Hagen CO2 Natural Plant Unit

[Jason_Francis]

Helo there,
I'm relatively new here as I'd just joined ur awesome forum yesterday.. For my 55g high tech tank should I invest on some Hagen CO2 Units? maybe 2 or 3?? I can't afford a pressuried CO2 unit as I only have a student budget and I can't be stuffed making a DIY Unit...

Any comments will be appreciated!

[rrrrramos]

Anything less than pressurized isn't going to be adequate on a 55g. We tried doing a DIY setup on my brothers 55, that took maybe 2 days before we realized all it was adding to the tank was a slimy white buildup around the diffuser. The Hagen bio-systems are essentially DIY setups, just in a nicer container. Like you said, you'd need to have AT LEAST 3 if not more of those for them to be effective. They are what, $40 apiece? With just 4 of those running, add in the new mixes you'd have to buy for the span of say, 2 months, and you've essentially bought yourself an alright pressurized system, filled the cylinder and in reality are already saving money. Check out the Victor thread in the Equipment thread there are good resources to help you put together a pretty good pressurized system for really cheap.

[Darkblade48]

Originally Posted by Jason_Francis

For my 55g high tech tank should I invest on some Hagen CO2 Units? maybe 2 or 3??

I agree with rrrramos. For a 55g tank, you will not want to play around with DIY CO2. Not only is it a big hassle (changing the solution every week or so), but the expense will accumulate quite quickly. This is especially true if you plan to use the Hagen CO2 units. As mentioned, they are essentially DIY units in a nicer packaging. Also, by the time you buy 3-4 of these, you could have gotten a pressurized CO2 setup.

Originally Posted by Jason_Francis

I can't afford a pressuried CO2 unit as I only have a student budget and I can't be stuffed making a DIY Unit.

rrrramos' suggestion is great; the Victor thread has some great links/references/sources for cheap regulator builds. It is theoretically possible to build a solid regulator for (regulator, needle valve, solenoid) for ~$75, and throw on a 5 or 10 pound CO2 tank, and your total cost is ~$150 USD. Of course, if you really bargain hunt for the regulator parts, you can get the price even lower!

[Left C]

There are some good deals on eBay for 5# aluminum CO2 cylinders right now.