Do I Need Co2

[lljdma06]

cheers,my plants looked better with the diy co2,but got a horrible black hair alga problem with it

That's the problem with DIY CO2. It's unstable and the rate thus the concentrations fluctuate which causes BBA

On a tank that size, you're right it is too unstable; on the smaller systems, stable CO2 can be achieved. 60l or less, IMO.

Fire Extinguisher CO2

Equipment needed

Guide to Drop Checkers

These articles will get you started. You could possibly try non-CO2. I've done non-CO2 with tanks as high as 1.4WPG, but you have to change how you maintain the tank. It becomes very different. You have to ignore the tank basically, have very good filtration, and learn to not fiddle with it. While I like it personally, that isn't for every planted tank person. Sometimes you all cannot keep your hands off your tanks. It also really depends on the system.

llj