CO2 System

[Sime]

Hi,
I'm finaly going to settle and get a CO2 system. I'm off to the lfs soon - but before I do I wanted some opinions of the system I'm thinking of if anyone can.

Its the Nutrafin Natural Plant System - my tank is 12gallons.

Anyone recomend this one for ease of use etc? I'm new to CO2 so needed something pretty simple to begin with.

many thanks,
Simon

 

[George Farmer]

I can definitely recommend these. I have two running in my 34 Gallon, they've been running reliably for almost 2 years now without problem.

A couple of things to note.

1. The supplied "Activator" and "Stabiliser" sachets are yeast and bi-carbonate of soda. Available in supermarkets at about 5% of the cost of the original sachets. The Activator sachet contains approx 1/4 teaspoon of yeast. The Stabiliser is 1 level teaspoon of bi-carb. Personally I use more yeast (1/2 teaspoon) to get more CO2 output (but for less time). The standard dose will give about 3 to 4 weeks of CO2, my dose give 2 weeks at a good rate.

2. The diffuser will take a little time to become "coated" with bacteria etc. which allows the bubbles to run smoothly up the ladder. I only clean my diffusers when the bubbles become blocked by detritus etc. (once every 3 months or so).

3. A white fungus like substance is common around the tube outlet but is harmless. I switched to a different make yeast which stopped the problem.

 

[squirrelrabbits]

Yes, and you can get them way cheaper online that at the lfs. They sell for as little $18 on ebay and at several online retailers... my lfs sells them for more than $30.