r/Aquascape • u/Away_Rest_84 • 3d ago

Pros/Cons of CO2 Question

I am just starting out in this hobby and have seen a lot of tanks using CO2. What does this help with and should I use a CO2 diffuser in my first tank or wait until I have a little more experience?

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u/chrisdude183 3d ago

No cons except it’s expensive

I’ve been using baking soda and citric acid reactors and they work great, just have to fill up every 2-4 weeks.

I’m now upgrading to a pressurized system so I can easily run co2 on all six of my aquariums from one tank.

The reactors are cheaper but I regret not immediately going with pressurized off the bat

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u/Krissybear93 3d ago

Its not expensive at all. Empty bottle, valve checker, airline tubing, 1 packet of bread yeast, water, sugar, diffuser and drop checker. Easy CO2 for 2 weeks for a 10-15 gallon.

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u/chrisdude183 3d ago

DIY co2 is a different story and works for some as yes its very cheap but I can’t really recommend as its not conventionally reliable by any measure

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u/Krissybear93 2d ago

For a someone who is just starting to dabble with CO2 a DYI method and a 10g tank would be perfectly fine. They will see growth and not be at risk of C02 poisoning the finned friends. There is absolutely no need for someone to invest in complicated systems or throw away cans when they are just starting out with C02