12, 2004)

I think DIY is more trouble than it's worth in larger tanks, but of course, it can be done. There is a power point presentation of Tarah Nyberg's yeast recipe at the Aquatic Gardeners Association web site www.aquatic-gardeners.org.

Don't use any flexible bottle for yeast fermentation. Maybe a gallon juice jug, but not a water bottle.

Cheryl


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

well i thought about the diy but i checked out the redsea turbo co2 kit and its very nice looking and wasnt too bad on the price either. i think that after i run out of the juice it comes with i could just down size the diy ingredients and still use the kit.

thanks for all the input.

anyone have any comments on co2 and zebra plecos??


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## madcaow (Jul 31, 2006)

i just got a red sea turbo kit off ebay. it looks pretty good to me. will see how it goes!!


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## Clone (Mar 9, 2005)

You can get a regulator from beveragefactory.com for $36. All you need to do is buy a needle valve and you will be all set.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

Clone said:


> You can get a regulator from beveragefactory.com for $36. All you need to do is buy a needle valve and you will be all set.


so you could control the flow with the gauge, is the needle valve the same thing as the regulator?


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

> so you could control the flow with the gauge, is the needle valve the same thing as the regulator?


 No. The needle valve is the 'fine tune' to control the outflow from the cylinder. The regulator functions to show you the remaining pressure (or gas level) in your tank, and to step down the pressure inside the cylinder to a workable (working) pressure for the outflow through the needle valve. Check out the CO2 section here: www.rexgrigg.com for some info which might answer some of your questions.


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