Sicce CO2 Life 2 Pump 600 Litres Per Hour

Planted Aquarium CO2 Systems

The Sicce CO2 Life 2 makes its own carbon dioxide by electrolysis from a replaceable carbon cartridge and releases it through the grille on the front of the unit. There is no cylinder, no pressure regulator and no external diffuser, so there is nothing to bubble-count: Sicce state that the CO2 leaving the unit is invisible, and that any bubbles you do see rising to the surface are hydrogen produced by the same electrolysis, not CO2. You set the release rate with the knob on top of the unit: clockwise for more, anticlockwise for less.

Specifications

What Sicce publish for the CO2 Life 2:

Sicce article number RCOC02E
Aquarium capacity 100 to 250 litres (26 to 66 US gallons)
Supply 230 V ~ / 50 Hz
Power 7 W
Carbon cartridge life 2 to 4 months, depending on the tank
Manufacturer warranty 2 years, excluding the rotor and the carbon cartridge

CO2 Life is sold in two sizes: the 1 for tanks of 40 to 150 litres, and the 2, this one, for tanks of 100 to 250 litres.

On the litres-per-hour figure in the product title: Sicce publish no flow rate for CO2 Life anywhere. Their technical table carries volts, hertz, watts and aquarium capacity and nothing else, and neither the manual nor the product page gives a flow figure. We have therefore not repeated 600 l/h as a manufacturer specification. The number that actually sizes this unit to your tank is the aquarium capacity above.

Note that the 2-year warranty here is Sicce’s own figure for CO2 Life specifically. It is shorter than the 3 years Sicce give on their pumps, because the carbon cartridge and rotor are consumables.

What Sicce do not publish for this model:

• A CO2 output rate, in grams, bubbles or litres per hour
• Unit dimensions or weight
• Cable length
• A minimum tank volume below 100 litres

Those rows are not on Sicce’s specification table or in the instruction manual for this pump, so we have left them blank rather than fill them in from a similar model. If one of them decides your purchase, ask us before ordering and we will put the question to Sicce.

Compatibility

Freshwater and tropical planted tanks only. Sicce’s restrictions on this product are unusually firm, and all of them come straight from the manual:

• Do not use it in salt water.
• Do not use it in a tank without plants. With no plants to consume it, Sicce state that the CO2 is actively harmful to the animals.
• Sicce advise against using it in water with electrical conductivity above 600 µS/cm². The unit works by electrolysis, so conductivity drives how fast it runs : hard, mineral-rich water burns the carbon cartridge through faster.
• Sicce do not recommend running it without a filtration system, because unmixed carbon particles otherwise settle on the substrate and on plant leaves.
• Aquarium and indoor use only, in water up to 35 °C.

Sicce’s own flyer also lists CO2 Life for hydroponics.

Mounting: suction cups, vertically, with the adjustment knob facing upwards, and fully submerged. It can go anywhere in the tank, including tucked behind plants or rocks, but keep the other faces of the unit off the base and side panes or it resonates.

Nothing else to buy: no cylinder, no pressure regulator, no solenoid and no diffuser. If you want it off overnight when photosynthesis has stopped, a plain mains timer does the job: Sicce say a solenoid is not needed. Check afterwards that pH does not climb too far overnight; if it does, the unit has to keep running.

The only consumable is the carbon cartridge, replaced every 2 to 4 months.

Safety & Precautions

• Unplug every electrical device in the water before putting your hands in. If the plug or cable is wet, kill the circuit at the main switch before unplugging anything.
• Sicce require the supply to run through a residual current device (RCD) rated at no more than 30 mA.
• The unit has a type Z cable. Neither cable nor plug can be replaced or repaired : if either is damaged the whole product has to be replaced.
• Switch it on only when it is completely submerged. Sicce state that warranty does not cover damage caused by running it out of water.
• Leave a drip loop in the cable so water running down the cord drips off below the socket rather than reaching it.
• Do not use an extension lead. If you have no choice, have a qualified electrician make the connection so the extension is properly matched to the unit’s cable.
• Aquarium and indoor use only. Any other application can damage the parts and voids the warranty.
• Not to be used by children, or by anyone who needs supervision, without a responsible adult present.

Two things about running it that are easy to get wrong. First, adding CO2 to water lowers pH: Sicce ask you to monitor pH constantly, because a sudden swing does more harm than a slow correction ever fixes. Second, on first use the carbon cartridge is sensitive: leave it on the MINIMUM setting for at least 24 hours, then measure, and only then move it up by one notch, never more, every 24 hours until it settles where you want it.

Sicce also suggest a 20 to 25% water change every month with reverse osmosis or demineralised water to keep hardness stable, keeping light shields clean and replacing lamps yearly so photosynthesis keeps up, and not agitating the surface too much, which drives the CO2 straight back out.

What’s in the Box

Sicce do not print an itemised scope of delivery for this product. The list below is built from the numbered components in Sicce’s own instruction manual for it, and from the parts Sicce sell separately as accessories rather than supply in the box. If something on it is missing from your carton, tell us and we will take it up with the distributor.

• CO2 Life 2 unit : motor body with the electrolysis chamber
• Carbon cartridge, fitted
• Cartridge regulator and pre-filter
• Transparent mixing cover, so you can see how far through the cartridge is
• Rotor
• Sponge, at the back of the unit
• Suction cups and the glass support they mount to
• Multilingual instruction manual and warranty card

The carbon cartridge is the consumable. Everything else in the unit strips down for cleaning without tools: the mixing cover lifts off the body, the regulator and pre-filter come out, and the rotor lifts out of its base for a soak in water and vinegar or lemon juice. The shaft inside the rotor chamber is fixed: clean it with a cotton bud and leave it where it is.

Returns & Replacement

Returns are accepted within 7 days of delivery, provided the item is unused and in its original packaging. Manufacturer-sealed items cannot be returned once the seal is broken, and sale-priced items are not refundable.

If your item arrives defective or damaged, message us on WhatsApp with your order number, or email us if you would rather, and we will replace it. Approved replacements are delivered within 3 to 5 business days. Transit damage is covered by insurance on every shipment. If tracking shows delivered but nothing reached you, tell us within 48 hours, which is the reporting window Indian couriers allow. Damage caused during installation or use is not covered; replacement spares for such cases are chargeable.

Full terms are on our Cancellation & Returns page.

Warranty & Support

This product is covered by warranty as per the manufacturer policy, against material and manufacturing defects from the date of purchase.

Warranty support is handled by us directly. Message our WhatsApp support with your order number and we will diagnose the fault first. Most cases are solved by replacing a single part, so you rarely need to send the whole unit. If the item does need to come back, it ships to our Delhi or Pune warehouse, whichever one served your order, and courier cost in both directions is borne by the customer. Your GST invoice is valid proof of purchase for the claim.