Co2 Kits?

[Arcticfox1977]

I understand that the cheapest way is the fire extinguisher in the long run.
However I don't have the room. So what kit would you suggest? What prices will they come in at?

 

[Akasha72]

is this to add Co2 to your tank for your plants?

 

[DrRob]

Paintball kit would be an option for a smaller cylinder, as would a welding gas kit.
 
Otherwise, depends on how much you prioritise set up cost against running costs. Cheaper commercial kits will likely use expensive cannisters, more expensive ones refillable cannisters.

 

[Akasha72]

bottle of easycarbo roughly £8 for 500ml will last ages on a 90 litre tank 

 

[Ch4rlie]

I had a little co2 kit that i bought from a LFS, cost me about £70 if I remember right, not cheap but thought it was perfect for my nano tank set up I had at the time.
 
 
 
 
Works really well once get the hang of this little set up. Main annoying bits for me about the kit was it has a manual regulator, this means having to turn this on and off manually and setting it right every day. And the little co2 bottles did not last too long, about 6 - 8 weeks on average and at £10 per canister, it is fairly expensive over a year to run.
 
If you want a cheap co2 set up, I would advise going with a diy set up, not as complicated as you think to be honest to purchase and set one up.
 
I have a 2kg Fire Extinguisher set up, with a dual gauge regulator with solenoid, means its plugged in mains power supply and with a timer it open and closes by itself without having to adjust settings every day. Makes life a lot easier. My DIY set up cost me £65 all in, sourcing parts from auction sites and fairs.


 
While I know you say you dont have the room for this type of set up, as DrRob suggests, you could use a paintball co2 canister which are pretty good and you can easily get parts to adapt to fit to regulators and solenoids.
 
There are a variety of co2 canisters sizes out there, just means being patient and looking online a lot for a suitable co2 canister that fits your needs as well as your budget.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

is this to add Co2 to your tank for your plants?

Yes this is for my plants. I jut went to try it out to see the difference. I wouldn't be constantly doing it long term. What size of bottle would you is decent size for a 95l tank?

 

[Akasha72]

I get a 500ml bottle of easycarbo for my tank and it lasts ages and my tank is 240 litres. According to the bottle instructions dosage is 1ml per 50 litres per day with a max of 2ml per 50 litres per day in aquariums with a lot of plants. Higher dosage levels are highly inadvisable.
 
Does that help?

 

[Arcticfox1977]

I easycarbo the same sort of thing as seachem flourish? I am using flourish just now.

 

[Akasha72]

it's liquid Co2 ... no idea if it has the same ingredients though as I've never used flourish

 

[daizeUK]

Seachem Flourish is a plant fertiliser and does not contain glutaraldehyde (the active ingredient referred to as 'liquid carbon').
 
Seachem Excel is pretty much the same thing as EasyCarbo, both contain glutaraldehyde, although EasyCarbo is cheaper.

 

[Arcticfox1977]

I've ordered a bottle of easycarbo. Is it OK to continue to use flourish along with easycarbo? I am also using ei ferts.

 

[Akasha72]

is flourish liquid Co2? ... I have a feeling it's just a fertiliser but I'm not certain. If it's liquid Co2 don't use both together as over-dosing Co2 isn't recommended. All your plants need really is light, ferts and Co2

 

[Arcticfox1977]

Its seachem flourish excel. It says its a source of organic carbon. Doesn't say any where that its liquid co2.

 

[Akasha72]

I've never used this stuff and I don't feel confident advising on something I'm not certain of. It might be best to wait for someone else who is familiar with the product to advise - sorry chuck, wish I knew the answer but I don't 

 

[daizeUK]

Was my post above invisible?  lol
 
I said that Excel is the same as EasyCarbo.  You don't need both and in fact it's probably a very bad idea to dose both.
They are both liquid carbon which is also commonly called 'liquid CO2', although technically it's not actually liquid CO2 gas of course.
 
Your regime of Excel and EI dosing sounded fine.  Don't use the EasyCarbo as long as you are using Excel.
 
Just to be clear, Seachem Flourish (without the Excel) is a different product which is only a fertiliser.  I think that is where the confusion is arising.