Best CO2 for your buck

I believe some people use CO2 cartridges from paintball guns for small tanks, although I have never used it myself so I can't give any additional information on that route. You can also consider going the DIY route using yeast and sugar, but it takes a little time to get set up and some experimentation to get the best mixture that works for you. If done right, you can use two reactors and swap one out at a time each week to keep the CO2 flow consistent.

JDM, do you dose ferts? I don't know a lot about non-CO2 tanks since I've pretty much always used it, but I'd imagine if you're not using it then additional nutrients in the water would lead to algae problems. For example, I keep about 20ppm nitrate and 2ppm phosphate in my tank and have never had algae growth, but I'm sure if I turned off my CO2 then my tank would be a disaster. I could be wrong through. Anyway, my point is that whether you choose to use CO2 or not, you'll need to setup and operate your tank accordingly.

Very nice Jeff. Thanks for the detailed response :thumbsup:

So MMA, as I said, if you go the non-CO2 route, you'll need to do some reading and ask for advice on the best way to set up the tank to prevent algae outbreaks. This includes but not limited to lighting, substrate, fertilizer (not always used in non-CO2 tanks), and most importantly plants. I'm sure Jeff can help you get started there.