JoshC

will flourish excel work in very high amounts of light (4wpg)? or at a certain pint do you need a pressurized system?

AaronT

No, I wouldn't rely on it as a sole carbon source much past medium light. You can use it in conjunction with CO2 for really nice results though.

CO2 should always be the first major upgrade towards a high-tech system. Increasing lighting to crazy high levels is one of the last upgrades one should consider as it only makes things more difficult to manage.

JoshC

do you mean excel+diy or pressurized?

AaronT

Pressurized. It's only a large initial cost and then it's cheap.

JoshC

what would a basic system cost?

Tom Higgs

I paid about 90 for a regulator, 85 for my first CO2 tank, then about 14 for refills. Each 10lb tank lasts about 5 months. I made a DIY reactor for about 20. I agree with other posts in that once you are set up its the best way to go.

AaronT

Browse Craigslist for a used tank. There are a lot of 20 lb. tanks on there that people have used with their kegerator systems. I found one for $50.00 and they retail at $150+. You can also buy a 5 lb. tank for about $80 filled. A good regulator costs about $100.00 and diffusers are cheap enough.

So you're looking around $150-$200 depending on if you need it now or can shop around for deals. But then after that a 20 lb. refill is $20-$30 and lasts a year on a 50 gallon tank.