Quote:
Originally Posted by danakin
DIY CO2 is another option. Super cheap, super easy. With such low light and such high water changes, this should help prevent algae.
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I just got started with DIY CO2. Been doing Excel for a few months now. Excel is easier and I believe cheaper. DIY CO2 has the following to contend with:
- leaks
- clogs leading to explosions (and the constant worry about it)
- siphoning into tank (and more worrying)
- tweaking the formula (and too much thinking/research about what will work best)
- CO2 diffusion (more research and decision making)
- space
- up front effort and cost to setup
Yes, clogs and siphoning can be averted for the most part...with yet more upfront work.
For Excel, about the only upfront work is getting a descent dispenser so the daily task of adding it becomes easy. Look for a recent dispenser thread I created for some tips.
The only reason I've added DIY CO2 is to complement the Excel in my medium/high light tank. Otherwise I'd stick with just Excel.
One thing I don't know is how good of a carbon source Excel is compared to DIY or pressurized CO2. I've never seen any remarks like "Excel will give you half the growth of 30ppm CO2", or something like that.
I'm also not sure about the same for DIY CO2. If it takes 3bpm to get 30ppm CO2, how good is 1bpm in terms of plant growth? I'm assuming it is better than 1/3 the growth, since at 30ppm only a small percent of the CO2 actually ends up getting utilized.