Affordable, User-friendly Co2 Systems

[xautomaticflowersx]

I've been keeping easy-to-grow plants like Cryptocorynes, Hygrophila polysperma, Vallisneria and Java Ferns for a while now and since I'm getting a new 2ft tank for my puffer I'd like to try my hand at growing some more challenging plants. So I'm looking into some affordable CO2 systems that would be suitable for such a small tank (bear in mind that whilst it is 2ft long it is only 8" high and 8" wide, making it about 6.6 US gallons).
I came across the following systems on one of my favourite aquatic supplies website:
http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z079193.asp
If anyone has used the TetraPlant CO2-Optimat then I'd reaaaaally appreciate your comments as I can't seem to find any reviews of it online, whereas there's loads of information on the Hagen Nutrafin CO2 system.
Alternatively, do you think that a DIY yeast reactor is the way for me to go? I am worried about the inconsistency of DIY systems on such a small tank and am reluctant to try it, which is why I'm looking at commercial (but affordable) alternatives!
Thanks in advance for any responses!

 

[oldwhitewood]

Well to me that system looks the same as one that used to be quite common, I think it was called Floramat or something it came in a blue cannister. I used to use one before going pressurised. The work by injecting CO2 from the aerosol-like cannister into a diffusion bell, the CO2 is then slowly released into the water. You have to keep manually dosing it and to be honest I think it's a lot of faffing around. It's probably the least expensive option after DIY CO2, but I don't know.

If you want to grow plants some CO2 in there is better than nothing I guess. You could just get a Hagen CO2 kit, throw away their container and use your own DIY bottle and mix. You could also try Flourish Excel, its a liquid based CO2 additive and might be easier to control than using a DIY system, I'm not sure what type of puffer you have but don't they like a slightly higher pH and a more brackish type of environment?

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

It's a true freshwater puffer (Tetraodon leiurus), not one of the brackish ones. You are correct about the pH - they do tend to prefer it around 7 or above. My pH at the moment is ever so slightly alkaline at 7.5, so he seems to be doing very well right now. I am aware that the CO2 may cause the pH to drop somewhat, so that is something I will need to keep an eye on... neutral or a little below won't be much of a problem as he seems to be very hardy (he's survived some pretty poor water quality in the past when I went away and left him in the care of somebody who didn't realise any leftover food must be siphoned away the day after feeding).
I'm starting to think that I may just as well use a DIY method of CO2 injection since having to manually spray CO2 into a diffusion bell seems a little awkward to me. If I'm not around to do it then it's rather unreliable. Thanks for the information you gave me though... it's helped a lot. If I were to use a fairly inefficient method of diffusion with a DIY reactor (such as an airstone or even just plain tubing left to bubble away) then less CO2 will be diffused into the water, which is what I want. It's a small tank so I don't need the diffusion to be efficient, just enough to provide a little bit more CO2 than what occurs naturally. I just want it to provide a bit of a boost to some plants which will already grow quite well in my tank without it, given that the tank is very shallow so the light is fairly intense.

 

[nicklfire]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=112292

I wish they would sticky that for me

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Thanks, I've been looking at that already... it's a useful thread. But none of those links has anything about the CO2-Optimat... it's all about the Nutrafin one (which is basically just a yeast reactor anyway).
It's people's opinions I'm after now, more than anything. I think after some consideration I will try out a small DIY one with an inefficient diffusor so that I don't overload the tank since it's only 6.6 US gallons.

 

[zig]

If you are worried about overloading the tank with co2, just put the diffuser nearer the surface and not down at the bottom of the tank. I dont know who the Optimat system is designed for but it seems totally inpractical to me, try the diy method with a small plastic bottle and some tubing and possibly an airstone as the diffuser, or you could try an inverted bell to trap the co2 and that would be exactly the same method as the Optimat but it wouldnt cost you any money to find out if it works or not.

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

It seems impractical to me also. I will give DIY a go and play around with where I put the diffusor to get the levels right.
Thanks for the input everyone! Since I'm new to CO2 with planted tanks I appreciate any comments I can get! Once I get everything set up (could be a couple of weeks yet) then I will post some pictures and keep you all updated on how I get on .

 

[oldwhitewood]

Well good luck with it, be sure to show us what the tank looks like etc. That would be great.