Jungle Labs CO2 Fizz Factory

[Dgrim62 at cs_com]

Hi everyone,
There was a post about this new product a couple weeks ago, and I just saw 
one of these in operation at a local PetSmart when I was getting my dogs a 
new water dish.

The unit is composed of a small 4 ounce plastic container you put water in 
and drop "Fizz Tabs" into. I don't know what the Fizz Tabs are made of. This 
sits above water level on the back of the tank. The top is sealed and there 
is airline leading from this into a small clear plastic box that is submerged 
open side facing down in the tank. It attaches to the tank glass with suction 
cups. The CO2 enters the water where it contacts the water inside the 
submerged box. No pumps are involved.

Per the packaging this unit is good for tanks up to 40 gallons. They market 
it as a low cost source of CO2. Let's look at this claim. I did some cost 
projections for a year's worth of operation. These are based on my initial 
interest in this unit for a 30 gallon heavily planted tank I recently set up. 
I use bottled CO2/regulators/controllers on my 125, 90, and 65 gallon planted 
tanks. 

Per the Fizz Tabs directions, a heavily planted 30 gallon tank would use one 
Fizz Tab per day. The directions give an amount to use based on the gallon 
size of the tank and whether the tank is lightly or heavily planted. Lightly 
planted tanks use less vs. heavily planted tanks, and larger volume tanks use 
more vs. lower volume tanks.

Retail and mail order costs for a year of operation for a heavily planted 30 
gallon tank:
Retail (PetSmart)
CO2 Fizz Factory                                                              
      19.99
Fizz Tabs (16 count) $7.99. 24 packs neede for a year's
   operation @ 1 tab per day. $7.99 x 24 = $191.76                   191.76
                                                                              
     tax:      14.82
                                                                              
   total:   $226.57

Mail Order (Pet Warehouse):
CO2 Fizz Factory                                                              
       15.99
Fizz Tabs for a year $4.59 each. Same as above.
  $4.59 x 24 = $110.16                                                        
     110.16
Shipping/handling. Maybe 2 orders a year for replacement
Fizz Tabs? 2 x $6.99 = $13.98                                                 
  13.98 
                                                                              
    total:  $140.13

I can buy a 5 lb. CO2 tank, dual gauge single stage regulator with solenoid, 
and pH controller for $275, so for my use the cost vs. mail order evens out 
after about 2 years, and evens out after 15 months vs. retail. And I know CO2 
systems not using solenoids or controllers are much cheaper than that.

For a very small tank this product may be useful, but for my size tank I'd 
rather go with bottled gas and a regulator. Way cheaper in the long run. 

FYI the manufacturer's recommended number of Fizz Tabs for a 40 gallon tank 
is at least three a day, which would put your monthly Fizz Tab cost in the 
$25-$45 range, depending if you buy retail or MO.

I think I'll go DIY yeast or bottled gas with a regulator if I add CO2 to 
this tank. The numbers don't lie.

Hope this helps for anyone looking at this product. I don't know how well it 
works. The above is simply purchase and operations cost for the size tank I 
am looking to use CO2 on.

Regards,
Dave 





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