Anyone used the The "Carbo Plus" C02 System ??

[taybelZ]

Maybe this is in the wrong forum, but i thought it mainly targets people with planted tanks. Anyway just wondering if anyone has heard or used the The "Carbo Plus" C02 System ? Its pretty new to Australia, but looks pretty groovy. Uses a carbon block to produce co-2 in the tank, and using the KH in the water or something a rather....


Carbo Plus is a bottle free C02 system that works well and is safe to have in the house. You simply plug it into the mains power and adjustable unit provides your aquarium plants with their vital supply of carbon dioxide.

Using a simple to use control box with leads to guide you connected to a carbon rod located in the aquarium. Water is converted into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis. The hydrogen rises up and the oxygen combines with the carbon in the carbon plate to form carbon dioxide, most of which dissolves immediately.
There has never been a simpler controllable C02 system available in Australia.

The carbon rod dissolves as it is used up. If the Carbo Plus is connected to a timer along with your aquarium lights the carbon plate should last about 4 months in a 500ltr aquarium.
Then you simply change the carbon plate and its ready to go again.


...extracted from www.boroniaaquarium.com.au

http://tools.addme.com/storepics/104126/Carbo%20C02%20System.jpg

[ChloroPhil]

I use pressurized CO2 gas and find it to be very stable and reliable. The initial expense is higher, but the cost of maintenance is lower after only a few months.

I know people who've used the Carbo-Plus system and say it's ok, but that pressurized gas is better when all's said and done.

[Ekar_Ogrit]

A friend of mine has one of these on his 29 gallon. Works good for smaller tank, but I wouldn't recommend it for anything bigger. Biotypical is right on about the cost. Some people are a bit daunted by the whole pressurized CO2 thing though. If that's you and you have a small tank, then this might be an option. If you've got the plant bug though, pressurized is the only way to go. Initial cost is big, but after that it is really cheap. Plus if you have multiple tanks, all you need is a tee and another valve (provided they are reasonably close to each other). If you get a tank much bigger than 30 gallons, you'll need a different source of CO2 anyway.

Ekar

Tried they homebrew method? That is the best way to start with CO2 I think. Let's you get handle on what it's all about before making any big investment.

[taybelZ]

Ekar i have tried the sugar and yeast method, but i prefer something in which i can have more control(?) over. The co-2 setup is for a 250L tank.
48 x 18 x 18. I think i might have to save up for a pressurised co-2 setup, would be worth it in the long run.
Now i guess it come down to how much control i want over my co-2 setup.

So confusing this co-2 stuff...
Anyway what setup do you use Biotypical and Ekar? if you don't mind sharing :)

[ChloroPhil]

I use pressurized gas on my 90g 48x18x24 and DIY on my 5.5g. I've got a great deal of control over the CO2 in my 90g. The valve on my regulator is fine enough that I can control the output at a very fine level.

[Ekar_Ogrit]

Here is a few pictures. The CO2 can is in the stand in one picture and the reactor is the black thing by the Sand Bed in the second.

http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=7;action=display;threadid=5393;sta rt=0

I have a Ph monitor on my 240 Gallon. My Ph stays between 6.3 and 6.4 with a Kh of about 2. With no real surface movement I inject about 1 bubble per second in my tank. Now that means I have to refill my 10# CO2 can about once every oh I don't know? year or two. A refill is $17 for me. That is expensive for this type of service, but I pay for convienence:)

[Ekar_Ogrit]

By the way, my friend with bought his Carbo plus for his 29 gallon about a year and half ago when I got my CO2 system. Him and I are about even in our total costs for CO2 already, and he needs to go get more Carbon blocks :o

[gj555]

Price aside, my carbo plus did not work for me on a 65 gallon. It never produced any real amount of CO2. Some say you need a slightly elevated KH in order for it to produce CO2. My CO2 system with a cheapy azoo diffuser works much much better.

[Harriett]

I researched the Carbo Plus unit about a year ago when I was setting up my 180g discus tank. I needed 2 things: CO2 for my plants and a method to lower the pH. After talking to a bunch of folks who had tried it, the concensus across the board was the same: depending n your KH you do get some carbon into the water but it does NOT lower pH at all. If you have a large tank, you'll need 2 units. For the amount of money and the frequency of changing carbon blocks involved, I went with injected CO2. Cost a couple hundred dollars to set up but it works flawlessly--I have pearling plants and a pH of 6.8...or any pH I want, depending on where I set it. Happy happy happy. Just my 2 cents!
Harriett

[ddaquaria]

A friend of mine has it also. It worked pretty well for him on his 55 until he noticed a slowdown in growth. Basically the carbo plus took every ounce of carbonate in the tank thus making the KH 1 or below. Finally his tank when flat and he had a very large die off. We solved this problem by adding coral to his filter.

Would I recommend them now, NO. I tried to talk my frind out of it but he was looking at the expense as well. Now he has a second tank where he did invest in a CO2 system. Since these tanks sit next to each other, all he had to do was buy that in the first place and get a splitter and a new diffuser or reactor for the second tank.

In the end I think it pays to go gas.

[taybelZ]

yeh, i decided not to get the carbo + unit. The carbon refills aren't too cheap and will get too $$$ in the long run.
I've been talking to the LFS and they got a brand called "aquamedic" anyone had any experience with it? quality?