# Sicce CO2 system



## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

Wondering if anyone has tried this new product: http://www.sicceus.com/co2.html

The long term cost is higher than pressurized, but a lot of my customers are put off by the upfront price of a pressurized system. I remember other units like Carbo-Plus making the same claims and not being on the market long, but there is a store in Wilmington, NC that swears by these units. Anyone have first hand experience with the Sicce?


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

it seems just like the POS carbo plus. just its in a nice neat case. i would not spend my money on that after all the problems carbo plus had.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

$35 replacement cartridge every two months? Sounds a tad expensive... I'd need 3 or 4 for my 250. I think I stick to pressurized for now.


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## Blue Ridge Reef (Feb 10, 2008)

I'm not comparing it to pressurized, just a source of CO2 for those who are holding off on the upfront investment of a pressurized unit. The sales rep told me that it is a major upgrade from the old technology but of course, he is a rep for the product. If anyone sees any online reviews, please post.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

whats the upfront cost the rep quoted you?


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## Niyona (Feb 20, 2010)

I'd like to see the reviews of this item also. My LFS got them in recently and are running them on some of their show tanks and they say they are pleased with the results.

Also, has anyone found them for sale online?


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## accordztech (Dec 6, 2004)

Yea refills are very expensive, if that adds up your getting to the price of pressurized. My co2 tank is still full after a month and still going.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Sounds like carbo plus, which is a complete joke.


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## pam916 (Sep 6, 2009)

I have gotten good feedback from a member of my local fish forum who has been trying this product, he also owns a lfs.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

pam916 said:


> I have gotten good feedback from a member of my local fish forum who has been trying this product, *he also owns a lfs.*


Sorry to say, but it sounds like he is just trying to push a product.


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

And because they own a fish store, doesn't mean they know what the hell they are talking about. A guy in Toledo was telling his customers 2 VHO bulbs over a 180g tank would grow any coral imaginable! And he had a laaaaaarge following of fools......I mean customers. 

It's an interesting product, and made by Sicce so the quality is there. For small tanks I think it'd work fine but even "medium" sized, that's $140 in replacements a year (assuming 3 months worth of CO2) plus the cost of the unit.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Wasserpest said:


> $35 replacement cartridge every two months? Sounds a tad expensive... I'd need 3 or 4 for my 250. I think I stick to pressurized for now.


If the replacement cartridge is $35 how much is the unit? It really doesn't sound any less expensive than a pre-built pressuzed system with cylinder.


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## johnnygstacks (Apr 4, 2010)

anyone find out the unit price yet?


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Ok, so I found pricing.

A lot of the online places to buy this from is in the UK, and they do ship to the US, but expensively.

You will be paying about $171 for this "co2 system".


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

you can go presurized for around that price... i just saw a post on the swap and shop for a presurized system for $100.


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## Erotica Aquatica (Apr 5, 2011)

I work at a shop and also have multiple planted tanks, we use them on our systems and they work great. A couple design flaws here and there when they first were released, but if you van find one they do the job well. Price wise it isnt practical at all if you have over a 75g tank. also, the replacement time seems to be more about 3-4 months for the cartridges.

At my store we sell them:
CO2 life 1: $107.99 (cartridge $24.99)
CO2 life 2: $139.99 (cartridge $29.99)


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## kostasgavalas (May 20, 2011)

i just brought the sicce co2 (model 2) and i have only 4 bubbles per minute!!!


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## NatCh (Feb 23, 2011)

kostasgavalas said:


> i just brought the sicce co2 (model 2) and i have only 4 bubbles per minute!!!


They don't work that way. Nearly as I can tell, most of the CO2 is dissolved inside the unit, which makes sense as it's freeing the carbon from the block at the molecular level. All you actually see coming out of it is the occasional bubble of what didn't dissolve straight away.

That being said, after over a year of futzing with this system, including two different units and multiple cartridges, I never had one dissolve more than ~30% of the carbon block. I even removed one and cleaned the plate to try to get it to run longer after it quit. What can I say? I was motivated by space constraints. :shrug:

You could say I was disappointed. 

So, after spending enough to have paid for a pressurized system about twice, I've now managed to put together a pressurized system that fits in my limited space.


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## kostasgavalas (May 20, 2011)

if i buy 2 pieces nutrifin co2 plant system ??

my tank is about 230 liters


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

kostasgavalas said:


> if i buy 2 pieces nutrifin co2 plant system ??
> 
> my tank is about 230 liters


For a tank that size you need a pressurized system or a lot of DIY yeast generators.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The solution is to use lower light levels, so you don't need nearly as much CO2, nor do you need it as badly. Any CO2 you can add to the tank, beyond what is dissolved from the air, is an advantage to the plants. If you put a single 3 liter bottle of DIY CO2 on even a big tank, you are doing the plants a favor. But, you need to be using low light.


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## btimmer92 (Mar 12, 2011)

HA! don't ever use the nutrifin co2, its just yeast and sugar, it's crap even for a 20 gallon let alone your large tank. You can make one of those yourself for the price of a 2 liter of pop and the cost of sugar and yeast...


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