Will i need Co2??

[Marx]

will i need Co2 with a planted 75gal tank that has 2.13watts per gallon??

or can i save up my money and purchase one in a few months?\

also were would i look to find prices on co2 tanks and regulaters and all the stuff i need?

locally...

thanks..

[Migs]

I saw a basic kit at Big Al's for 45$.  Canister, yeast culture, distributor and tubing.  It's the same CO2 kit they have in use on their Dutch Style tank; the plants look gorgeous in it.

I wouldn't mind getting one but I think I'll try building one first...
http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html
just look up
aquarium co2 +diy
on Google and you'll find lots of good info.

[DARKPHREAK]

I did DIY for many months with 2+ wpg and it wasnt enough. It did help the plants somewhat but mixxing new batchs was a pain. Its hard on the fish not being able to maintain proper levels in the long run. I dont use c02 now and the plants seem fine and from what I've heard you dont need to run c02 with low light tanks. Anything about 3wpg, you should invest in pressurized. But having only 2 wpg and pressurized c02 is just like saying you have the bling bling, dont need it but you have it. Heres a link with all the info on setting one up.
http://sammyxp.tripod.com/html/id23.html

[BigDaddy]

C02 is not REQUIRED until you get into very high lighting... 3.5 wpg or higher

Now, CO2 at 2 wpg is beneficial....

Just make it yourself... do a google for yeast receipes  Making a reactor out of a power head and a gravel vac is a breeze.  Or if you have a canister, you can do what I did and $13 worth of pvc got me an inline reactor outside the tank

[Marx]

i have a fluval 404? does that work?

[BigDaddy]

Absolutely.

Go buy a 2 inch diameter ABS pipe... a foot should do.  Then you need 2 inch to 1 1/2 inch reducers.  From there, you can get a 1 1/2 to 1/2 inch reducer.  Then you can add two threaded barbs to the end for connecting your hose to.  With ABS cement the total pricetag is around 13 bucks.

Some people will use an airline connector... but I am using rigid airline tubing ... if you don't have a VERY tight fit, you'll need some PVC to ABS cement, as rigid airline is PVC.

[Poustic]

Hi there,

For what it's worth, here's another solution that is less fun to make but works great for me:  put a very small and thin airstone onto the end of your CO2 line and insert it in the filter intake.  The very fine bubbles that come out get dissolved 100% in the canister filter.

[BigDaddy]

Hi there,

For what it's worth, here's another solution that is less fun to make but works great for me:  put a very small and thin airstone onto the end of your CO2 line and insert it in the filter intake.  The very fine bubbles that come out get dissolved 100% in the canister filter.

One problem with that setup.  It will limit your flow somewhat.  The airstone will help to keep the canister from air locking...

And I'm hoping you have a check valve on your CO2 line... lest the negative pressure pull your yeast mix into your tank  :lol:

The big thing with the inline reactor is that you have one less piece of equipment INSIDE the tank.

[dpatte]

why use an airstone? I use a DIY system using a cranberry juice bottle. The tube from the bottle runs into my filter intake tube - no airstone. simple. There are instructions for this in another message. Search the site.

[BigDaddy]

With a straight airline feed into the intake, you could potentially air lock the canister.  Plus, fine bubbles dissolve much more easily than their larger counterparts.

[Poustic]

why use an airstone? I use a DIY system using a cranberry juice bottle. The tube from the bottle runs into my filter intake tube - no airstone. simple. There are instructions for this in another message. Search the site.

My filter had occasional burps without an airstone using two pop bottles for my 90 gal tank, but you're right in that you may not even need one, depending on various factors.

And I'm hoping you have a check valve on your CO2 line... lest the negative pressure pull your yeast mix into your tank  :lol:

Make that two check valves.  Forgot to mention that, thanks.  and one airline tube that goes in the tank, which you should be able to hide behind the filter intake.  I don't know by how much the airstone limits the flow for DIY CO2, but might be worth investigating.  I switched to pressurized CO2, so the flow is no longer an issue for me.

[Anubias]

I use three connected pop bottles of DIY CO2 on a 180 gallon with 500 watts of MH lighting. The CO2 is fed into the intake of the Magnum 350 resulting in complete dissolution. Pearling results and the fish really appreciate it.

Due to the high oxygen content, last week I watched a male SAE trying to spawn with one of the females. The male became suffused in yellow, but the black lateral line lost only some of its intensity. This differs from when a male is merely aggressing another male. I've never seen this before, so it must have been the oxygen coupled with the strong current.

So my suggestion is to use CO2.

[artw]

with regards to airlocking most canisters have the impeller after the filter media. so the co2 should be pretty much dissolved by the time it hits the impeller

[Marx]

im gonna wait for co2.. im gonna save for full pressurized system.. thanks all..