DIY CO2 made easy - Page 4

jeffro0050 · 04-14-2010, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NursePlaty

I figured out a problem and decided to shared with everyone in case one of you guys have the same problem I did. If I could upload a video I would but I can only upload pics.

Before my bubbles came out all at once.. 10-15 bubbles then a long pause, then another 10-15 bubbles all at once. I was told the way to fix this is to add an airstone, but my results were the same. To fix this.. I added more water to the gatorade bottle and removed the "curved" tubing in the bottle. Its the bottle that was filled with just plain water. BEFORE I had it filled to where I had 2 inches of space between the water level and the cap. NOW I added more water and filled it up to where I only have 2-3cm of space.

Here is a picture of my setup. I tried to get a good pic, as you can see there I left a small amount of air space in the gatorade bottle. And reduced my tube line. I get no pauses and a constant rate of 2-4 bubbles every second. The bubbles are still countable. Im not saying it will work for everyone, but if yours isnt working the way it should you could try my idea =]

Thats a heck of a lot of CO2, lol. I wonder how many bottles using this recipe it would take to adversely affect the fish.

choylifutsoccer · 04-14-2010, 03:32 AM

Quote:

I figured out a problem and decided to shared with everyone in case one of you guys have the same problem I did. If I could upload a video I would but I can only upload pics.

Before my bubbles came out all at once.. 10-15 bubbles then a long pause, then another 10-15 bubbles all at once. I was told the way to fix this is to add an airstone, but my results were the same. To fix this.. I added more water to the gatorade bottle and removed the "curved" tubing in the bottle. Its the bottle that was filled with just plain water. BEFORE I had it filled to where I had 2 inches of space between the water level and the cap. NOW I added more water and filled it up to where I only have 2-3cm of space.

Here is a picture of my setup. I tried to get a good pic, as you can see there I left a small amount of air space in the gatorade bottle. And reduced my tube line. I get no pauses and a constant rate of 2-4 bubbles every second. The bubbles are still countable. Im not saying it will work for everyone, but if yours isnt working the way it should you could try my idea =]

You're like an engineer in the making. lol

James0816 · 04-14-2010, 07:14 AM

You get the same results with the air stone as there is no resistance to hold back the pressure. If you were to use either a limewood or even better...a glass diffuser, you will get even better results.

I like the setup btw...nice and colorful. ;o)

Add a couple valves between bottles so you can change them out without losing pressure and you'll be rockin and rollin.

How big is the tank you have this contraption on?

NursePlaty · 04-14-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James0816

You get the same results with the air stone as there is no resistance to hold back the pressure. If you were to use either a limewood or even better...a glass diffuser, you will get even better results.

I like the setup btw...nice and colorful. ;o)

Add a couple valves between bottles so you can change them out without losing pressure and you'll be rockin and rollin.

How big is the tank you have this contraption on?

I tried the airstone but I still got large bubbles. So my problem there was probably the low quality airstone, I tried looking for that limewood but could not find it anywhere. I also tried to fit the airstone into the HOB intake but the airstone was a tad bit too big.

Yea I needed color so it wont look too ugly . I actually was thinking about the valves too but I already had 2 T-connectors and 4 bottles so I was worried about gas leaks. Adding valves would increase risk :p. The pressure builds back up pretty fast anyway. Takes bout 2-3 mins to build back up.

The tank is a 20 gallon long densly planted. I tried to put as much CO2 as possible to where I would see my fish gasping for air at the surface of my tank then it would tell me to lower it by a bottle. But that never happened. I guess DIY CO2 will always be obsolete to pressurized unless I rig up a 10 jello bottles "/

James0816 · 04-14-2010, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NursePlaty

I tried looking for that limewood but could not find it anywhere.

Petco around here is the only place I've seen have them. Otherwise it would be online shopping. Since noone carries the glass diffusers, I rely on the internet. ;o)

jeffro0050 · 04-14-2010, 04:40 PM

Just finished my first DIY CO2 rig using a crap airstone, and walla... CO2 started being created in about 10 minutes! I'm watching my airstone release bubbles every 3 seconds, so clearly I need to redo it, but even using as half assed a path as possible to do it, I'm getting CO2! Huzzah! Pics when I find my camera's dang USB cable.

Out of curiosity, how soon can I expect to see results in my plants? I just half dosed some 0-0-3.

jeffro0050 · 04-19-2010, 10:17 AM

Just got back from an emergency 5 day trip to TX and wowza. My plants have exploded in growth. I can't quite ID a certain species in my tank as its new leaves since implementation now grow to be about twice as large and are now reddish!

Amazed at the results.

homerdave · 04-29-2010, 07:55 PM

ever think of letting the bubbles inject at the pick-up tube of your filter. I have seen this done on another website, and I guess the filter dissipates the CO2 through the filter outlet! Sounded like it was a good idea, but I don't know. I don't use Co2, I only have a couple small plants.

Just a thought, I was wondering what you think. You have great ideas!!!

jeffro0050 · 05-03-2010, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homerdave

ever think of letting the bubbles inject at the pick-up tube of your filter. I have seen this done on another website, and I guess the filter dissipates the CO2 through the filter outlet! Sounded like it was a good idea, but I don't know. I don't use Co2, I only have a couple small plants.

Just a thought, I was wondering what you think. You have great ideas!!!

One problem with this is that surface agitation is how much of your CO2 escapes the water. Once I get my 55 gal setup completed It will be much much easier for me to experiment with this. When I overdosed my Co2 and my fish were showing lethargy, I took off the new reactor and agitated the water a bunch. Seemed like they returned to normal in a few minutes.

NursePlaty · 05-03-2010, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffro0050

One problem with this is that surface agitation is how much of your CO2 escapes the water. Once I get my 55 gal setup completed It will be much much easier for me to experiment with this. When I overdosed my Co2 and my fish were showing lethargy, I took off the new reactor and agitated the water a bunch. Seemed like they returned to normal in a few minutes.

What size tank and what size bottle are you using? I didnt think DIY CO2 will ever produce enough CO2 to cause lethargy. I have 3 bottles going in a 20 gallon and even my baby fish are not showing any symptoms of O2 deficiency. Or maybe they are just more hardy. I need to invest in a drop checker to see if my CO2 levels are fluctuating or not. Sometimes I dont even know if my DIY CO2 is working or not.

For your 55 gallon you will need like 10+ DIY bottles lol . If my tank was that big I would think about pressurized. Or I can load up my shopping cart full of sugar for each month. (Might need to invest money towards growing sugar canes)

James0816 · 05-03-2010, 07:30 PM

Yep...for a 55...you definately would want to look at going pressurized. DIY will be a tough sell for that size.

Alabastercities · 10-08-2010, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiteDevil

I use brewers yeast, it lasts longer then bakers yeast or Jell-o, same principal, add a smidge of brown sugar to the mix and you got a 2 liter that lasts for atleast 20 days.

Winemakers or Brewers yeasts are the ones to use, active dry baking yeast consumes too quickly, brewers yeast lasts longer mainly due to the brewing process lasting longer then baking breads.

I have a quick question about Brewer's Yeast, and I didn't want to create a new thread. I am setting up my first DIY CO2 system, and I have never heard of using brewer's yeast before. I went and bought a can of it at GNC, but when I got home I noticed a label saying "Dried, Inactive Yeast". Did I buy the wrong type of yeast? If so, where can I get active brewer's yeast?

This DIY giude is great! I have everything ready to go, except for the yeast

littlefish · 10-10-2010, 09:10 AM

I'd like to show you another DIY co2 system that I'm using it from 1 year and I consider the best, 1 bubble per second for 3 weeks without the risk to explode because I'm using gelatine: Manage your freshwater aquarium, tropical fishes and plants: Do It Yourself Carbon Dioxide Injection

James0816 · 10-11-2010, 08:02 AM

Yep, that's all I use now is Jell-O. Definately get better and longer results with it.

As for the brewers yeast, it is supposed to have a higher alcohol tolerance which makes it last longer. Champaign yeast has the highest tolerance but will come at a higer price. You also want to use active yeast.

GeminiPrincess · 10-26-2010, 01:27 AM

I just started building my first CO2 and have no idea what exactly im suppose to do here. I have a cheap blue airstone from petsmart - that is all they were selling - and the silicone sealant is drying as we speak. Once i set it up in the tank, what should i look for and how many bubbles am i going to want? I will have a lots of new plants come friday, so i want to try and have it up and runnin well by then if possible. Any help and advice would be great!

I read on some of the post about using your filter to diffuse the bubbles, but i dont understand how that works.

Not sure if you would need to know this but here:
26G BF
3-4 weeks into cycle
Emperor 400 Filter
64W Light
Natural Gravel
One powerful airstone for decor
3 active LF Danios

James0816 · 10-26-2010, 07:16 AM

First off...get rid of the blue air stone. It will not benefit you at all for diffussion. You really want to try and find a glass diffuser or limewood at very least. PetCo (if you have one near by) is the only place I've seen carry limewood. Otherwise, you'll have to look online. Ebay is a good place to check too.

When you hear people talking about using the filter to diffuse the CO2 bubbles, what that are doing is taking the output hose of the CO2 and running in directly into the intake of the filter. The impeller of the filter will then break up the bubbles into smaller ones. It's not as efficient and can be a little on the noisy side but it does work.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're all here to help.

GeminiPrincess · 10-26-2010, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James0816

First off...get rid of the blue air stone. It will not benefit you at all for diffussion. You really want to try and find a glass diffuser or limewood at very least. PetCo (if you have one near by) is the only place I've seen carry limewood. Otherwise, you'll have to look online. Ebay is a good place to check too.

When you hear people talking about using the filter to diffuse the CO2 bubbles, what that are doing is taking the output hose of the CO2 and running in directly into the intake of the filter. The impeller of the filter will then break up the bubbles into smaller ones. It's not as efficient and can be a little on the noisy side but it does work.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're all here to help.

How much are the limewood diffusers at petco noramlly? I've spent all my money on other things for my tank so im hoping you tell me they arn't that expensive

I've read somewhere that your have to redo the mixture every so many days...is that right? and how long do i need to redo things? Also i read that you used rice should i do that to? How many bubbles should the diffuser be producing? Thanks!

NursePlaty · 10-26-2010, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeminiPrincess

How much are the limewood diffusers at petco noramlly? I've spent all my money on other things for my tank so im hoping you tell me they arn't that expensive

I've read somewhere that your have to redo the mixture every so many days...is that right? and how long do i need to redo things? Also i read that you used rice should i do that to? How many bubbles should the diffuser be producing? Thanks!

I havent found limewood diffusers in many places. In my area, Petco and Petsmart do not sell them. Limewood is best to use and I think I bought mine for less than a dollar at a certain fish store.

You redo the mixture when it stops producing bubbles.

Rice is optional and depends on the hobbyist. It's just getting fancy.

James0816 · 10-26-2010, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeminiPrincess

How much are the limewood diffusers at petco noramlly? I've spent all my money on other things for my tank so im hoping you tell me they arn't that expensive

I've read somewhere that your have to redo the mixture every so many days...is that right? and how long do i need to redo things? Also i read that you used rice should i do that to? How many bubbles should the diffuser be producing? Thanks!

They aren't very expensive at all actually. Just a few bucks. The glass ones will be just a little bit more as you can usually find them under $10 (not including shipping though).

The overall mix should last you several weeks. However, your results may vary depending on such factors like room temp and such. But generally speaking, a few weeks is a good bet.

I do use a small amount of uncooked rice and this seems to really help the mix along. The yeast breaks it down and turns it into sugar which then is consumed to make CO2.

jrman83 · 10-26-2010, 10:41 AM

Just keep in mind that even DIY CO2 will lower your ph. Mine produces at the most 6 bubbles a minute (I know, my solution sucks) and my ph goes down to 7.4-7.6 from 8.2. It surprised me. This is on a 29gal and I also have one huge piece of new driftwood in there that could be causing it to lower more.

04-14-2010, 07:14 AM	#63 (permalink)
James0816 James0816's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,402 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 507 Times in 438 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy You get the same results with the air stone as there is no resistance to hold back the pressure. If you were to use either a limewood or even better...a glass diffuser, you will get even better results. I like the setup btw...nice and colorful. ;o) Add a couple valves between bottles so you can change them out without losing pressure and you'll be rockin and rollin. How big is the tank you have this contraption on?

04-14-2010, 04:40 PM	#66 (permalink)
jeffro0050 jeffro0050's Photo Gallery Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 149 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 1 Times Said "Thanks" 36 Times Was Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy Just finished my first DIY CO2 rig using a crap airstone, and walla... CO2 started being created in about 10 minutes! I'm watching my airstone release bubbles every 3 seconds, so clearly I need to redo it, but even using as half assed a path as possible to do it, I'm getting CO2! Huzzah! Pics when I find my camera's dang USB cable. Out of curiosity, how soon can I expect to see results in my plants? I just half dosed some 0-0-3. Last edited by jeffro0050 : 04-14-2010 at 04:51 PM.

04-19-2010, 10:17 AM	#67 (permalink)
jeffro0050 jeffro0050's Photo Gallery Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 149 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 1 Times Said "Thanks" 36 Times Was Thanked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy Just got back from an emergency 5 day trip to TX and wowza. My plants have exploded in growth. I can't quite ID a certain species in my tank as its new leaves since implementation now grow to be about twice as large and are now reddish! Amazed at the results.

04-29-2010, 07:55 PM	#68 (permalink)
homerdave homerdave's Photo Gallery Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 25 Name: Dave Location: clinton township, MI Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 3 Times Said "Thanks" 7 Times Was Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy ever think of letting the bubbles inject at the pick-up tube of your filter. I have seen this done on another website, and I guess the filter dissipates the CO2 through the filter outlet! Sounded like it was a good idea, but I don't know. I don't use Co2, I only have a couple small plants. Just a thought, I was wondering what you think. You have great ideas!!!

05-03-2010, 07:30 PM	#71 (permalink)
James0816 James0816's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,402 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 507 Times in 438 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy Yep...for a 55...you definately would want to look at going pressurized. DIY will be a tough sell for that size.

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10-10-2010, 09:10 AM	#73 (permalink)
littlefish littlefish's Photo Gallery Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 138 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 28 Times in 25 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy I'd like to show you another DIY co2 system that I'm using it from 1 year and I consider the best, 1 bubble per second for 3 weeks without the risk to explode because I'm using gelatine: Manage your freshwater aquarium, tropical fishes and plants: Do It Yourself Carbon Dioxide Injection __________________ "http://freshwater-aquarium-passion.blogspot.com" - for people with passion for aquariums

10-11-2010, 08:02 AM	#74 (permalink)
James0816 James0816's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,402 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 507 Times in 438 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy Yep, that's all I use now is Jell-O. Definately get better and longer results with it. As for the brewers yeast, it is supposed to have a higher alcohol tolerance which makes it last longer. Champaign yeast has the highest tolerance but will come at a higer price. You also want to use active yeast.

10-26-2010, 01:27 AM	#75 (permalink)
GeminiPrincess Pretty Fishy! GeminiPrincess's Photo Gallery Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 279 Name: Elise Location: Somewhere spectacular Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 1 Times Said "Thanks" 162 Times Was Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy I just started building my first CO2 and have no idea what exactly im suppose to do here. I have a cheap blue airstone from petsmart - that is all they were selling - and the silicone sealant is drying as we speak. Once i set it up in the tank, what should i look for and how many bubbles am i going to want? I will have a lots of new plants come friday, so i want to try and have it up and runnin well by then if possible. Any help and advice would be great! I read on some of the post about using your filter to diffuse the bubbles, but i dont understand how that works. Not sure if you would need to know this but here: 26G BF 3-4 weeks into cycle Emperor 400 Filter 64W Light Natural Gravel One powerful airstone for decor 3 active LF Danios __________________ 26g BF Fully Planted Pressurized CO2 112w of light Dry ferts 2 1g planted Beta tanks 1 10g planted Pea Puffer tank with neons ~GeminiPrincess

10-26-2010, 07:16 AM	#76 (permalink)
James0816 James0816's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,402 Feedback: 10 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 0 Times Said "Thanks" 32 Times Was Thanked 507 Times in 438 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy First off...get rid of the blue air stone. It will not benefit you at all for diffussion. You really want to try and find a glass diffuser or limewood at very least. PetCo (if you have one near by) is the only place I've seen carry limewood. Otherwise, you'll have to look online. Ebay is a good place to check too. When you hear people talking about using the filter to diffuse the CO2 bubbles, what that are doing is taking the output hose of the CO2 and running in directly into the intake of the filter. The impeller of the filter will then break up the bubbles into smaller ones. It's not as efficient and can be a little on the noisy side but it does work. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions you may have. We're all here to help.

10-26-2010, 10:41 AM	#80 (permalink)
jrman83 ....has no life.... jrman83's Photo Gallery Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 8,825 Name: Ben Location: White Plains, MD My location Feedback: 16 / 100% Said "Welcome to Aquarium Forum" 2,941 Times Said "Thanks" 415 Times Was Thanked 2,199 Times in 2,081 Posts	Re: DIY CO2 made easy Just keep in mind that even DIY CO2 will lower your ph. Mine produces at the most 6 bubbles a minute (I know, my solution sucks) and my ph goes down to 7.4-7.6 from 8.2. It surprised me. This is on a 29gal and I also have one huge piece of new driftwood in there that could be causing it to lower more. __________________ Enter your tank into the tank of the month competiton http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/febr...ion-27354.html

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