|
PLANT GRO CO2 STAB KIT 12 | 
 enlarge | Brand: ROLF C HAGEN
Category: Kitchen
Buy New: $25.95
New (5) from $25.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 123359
Media: Misc.
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
MPN: A7690
UPC: 015561176903
EAN: 0015561176903
ASIN: B00026058Y
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Features:
| • | Helps you achieve beautiful, thriving aquatic plants. |
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Release the natural beauty of your planted aquarium. The CO2 Natural Plant System helps you achieve beautiful, thriving live aquatic plants, and ultimately, a heathier aquarium. This simple to use system releases CO2 into your aquarium for up to 30 days.
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Nice Aquarium CO2 Product for the Non-DIY Person February 7, 2007
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
If you plan on having plants in your aquarium then injecting CO2 into your tank is highly recommended. Having a yeast-based CO2 system for me is the easiest, cheapest and safest way to go (as opposed to a canister-based system). When using a yeast-based system, like this Hagen one, it's impossible to overdose CO2 in your tank which is nice. br /br /Remember, having 2-4 watts of "quality" fluorescent lighting per gallon (compact fluorescent fixtures seems to me to be the best choice) in your aquarium is even more important than adding CO2. br /br /This off the shelf system should be sufficient for beginning aquarists who are starting out with plants (fish don't need extra CO2). While not as efficient or cheap as a DIY one, it does a decent job of putting a fair amount of CO2 in the tank for about 2 week periods at a time. People who also don't want to mix their own yeast mixture will find the packets more convenient (however less effective).br /br /The Hagen diffuser (that dissolves the CO2 bubbles into the water) does a decent job. However, there is waste, meaning, CO2 bubbles escape to the surface before being dissolved. But you still will get a raise in the tank's CO2 level. br /br /So, if you are new to CO2 systems and want something that is minimal investment ($35) and don't want to make your own system, then this is a no brainer system. I think you should get it and help your plants to thrive. br /br /But if you want a cheaper, much more effective system, then do this: For 10-25 gallon tank, use one 2 liter soda bottle. For 25-50, use 2. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of bakers yeast in warm water and then let it sit for 5-10 min. Then dissolve 2 cups of sugar into filtered water and pour into soda bottle. Add the yeast. Drill a hole in the soda bottle cap and either glue an air line to run through it or buy a metal airline connector (like from Lowes or Home Depot) and glue it (using Goop) into the cap. After you have the air line running out from the soda bottle (if you have two then connect them using a T brass connector), run it into your aquarium and dissolve the CO2 using a diffuser (like this Hagen one, howbeit not efficient), an air stone (also not efficient) or into a small pop bottle that a Rio Power Head is forcing water into to completely dissolve the CO2 bubbles. You can search around and find photos on how this is done. br /br /After all of my trial and errors, the above method using soda bottles with a metal airline connector in the cap (glued in with goop) and a Rio Power head is the best, cheapest and most effective system for pumping CO2 into your tank. br /br /If you are purchasing this Hagen system, just remember that for every 20 gallons of water you have in your aquarium, you need to set up another Hagen canister. So for a 40 gallon tank, buy 2 of these. But remember, you will get a nice rise in CO2 levels but not near the level you would using a forced water reactor using a Power head. There are two parts to a CO2 system: the amount and quality of CO2 bubbles being produced and then also the amount those CO2 bubbles are being diffused into the aquarium water. The best is having the bubbles completely disappear into the water. Then you know there is no waste to your CO2 production.br /br /To find out how much CO2 is effectively being dissolved into your tank, search online for the CO2 measurement calculator. This is measured by the ratio of KH and PH in your tank (as long as you haven't used PH buffers).br /br /Hope this helps you in making a valued purchase.br /
works pretty well November 1, 2006
I have used this system for two years. It works pretty well. Hagen's yeast and 'stabilizer' last about a month in the winter, 2-3 weeks in summer, when the yeast seems to burn off quicker. I did once lose a fish that got trapped in the diffuser, but that fish had been looking unhealthy (inactive, not feeding) anyway. You can use bread yeast and baking soda instead of Hagen's expensive yeast, but it doesn't last as long. br /br /The important thing is that CO2 is released into the tank and the plants look healthy. I don't bother to test my PH in my 20 gallon tank, so I don't know the effect on acidity..
 simple, cheap, adequate March 4, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This system is simple to use and affordable compared to most CO2 systems, but if you're willing to put in a little effort and research you could build your own CO2 fermentation system that works just as well (if not better) for a fraction of the cost. Still, not everyone is willing to build their own, and this system is a decent compromise. It's also pretty safe, since the CO2 injection is slow and gradual and won't cause fast pH drops. Make sure you have a decent buffering capacity just in case. br /br /My only criticism is the "activator" and "stabilizer" packets which Hagen sells for this product - they are too expensive for what they are (basically yeast and baking powder) and a home-made mixture seems to work better for me anyway. With Hagen's mix, I couldn't get more than about 9 ppm CO2 in my 10 gallon tank (about 3 - 4 bubbles per minute) but a simple mixture of baker's yeast, sugar, and water gets me twice that and lasts just as long (2-3 weeks). Most people aim for 15 - 25 ppm or so (but no higher). br /br /In any case, if you have adequate light (2.5 watts per gallon or more), your plants will benefit from CO2 injection and Hagen's system does what it advertises.br /br /One tip: buy a simple air valve for the tubing so you don't get a siphoning mess when you're re-filling the CO2 cansiter.
 Excellent relatively low tech cheap way to do CO2 November 27, 2005
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
This product works well, producing CO2 relatively easily and cheaply - compared to having a pressurized CO2 canister and regulator (etc.) high-tech set-up. Be sure to educate yourself about CO2 in fish tanks. It's good for plants, but too much could be bad for fish. For example, I operate an airstone when lights are out at night only. This diffuses the CO2, which is not needed by plants in the dark, and plants are not producing oxygen in the dark. (Put air pump and airstone on a timer.) You need to learn the basics of CO2 injection, even for this simple system. If you do, you will have no problems, only great plants.br /br /I have only small fish (under 3 inches) in my 55 gal planted tank. Not one fish has ever suffered as a result of CO-2 fertilization, but the plants grow much, much better!br /br /I see no reason why a DIY yeast+baking powder solution would not work -- will be going to this. For the price, you get all you need to get started, to make your plants look great!br /
 Death Trap for Smaller Fish! October 18, 2005
13 out of 20 found this review helpful
I installed one of these in my aquarium this weekend and sat back looking forward to lush greenery in my tank. The system is a sturdy canister in which you mix sugar, yeast, a "stabilizing agent" and water. These do their thing and the gas comes through a tube down into a bubble track that makes the bubbles zig zag up, exposing them to the water for as long as possible. Good concept and I'd read pretty good reviews.br /br /But here's the problem. The track affixes to the wall of your tank with suction cups which create a narrow gap between the tank wall and the track. I noticed my tetras were getting in there, but since they were getting back out I didn't worry. Then this morning I found one of the larger females firmly stuck. I thought she was dead until I released her. She swam off with an ugly red mark where the thing had caught her. I hope she's OK. I removed this death trap from my tank and am seeking safer ways to diffuse the CO2 in my tank. br /br /The canister thing is nice, though, particularly if you're not handy enough to make an airtight seal with a DIY soda bottle system. It might get another star for that, but seeing how it injured and could've killed one of my fish, I'd like to give it 0. br /br /UPDATE 11/30/06: After several aquarist friends insisted that I must have improperly installed my diffuser, I tried again, this time making sure the suction cups were squeezed as flat as possible, and one of my friends checked it and assured me that this time there was just not enough space to admit even a small fish. Two days later, I checked the diffuser and there was an otocinclus trapped behind it. This one was dead. Find a better way to feed your plants.
|
|
|
| |
