Introduction Of Diy Co2 Kit

[KirkyArcher]

I broke down the cost of running my DIY Co2 system it cost me 12p a week, £6.50 pa, in return I got good strong plant growth never had bba. My 2 litre mixture uses 1.89g* of Yeast @ 9.6p, 18.6g* of Bicarbonate of Soda @ 9.2p and 453.6g* of granulated sugar @ 42.86p
making a grand total of around 62p every 5 weeks

 

[eaglesaquarium]

That's an interesting price break down.  I just spent $25 for CO2 in a pressurized set-up for a 20lb container on my 100+ gallon tank.  I won't know how much it will end up costing per day, but for it to work out to a similar breakdown, I'll try to do some 'estimating'.
 
I don't know the current conversion rate, but your 62p per 35 days means 1.75p daily (roughly), and I would put it at about 4 cents American, daily.
 
That means if I can get ~ 2 years out of the canister, I should break even to your cost for a pressurized system (which seems more than likely, as a 20lb container is actually quite huge, even for a 100 gallon tank).  I am running my tank 24/7, as well, as I didn't invest in the solenoid to regulate it to match my photo period.
 
 
DIY is a great option, but I think that if CO2 is something that you plan to do long-term, the cost for a pressurized system actually pays for itself eventually - not to mention the ease of use once its set and running... more consistent levels, less maintenance, etc.  The downside to pressurized though is that there are high upfront costs.

 

[KirkyArcher]

I've got pressurised in my 200 litre, and it's a much more user friendly controllable system, but I'm also fortunate enough to get free FE cylinders from a local fire security protection business

I've just recently reintroduced DIY system to my 125 litre now that I've upped the plant quantities

 

[Primous]

DIY is a great option, but I think that if CO2 is something that you plan to do long-term, the cost for a pressurized system actually pays for itself eventually - not to mention the ease of use once its set and running... more consistent levels, less maintenance, etc.  The downside to pressurized though is that there are high upfront costs.

 
Definetly! My pressurized setup went for close to 3 years at 1bps before I needed to refil. The ease of use and the ability to control output and time it to match your my period is priceless imo. 
 
But to the OP as for costing of my DIY setup I was merely reflecting on my personal experience with Co2. Yours may well (and hopefully) work consistently without the need to tweak anything or look up other recipes. Your cost may well run close to zero as I've seen setups that run for months without the need to change anything. Hopefully that's the case but in truth that's beside the point. Focus on fluctuations as that's where any potential issues may arise.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I've got pressurised in my 200 litre, and it's a much more user friendly controllable system, but I'm also fortunate enough to get free FE cylinders from a local fire security protection business

I've just recently reintroduced DIY system to my 125 litre now that I've upped the plant quantities

 
I got mine for free as well, but it was from a beverage distributor via a friend.  That alone drops the cost significantly.