Light and nutrients are two of the keys to thriving plants, however the final ingredient for photosynthesis is carbon dioxide (CO2). While plants on land use the CO2 in the air and turn it into carbohydrates and oxygen, underwater plants still need CO2! As you can imagine, it's not as available - that's why we recommend adding CO2 to your aquarium to help your aquarium plants thrive!
Some symptoms of a lack of CO2 include algae build up, stunted plant growth and pale colors. These problems are best avoided or improved by installing a quality CO2 system.
A pressurized aquarium CO2 system essentially diffuses CO2 into your aquarium by carefully releasing CO2 from a pressurized canister or cartridge into your tank through a diffuser. All pressurized CO2 systems include the following fundamental components:
A pressurized CO2 source
A regulator to control the flow of CO2
A diffuser to deliver the CO2 into your tank
Selecting a pressurized aquarium CO2 system can be complicated; that's why we've made it simple for you and chosen to offer you four one-click solutions for full aquarium CO2 systems.
Fluval Pressurized CO2 Kits
The Fluval Pressurized CO2 Kits are all-in-one kits which are simple, easy to install and use disposable CO2 cartridges. They come in two sizes: 45g for tanks up to 30 gallons and 95g for tanks up to 50 gallons.
The 45g kit includes:
Disposable CO2 cartridge (45 g)
Regulator valve
CO2 ceramic diffuser
2-in-1 Bubble Counter/Check valve
Bracket
Hose
The 95g kit includes:
Disposable CO2 cartridge (95 g)
Regulator valve
CO2 Ceramic Diffuser
Check Valve
Bubble Counter
Bracket
Hose
Anti-kink support provides consistent CO2 supplementation to the aquarium
These kits come with everything required to have CO2 injection on your planted tank and cartridges are easily available online which is a bonus for those of you who don't live near a shop that can refill CO2 canisters.
AquaCO2 Complete Kits
Selecting the highest quality parts to piecing together an system to safely deliver CO2 to your planted tank can be complicated. That's why, we've hand picked three 100% complete CO2 Injection systems to make sure you get those plants growing like crazy.
All kits include:
5lb Aluminum CO2 Tank
Regulator
Diffuser
Check valve
CO2 indicator
10 feet of CO2 resistant airline and suction cups
Our kits are broken down into three stages, each providing increased levels of safety, precision and flexibility. Because we know that a balance between value and performance is important, we've chosen to help simplify our options to three stages:
Stage 1 - Value and Performance
Stage 2 - Precision and Increased Safety
Stage 3 - High Precision, Safety and Flexibility
The Stage 1 Kit is the most basic pressurized aquarium system AQUACO2 offers, but is capable of providing CO2 for aquariums of up to 120 gallons. We have chosen Milwaukee MA957 Regulator due to it high quality at an inexpensive price point. This regulator allows you to reduce the pressure from the canister and fine tune your flow using the needle valve. It also features a 110V solenoid.
The Stage 2 Kit is our most recommended AQUACO2 pressurized aquarium CO2 system. Included is the CO2 Art PRO-SE Series - Dual Stage Aquarium CO2 Regulator, offering you precision control over your CO2 delivery at an excellent price-point. This dual stage regulator also helps keep CO2 levels constant while pressure drops in your cylinder, and protects against the dreaded end-tank-dump - keeping your fish safe, while maximizing the growth of your plants. Stage 2 also features an upgraded stainless steel check valve to ensure water will not back flow into your regulator potentially causing damage.
The Stage 3 Kit is our highest precision and specialized AQUACO2 pressurized aquarium CO2 system. Included is a stainless steel check valve to ensure the industry's best regulator isn't damaged by backflow. The CO2 Art Pro-Elite Series - Dual Stage Aquarium CO2 Regulator is the most advanced regulator, offering you the highest precision control over your CO2 delivery for up to 1300 gallons, protection from the dreaded end-tank-dump, and maximizing the growth of your plants! By adding a manifold block you can add on as many needle valves as you like, delivering to an enormous tank or five individual tanks. Â All of our complete kits include an easy how-to-guide to allow you to quickly and effectively install your aquarium CO2 system.
For a comparison table of our AquaCO2 Complete Kits see our upcoming blog post!
If you have any questions about an aquarium CO2 system or you'd like to customize your kit, please contact us. From the size of your CO2 cylinder to the colour of your airline hose, we are able to make substitutions or modifications to suit your needs.