Im starting a planted tank and I've done plenty of research but I'm not really grasping what all is required in a Co2 system, i have a moderate budget around 50-100 dollars to spend for a 29 gallon tank.

do you have the tank allready?

It all depends on what you want to grow. If you're going to grow java moss and java fern, you don't need CO2, but if you want to grow hungrier plants, you'll need it. It also depends on how much light you have, if you have nutrient-rich substrate, etc. I find it more difficult to grow plants than to grow fish. The eco-system is more delicate, with more interdependent factors, I think.

There is also a liquid CO2 product called Excel made by Seachem. It's about 6-7 dollars a bottle in my area. That may be enough, depending on all factors though. You'd pour a few millileters in a day and a bottle would last for months.

My advice would be to get easy beginner plants that are "easy" to grow and see how they do. You may not need CO2. If the plants start doing poorly you may just need to add a supplement such as Iron or one of the many others. You can tell what you need to add by exactly what the plants are doing. Only then I would worry about whether I needed CO2.

In the end, your individual tank setup my require CO2, but it may not.

Z

Thank You guys... your always a big help!

I think I will just get some java moss and java ferns and eventually grow into some more demanding plants.