# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Carbo Plus CO2 Unit Review



## Tom E. (Feb 6, 2003)

I was thinking of investing in the new Carbo Plus CO2 unit that I have seen on many websites recently. Has anyone had direct experience with these units? Are they too expensive to run for long periods?

Thanks for the insight.

Tom E.


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## Tom E. (Feb 6, 2003)

I was thinking of investing in the new Carbo Plus CO2 unit that I have seen on many websites recently. Has anyone had direct experience with these units? Are they too expensive to run for long periods?

Thanks for the insight.

Tom E.


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

Ok, I have not used the Carbo-Plus unit but here's what I have heard and know about them.

They will remove carbonates (kH) from your tank to make CO2. So if you have soft water this unit is not for you. They don't do well with large tanks. They can be very expensive to run in the long term. The startup cost is almost the same as a pressurized CO2 system if you shop around. The cost of the blocks is much higher than the cost of filling a CO2 tank. All in all 95% of the people I know that have used one wish they had gone pressurized instead.

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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I use two of them in two 20 gallon tanks, one which is at my Mothers. It works pretty well for that size tank. The blocks on a timer last about three months running near or at full capacity. It is a hassle free way of delivering C02 if you just want something you don't have to tinker with or worry about.

Vicki, one of the moderators here has one, (she's on vacation right now) and Aspiring Amano swears by them, (he hasn't registered here yet) I am sure there are others out here who have them. Those like Tom Barr usually point out the cost of replacing the bars is so much higher that refilling a gas cannister once a year. Which is true. The bars cost you about $25 every three months. You pay for the convience, and hassle free nature. It is also much less intimadating than gas for some people.

It does use your KH, which can be replenished with water changes. If you have soft water you would need to add something to the water to bring up the KH. It also does not give you as much fine control over the amount of C02 you are putting into your tank as gas does, but you do not have to worry about accidents, overdosing C02, C02 tank dumps, and all that sort of thing associated with gas use. For some people it is a solution that makes sense.

Robert
King admin
www.aquabotanic.com


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## Steve Hampton (Feb 13, 2004)

I have a CarboPlus unit running on a 20G tank. I also have pressurized CO2 running a two other tanks in a different part of the house. My water is moderately hard. The CarboPlus system does eat KH, weekly water changes of 50% solve the problem at least partially. The bigger issue is maintenance. Because of the moderately hard water, my carbon block assembly has to be removed and cleaned bi-weekly. Cleaning consists of scraping the white (calcium carbonate?) buildup on the stainless steel cabon block holder. If this maintenace isn't preformed it's efficiency goes way down. Like Robert, I'd have to say that setup and convenience when a pressurized system is not practical is it's biggest pluses. My carbon blocks run 24/7 at about 30% - 40% and lasts about 4-5 months. My tank is medium lighting and there is never pearling like my other tanks, CO2 stays near 15ppm. BTW, this is my second unit. The first one I bought I tried to run on a 55G tank...full blast wouldn't achieve CO2 levels above 15ppm. I eventually sold it on eBay. After discussing with Aspiringamano (another aquatic garden) I decidied to try the unit again. I bought a used one off eBay for $35.00. I am fairly pleased using it on the smaller tank...it is much better than DIY Yeast CO2.


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## b3dlam (Feb 1, 2003)

I got the following quote from an online shopping site which sells CarboPlus.



> quote:
> 
> Using a simple to use control box with leads to guide you connected to a carbon rod located in the aquarium. Water is converted into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis. The hydrogen rises up and the oxygen combines with the carbon in the carbon plate to form carbon dioxide, most of which dissolves immediately.


The description implies that the carbon in the water is not really used. It is the carbon plate that you replace that is used. This would make sense as the replace rate of the plate varies directly with the amount of time the unit is on.

I havent used it myself (I think it takes up a lot of space and its also a bit unslightly...?)


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## Rex Grigg (Jan 22, 2004)

No matter what they say it does deplete the kH of the tank.

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## gsmollin (Feb 3, 2003)

Yes, and it does release H2 into the water, so don't try to collect those bubbles.


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