Originally Posted by
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
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