Newbie Need Some Tutoring

[kisin]

Well not a great deal but here it goes.

I have just purchased a Juwel Rekord 800 (110 L approx ).

It comes with built in filter and lighting along with heater.

I have decided on my fish and have calculated using the 1" of fish per 1 Gallon of water.

I have a rough idea about the plants I want along with a planned sketch of what I hope the tank will look like once completed.

I have researched the whole fishless cycle thing and think I understand it pretty well but the only thing that's bothering me is trying to find a CO2 system that doesn't cost the earth but will also be adequate enough for my aquarium.

The said aquarium can be seen here >> http/www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/fish/aquarium/small_tanks/171566

so any ideas on the whole CO2 dooda?

( there my be more questions but will wait to ask these )

And thanks for any replies

Jake

 

[Corleone]

There's do it yourself CO2 fermentation units, as well as ones you can buy. Much cheaper than compressed ones, but there's downsides, too. A word of warning: Everyone in your house will hate you when it comes time to clean it. I tried cleaning mine outside and the neighbors complained - I think they said it smelled like "I was killing a skunk with a dead skunk that had been eaten by a third skunk." It got old quick.

If a monthly cost is easier to budget than a big one time investment, I ran my 55 gallon planted tank using Flourish Excel organic carbon for more than two years.

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to our forum Kisin. I have answered this same basic question in another thread somewhere. The essence of the answer is that CO2 is not essential to keeping plants or to cycling a tank. CO2 is essential to following the high tech regime that some plant people will advocate. Their reasoning is something that I strongly disagree with so I will let them address your "need" to add CO2 to a new and cycling tank. I find that CO2 additions is never "needed" but is a choice some people make rather than truly understanding what their plants need. Yes I will admit that I am a bit of a atypical radical when it comes to plant care. I use the Walstad NPT approach and do not use CO2 additions or fertilizer additions. That makes me an outcast compared to mainstream plant care people.