Thinking of having co2 in my tank?

[Bracehero]

Hi Guys, I am a beginner at having co2 in my tank. And I want to have the pleasure of having co2 in my tank and causing my plants to pearl. Is there any way I can get some co2 equipment? What do I need? How much will it cost? And do I really need that big tank to hold the co2? Is there any way I can have co2 in my tank without that? Thanks!

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[Crimson83]

Hi Bracehero, I'm no expert in this field but I'm going to give you my humble opinion. Let's talk about the main topic, Co2 first. There's 2 types- 1 is a short-term, small canister table-top disposable type. The other is a long term, up to 5 litre non-disposable big tank type, usually refillable via a 1-to-1 exchange at lfs that you bought from or topping up at some shops like bioplast.
You usually can get Co2 equipment/Co2 tanks at lfs, AQ's marketplace or carousell. Just go and look it up, there's plenty. Equipment usually consist of the gauge(single or double reading), bubble counter, plastic hose and the medium which co2 is injected into your tank like diffusor, ceramic disc & etc. There's also inline reactor which is like tapping into your outflow pipe, where the co2 is being injected and many more. There is a lot of learn from just this equipment alone. The cost will varies, depending if you are buying brand new or using 2nd hand. having Co2 does not equate to needing a big tank, it's all about controlling the concentration of co2 in your tank via a drop check(another piece of co2-related equipment). Just that using a small disposable canister for a big tank is extremely cost-INeffective. But using a 5l co2 tank for a small tank can be rather cost-effective, as it seems 5l can be use on small tank for a very very long time, comparing against disposable canister, but you must also factor in the equipment cost too.
Now for the next part, pearling. I will try keep my story short for easy digestion. When you want plants to pearl, it means 3 things must be in sufficient amount, light, fertilizer and co2. When you start Co2 to make them grow, you must provide them with sufficient nutrients to supplment their growth and in turn, you light must be present long enough to allow them to photosynthesis to support their growth. When all 3 are in balance, then you will see them pearl. Any imbalance among the 3, will result in different types of algae attack. Credit goes to Tom Barr for all my knowledge. My point is once you start co2, you will have to start a fertilizer regime and also, you must see if your light is good enough or not. And all this will add up to the cost and time.
Why I can explain to you in such details is because I start off exactly like you, with 2 tank of co2 because I bought them cheap. Started with premix fertilizer till now I'm mixing my own macro and micro nutrients.
But what I want to tell you, go ahead with this. When you see all your plants green and lush, the feeling is extremely satisfying.
P.s. sorry for the long story :P

[Cardinal Tetra]

First of all, how big is your tank?
For nano setups you can try DIY CO2 first if you are not willing to spend on the CO2 equipment.

[madhav96001]

Whatever you are adding, add slowly and increase doses gradually, any imbalance, nasty algae is a knock away. Its not definitely a rocket science. if I can make my plants pearl, you too can make it....

Apart from all the three Crimson mentioned, there is another thing missing in the equation, water circulation. Without proper circulation your efforts will be wasted, if you are planning fast growing stem plants, 15x-20x turnover is recommended.

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[Bracehero]

Hi Bracehero, I'm no expert in this field but I'm going to give you my humble opinion. Let's talk about the main topic, Co2 first. There's 2 types- 1 is a short-term, small canister table-top disposable type. The other is a long term, up to 5 litre non-disposable big tank type, usually refillable via a 1-to-1 exchange at lfs that you bought from or topping up at some shops like bioplast.
You usually can get Co2 equipment/Co2 tanks at lfs, AQ's marketplace or carousell. Just go and look it up, there's plenty. Equipment usually consist of the gauge(single or double reading), bubble counter, plastic hose and the medium which co2 is injected into your tank like diffusor, ceramic disc & etc. There's also inline reactor which is like tapping into your outflow pipe, where the co2 is being injected and many more. There is a lot of learn from just this equipment alone. The cost will varies, depending if you are buying brand new or using 2nd hand. having Co2 does not equate to needing a big tank, it's all about controlling the concentration of co2 in your tank via a drop check(another piece of co2-related equipment). Just that using a small disposable canister for a big tank is extremely cost-INeffective. But using a 5l co2 tank for a small tank can be rather cost-effective, as it seems 5l can be use on small tank for a very very long time, comparing against disposable canister, but you must also factor in the equipment cost too.
Now for the next part, pearling. I will try keep my story short for easy digestion. When you want plants to pearl, it means 3 things must be in sufficient amount, light, fertilizer and co2. When you start Co2 to make them grow, you must provide them with sufficient nutrients to supplment their growth and in turn, you light must be present long enough to allow them to photosynthesis to support their growth. When all 3 are in balance, then you will see them pearl. Any imbalance among the 3, will result in different types of algae attack. Credit goes to Tom Barr for all my knowledge. My point is once you start co2, you will have to start a fertilizer regime and also, you must see if your light is good enough or not. And all this will add up to the cost and time.
Why I can explain to you in such details is because I start off exactly like you, with 2 tank of co2 because I bought them cheap. Started with premix fertilizer till now I'm mixing my own macro and micro nutrients.
But what I want to tell you, go ahead with this. When you see all your plants green and lush, the feeling is extremely satisfying.
P.s. sorry for the long story :P

Hi Crimson83 , thanks so much for your long reply! My tank is 20gallon tall. I have lights on and HELP fertilizer in my tank.. been trying to make them pearl for a long time. Maybe I will take the disposable type. But what items can I search on carousell? Thanks so much once again!

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[Bracehero]

First of all, how big is your tank?
For nano setups you can try DIY CO2 first if you are not willing to spend on the CO2 equipment.

Hello Cardinal Tetra, My tank is a 20gallon tall. Is DIY co2 easy to obtain and make? Thanks!

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[Bracehero]

Whatever you are adding, add slowly and increase doses gradually, any imbalance, nasty algae is a knock away. Its not definitely a rocket science. if I can make my plants pearl, you too can make it....

Apart from all the three Crimson mentioned, there is another thing missing in the equation, water circulation. Without proper circulation your efforts will be wasted, if you are planning fast growing stem plants, 15x-20x turnover is recommended.

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Hello madhav96001 , thanks for your reply! What do you mean by turnover?

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[Cardinal Tetra]

Hello Cardinal Tetra, My tank is a 20gallon tall. Is DIY co2 easy to obtain and make? Thanks!

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DIY CO2 is easy to make but are suitable for smaller tanks <16G. You can do a search on how to make DIY CO2 easily.

[madhav96001]

If your tank vol is 60l, your aim is to get 1000lph or more water circulation, if your filter is not rated for this, you can use small wave maker to achieve this. You can find one for around 10$ and can go with your lights, no need for 24/7 operation

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[simonyeeklang]

I was using co2 kit before I use tank. IMHO it is a lot of hassle and not worth a thought it lasted 2 weeks. And if you get the chemical mixed wrongly it will be disaster.

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[Crimson83]

Hi Crimson83 , thanks so much for your long reply! My tank is 20gallon tall. I have lights on and HELP fertilizer in my tank.. been trying to make them pearl for a long time. Maybe I will take the disposable type. But what items can I search on carousell? Thanks so much once again!

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Hi morning! You can try typing 'co2' in carousell search field. You will see a lot of results. IMHO you try get disposable type first, see how you and your plants like it. If you really like the way it's making your plants grow, then go ahead and source for those tank type. What is the brand and model of your light and what plants are you intending to grow?

[madhav96001]

Inconsistency in DIY is another factor that might lead to a disaster for biginner...

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[aza]

Former DIY CO2 user. Stopped after a month. Have fun while it lasts!

[Bracehero]

Hi morning! You can try typing 'co2' in carousell search field. You will see a lot of results. IMHO you try get disposable type first, see how you and your plants like it. If you really like the way it's making your plants grow, then go ahead and source for those tank type. What is the brand and model of your light and what plants are you intending to grow?

Hello Crimson, madhav has nicely offered to sell me his co2 system. So I dont mind his set. But will keep in mind for the disposable co2. I dont know the brand of my light,but it is quite bright tbh, got it for about $28 at c328. The plants I am intending to grow are those type of plants that come in cups, usually sold for $10 at lfs. They include hairgrass and dwarf baby tears etc. So I am.planning to plant hairgrass and baby tears. I am looking for a good carpet plant and nice pearling )

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[tetrakid]

First of all, how big is your tank?
For nano setups you can try DIY CO2 first if you are not willing to spend on the CO2 equipment.

For nano tanks, there's nothing simpler than bubbling the water with your breath via a length of air tubing. I should reckon CO2 equipment is overkill if one does not have a water garden populated densely with plants. If you have a lot of fish with few plants, the fish themselves provides the CO2 in their breathing. Added to that, the plants themselves will be providing copious amounts of the stuff when they sleep at night.

So you see, there's actually more ways to do it than acquiring expensive and heavy industrial equipment.

[madhav96001]

LOL, is there any equipment to do it? Fun apart...
If you consider nano tanks, forget about adding co2 via adding lot of fish. I dont agree with this idea. Yes I agree fish waste is a source of co2 but it should not be the only source," OP is looking for pearling".

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[tetrakid]

LOL, is there any equipment to do it? Fun apart...
If you consider nano tanks, forget about adding co2 via adding lot of fish. I dont agree with this idea. Yes I agree fish waste is a source of co2 but it should not be the only source," OP is looking for pearling".

Pearling is the result of photosynthesis, especially when under bright natural sunlight, but not so much with artificial light. Try putting some healthy plants in a glass bottle in bright sunlight and watch the pearling bubbles rise. It is fun watching. But to ensure continuous pearling it is necessary to ensure the water is 'homogenised' continually to even out the CO2 distribution, which is diluted locally by the oxygen produced.

[Cardinal Tetra]

For nano tanks, there's nothing simpler than bubbling the water with your breath via a length of air tubing.

While logical, it is not practical to be standing beside your tank and blowing bubbles whenever the lights come on. I literally tried that about 20 years ago when CO2 systems cost alot more back then, and being a primary school kid I couldnt afford such equipment.
I blew bubbles till I started to feel dizzy and it wasn't fun at all.
DIY CO2, a cheaper alternative solution - while inconsistent and not as efficient as proper CO2 cylinders, still managed to get my plants to pearl under T8 FL tubes.

[Crimson83]

Hello Crimson, madhav has nicely offered to sell me his co2 system. So I dont mind his set. But will keep in mind for the disposable co2. I dont know the brand of my light,but it is quite bright tbh, got it for about $28 at c328. The plants I am intending to grow are those type of plants that come in cups, usually sold for $10 at lfs. They include hairgrass and dwarf baby tears etc. So I am.planning to plant hairgrass and baby tears. I am looking for a good carpet plant and nice pearling )

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Morning! because I don't grow carpet plants, so I can't comment much if the light you own is enough or not for them. But I do noticed that they are generally both high light, high co2 demand plants. Maybe the expert bro here can advise. So remember, high light, high co2 means high ferts too if you want to see fast growth.

While logical, it is not practical to be standing beside your tank and blowing bubbles whenever the lights come on. I literally tried that about 20 years ago when CO2 systems cost alot more back then, and being a primary school kid I couldnt afford such equipment.
I blew bubbles till I started to feel dizzy and it wasn't fun at all.
DIY CO2, a cheaper alternative solution - while inconsistent and not as efficient as proper CO2 cylinders, still managed to get my plants to pearl under T8 FL tubes.

My first laugh of the day!! Thanks Cardinal Tetra!!

[Cardinal Tetra]

My first laugh of the day!! Thanks Cardinal Tetra!!

You are welcome!
Just sharing my experiences when I first started the hobby.