Best Co2 System

[pscl227]

Well I would like to give my plants a bit of a boost so i figure CO2 is the best way to go. Had a quick read of the pinned topics, didnt realise they could be so expensive, found one for nearly £800!

So is there anything i can buy with my measly budget of upto £60 that would be of any use?

I have a small tank, 65 Litres if that makes any difference.

thanks for the help, Paul

 

[aaronnorth]

you can have a pressurized fire Extinghuisher CO2 for £80. It would be worth the extra £20, even if you have to wait another month. The only other option is nutrafin, but you might aswell go DIY as it is the same but is loads cheaper. Take a look at the 2 fire extinghuisher articles in my sig. Here is the DIY method.

http/www.fishforever.co.uk/carbondioxide.html

 

[pscl227]

Thanks aaronnorth for the input, are there any commercial systems i could look at in this price range? or am i all out of luck?

 

[aaronnorth]

that is the cheapest pressurized, if you are wanting a branded kit then i know D&D do one for £100, i think i have seen it for £90 somewhere though. Take a look at aqua essentials.

 

[pscl227]

Not necessarily after a pressurised system

 

[aaronnorth]

well then DIY is the only other option. No chance of saving up for the FE route? i have an FE. Before i used DIY, the results were ok, i knew pressurized was better (dont get algae any more as CO2 levels are not fluctuating!) But after the first few days h results were amazing, you cant tell someone how good it is until you have tried it!.

 

[pscl227]

hows the "TetraPlant CO2-Optimat" system rated?

 

[Ali1212]

i use it , but its not good enough really. id save up that extra £20 and go the pressurised FE way. will save money in long run and results will be 10X better!

 

[Renate]

aaronnorth I want to add diy co2 but fearful. For my kh is 2 at the most and at time I am out of town for a few weeks.

What is your Kh?

 

[aaronnorth]

aaronnorth I want to add diy co2 but fearful. For my kh is 2 at the most and at time I am out of town for a few weeks.

What is your Kh?

add 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. It acts as a buffer and your ph wont drop as much. The mixture will last 2 weeks but it wont be injecting as much as it would if you changed it weekly.

Kh 7/ 125ppm
gh 15/ 280ppm
ph 7

 

[Wolfenrook]

There is a branded pressurised kit you can get for under £70, Zooplus sell the JBL Easy Set 1 for £66.60 (free delivery as over £29, if it's your first order you also get a 10% discount). However this set takes disposable bottles at more than £10 each for 500g of CO2, and doesn't have a solenoid valve. Better than an Optimat though.

Ade

 

[pscl227]

There is a branded pressurised kit you can get for under £70, Zooplus sell the JBL Easy Set 1 for £66.60 (free delivery as over £29, if it's your first order you also get a 10% discount). However this set takes disposable bottles at more than £10 each for 500g of CO2, and doesn't have a solenoid valve. Better than an Optimat though.

Ade

now that is tempting!

 

[Ian H]

For a couple of quid more though you can have the FE set up. I've just switched from the nutrafin set up and its great! Really easy to do and my plants are pearling loads

 

[fozziebear]

id say dont buy the profi 1 and go for the diy FE setup, you wont regret it and in the long run its gonna cost you LOADS less than buying those 500G refills.

 

[Wolfenrook]

id say dont buy the profi 1 and go for the diy FE setup, you wont regret it and in the long run its gonna cost you LOADS less than buying those 500G refills.

I quite agree, which is why I have a set up with an FE as the bottle, and not disposable kit. PSCL doesn't seem keen on the idea of using a fire extinguisher however, and has expressed a preference for brand name equipment, hence I posted the link to that set. Plus you can always add a solenoid for £20 of Lunapet on ebay to any pressurised CO2 kit.

CO2 fire extinguisher set ups are much cheaper in the long run though, costing about £5.50 per 500g of CO2 as opposed to in excess of £10 (assuming you buy a 2kg FE for £22, which is how much I pay).

Ade