Your tank looks great.
DIY CO2 isn't expensive or hard if you want to try it out. I've had success with
this particular kit along with a cheap Fluval
bubble counter and
ceramic diffuser. You can also get a
solenoid valve and use a timer or smart plug to automatically shut off the CO2 flow at night. To use it you put 1 cup citric acid + 2 cups water in one bottle, 1 cup baking soda and just enough water to get it wet in the other. Screw on the bottles, squeeze the citric acid bottle to get the reaction/siphon going, then open and close the outlet valve a few times to suck in more citric acid and build up the CO2 to working pressure. It'll last a good 2 weeks or more on a charge. You can play with the mix to get more time out of it (I've been using 2 cups each baking soda/citric acid lately), and the good kits like the one I linked to include a magnet for raising the citric acid inlet hose if you've got plenty of pressure built up and want to stop the siphon.
I've also tried out another kit on Amazon that looked nice (metal parts, included a solenoid), but the needle valve ended up being junk. It's all cheap Chinese stuff so YMMV.
Quote:
You could also dose Flourish Excel (liquid carbon).
Quote:
Originally Posted by
HairyNoseWombat
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I would never use this stuff with live stock in the tank.
The 'liquid carbon' stuff is marketing, it's an algaecide. While I think it's safe at the recommended dose and can help control algae (releasing some carbon for the plants in the process), it's nothing like injecting CO2.
Do keep in mind that you can easily gas your fish if you go overboard on the CO2. I only need around 1 bubble per second in my 20 gallon.