[NursePlaty]

Does anyone use the Hydor CO2 green NRG system? What are your opinions about it?

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

I havnt used it but have been swayed not to ever use any Co2 system like that.

 

[NursePlaty]

Why? What are the cons about it? I have no experience with pressurized so I thought they were the same.

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

first let me know what you are working with that requires the Co2 use.

I have been here a while but I am dealing with major projects and issues with my very expensive fish and do alot of speed reading.

I have DIY and pressurized Co2 systems both running side by side right now on two seperate tanks.

I like DIY but I use brewers or champagne yeast instead of active dry baking yeast, it lasts alot longer and uses alot less sugar.
Now my 45 tall that is heavily planted has the works, pressurized, huge powered inline reactor controlled by a live Ph Meter, big bucks in that tank, my 52 has the DIY, this one is fun more hands on for me, takes brain cells to accomplish the task.

Ive heard they are just junk, to be honest it appears to be nothing more then a expensive DIY unit.

are you on houston fish box by chance? im from chicago but there is a guy there with a MONSTER diy, it lasts him 3 months solid production.

I want to answer YOUR question but give me the tank info and stuff and I will answer you more indepth and help you out even further, I am recently unemployed and I cant stand it, this will occupy some of my time and we will both learn a thing or two. I got OCD I think, self diagnosed and cross all T's dot all I's you know, my brain hates to be idle.

 

[NursePlaty]

20 gallon long 12" depth. 3.45 watts per gallon. 6500k color. 10-12 hrs photoperiod. I have mineralized soil under my plain gravel. Many aquatic plants such as baby tears, water sprite, anubias, ludwigia, cryptocorynes, limnophilia, swords and some others that i forgot the name of. I already have a DIY CO2 jello set up. But I have staghorn ALL OVER my damn tank (excuse the language but im fed up with it). When I say all over I mean its all over my driftwood, along the gravel, on the slower growing plants, on equipment. I might as well use stahorn as my foreground plant the way im seeing it. The staghorn isnt due to anything with water parameters, such as low ammonia, all parameters are good. Along with the staghorn there is lot of fuzz algae growing on my Limnophilias. I dont have a drop checker or anything to measure CO2 levels so I cant give you that parameter. I also recently am dosing FlourinAxis 2 times the required dose. Its a liquified carbon, similar to excel. Started that 2 days ago. Bottom line its just an algae carnival in my tank and its starting to look hideous.

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

some guy on that site feeds his fish the algaes/

I dont use the jello method, it doesnt work as well IMO. more for me to clean up then work with. try the brewers yeast, sugar and water then a pinch of brown sugar. Mine last a good 30 days PER 2 liter bottle.

 

[NursePlaty]

So why were you swayed to stay away from CO2 systems like that?

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

because its an OVERPRICED diy system, nothing more nothing less.

 

[NursePlaty]

because its an OVERPRICED diy system, nothing more nothing less.

Oh I see lol. So do you mean the Hydor is an overpriced DIY or do you mean ALL systems are overpriced DIY. So what would you recommend? A certain type/brand of pressurized CO2 system or DIY sugar+yeast. I like hands on too and I bet I can link up a good amount of bottles. But whatever gives me a good amount of CO2 im happy.

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

those types are, pressurized is in a while different ballpark.

Ive got 5 2 liters linked together, 4 for the brew and 1 for a pressurizer/accumulator.

I have pressurized as well as DIY, 210g is a bit much for DIY.

 

[Dmaaaaax]

Did you ever think about just lowering your wattage some...say 2wpg? Are those T5s HO? Also turn down your hours from 12hrs to about 8-9hrs.

Staghorn thrives on 2 things: low CO2 and ammonia. Have you checked your ammonia? Lowering your light will act the same as increasing your CO2 since your plant growth will slow down slightly. Could you be leaking ammonia from your mineralized soil? If you vacuumed or stirred it up in anyway, and some "clay-like" soil gets in the water, it will land on the leaves/driftwood, and this will be enough to cause some algae growth.

 

[NursePlaty]

Did you ever think about just lowering your wattage some...say 2wpg? Are those T5s HO? Also turn down your hours from 12hrs to about 8-9hrs.

Staghorn thrives on 2 things: low CO2 and ammonia. Have you checked your ammonia? Lowering your light will act the same as increasing your CO2 since your plant growth will slow down slightly. Could you be leaking ammonia from your mineralized soil? If you vacuumed or stirred it up in anyway, and some "clay-like" soil gets in the water, it will land on the leaves/driftwood, and this will be enough to cause some algae growth.

Im not using T5s, I'm using 3 CFL pigtail bulbs 6500k daylight color hooked parellel under my DIY hood.

I actually did do this. I lowered it from 3.45wpg to 2.45wpg by replacing two of the 23watt bulbs with two 13watts. If there is still algae growing I might switch out that last 23watt also. I am just worried about the Baby Tears because I know they need a lot of light. Switching out my third bulb would bring my wpg down to 1.95wpg. I will lower my photoperiod also.

My ammonia is always at 0ppm. When I vacuum, I very lightly vacuum the very top layer of the substrate, it never gets disturbed. So I'm sure the issue is both the light and the CO2. Because there are shaded areas where the staghorn doesnt grow.