Two fish questions: What's a good canister model? And whats a good CO2 model?

Question

I have a 55G tank that's been up for about a year. I'd like to add more plants so I want to know what a good model CO2 system is.

I'd also like to upgrade my power filter to a canister filter.
Also, what's a good brand/model for a canister filter?

I'm on a ramen noodle budget if you catch my drift ...


Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Preston,

I'm not big on CO2 injectors and DIY's. Personally I find that with many fish I keep, plants just never seem to work out so I don't bother with that. Each to their own, so I don't have much to offer in terms of advice for CO2. I can say given a key component to your question, I caught on to the Ramen Noodle budget, so I feel DIY is certainly the way you want to go. I understand the concerns of your first poster, and that is legit. However, I do have a fair amount of working knowledge in chemistry and I can say if you get the right mix, you'll generate quite the amount of CO2 in your mix, and should amply be able to provide that. The worst case scenario would be that you just don't get enough CO2 and your plants don't fully bloom. Consider as well, CO2 is only one component of a few factors for your plants as well. Phosphates, nitrates, and lighting also factor in. If you have these other avenues covered, you should still see quite a bit of thriving out of your plants even if CO2 is low.

Cannisters are great filters. I have 2 Fluval 405's for my 180. I find them extremely easy to maintain and clean. However, the prices on Fluval may be higher then you want. As an alternative filter, that performs just as good, if not better then a cannister, an Aquaclear 70 or 110 would probably better fit into your budget. They will work outstanding for your filtration needs, assist in giving oxygen at the same time, have just as good capability in biological filtration, for less money. Consider that for an option.

Answer 2

I don't know a thing about the CO2 systems. But the canister filter on a budget would be a Fluval model. I personally switched from the Fluval to a Penguin Bio-Wheel because its a great filter and is much easier to keep clean. Whatever you get run both and you can add a few more fish!!

Answer 3

Planted aquariums are not cheap to set up. A good CO2 system will run you about $300-$400. You need the valves, regulators, pH monitors, needle valves, CO2 tank, tubing, submersible power head and reactor. In addition to CO2, you will need the light to feed the plants. The lights and housing will cost about $100-$200.

You could do a DIY CO2 system, but they're unreliable, a ton of work (you have to make a new one every 2 weeks) and it's hard to regulate.
http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html#2

Here's the CO2 system I got a few years ago.
http://www.floridadriftwood.com/product.asp?0=217&1=252&3=1053

They're becoming more common though, so if you research online, you may be able to find a better price.

You will also need a good filter that has submersible outlets to minimize the surface aggitation. I used a Rena Filstar and love it.

55 gal is quite a large tank to make into a planted aquarium. You also have to keep in mind that what's good for plants is good for algae, so make sure you have enough plants in there to use up the food before the algae blooms. You will need plenty of algae eaters (Ottos, SAEs, Plecos, Algae Eating Shrimp, etc...) The good news is that planted tanks don't really need to cycle like a normal tank does.

Good luck to ya!

Answer 4

Right now, I'm running a 55 gallon planted tank with a Fluval 305 and an ingenious CO2 injector that isn't even brand name! They both work brilliantly and I certainly have no complaints. You really don't need to be monitoring your pH or hardness as long as you know that it is less than 7.5 (high pH prevents plants from using CO2 in the water).

The CO2 unit I have is similar to this http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11119/product.web but it isn't brand name, and was only $50 to do the exact same thing. (a word to the wise: do NOT slice your finger on the metal part by trying to slide the suction cups up and down o.O).

Though I use a Fluval 305, the 304 isn't that much different, and for a planted tank, you could even run a 204/205 for less money, and similar results.

For lighting, I'm using a T-5 dual strip with a 10,000K, 28 watt bulb and a 28 watt 03 actinic bulb (yes, actinic light is in the range that plants use and works GREAT to keep groundcover plants low-growing) in conjunction with a standard fluorescent tube (32 watts of 6,500K). Two T-5 dual strips with a combined 2x 10,000K, 1x 03 actinic, and 1x 6,500/6,700K bulb. The lighting should only cost about $120 (and is a bit overkill if you plan on keeping fairly slow-growing, "medium-light" plants).

NON-namebrand carbon block for CO2- $50 + $15 for replacement carbon blocks (needs to be changed every 4-6 months)
+
Fluval 204 (if you want last year's model)- less than $100
+
2x T-5 dual strips- $120
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$295... owning a beautiful planted tank: priceless (I'm sorry, I just had to toss that in there...)

Soop Nazi