DIY CO2

[fishaddict]

Im wondering on how to get co2 flowing into the tank without spending to much money. I really cant find to much that will show me how to do it without getting really complicated. Any suggestions?

[Pooky125]

Hmm, diy co2 is pretty cheap to set up.. I'm gunna be seting one up next weekend. All you need, is a 2 liter bottle, some airline tubing, 100% silicone, sugar, water, yeast, and baking soda. I use the krib's recipee for it. Punch a hole in the cap on the bottle, just big enough for the airline tubing. Then, silicone it on. In the bottle pour 2 cups of sugar into the bottle. Add 1/4 teaspoon of baker's yeast and a pinch of baking soda. Pour in a little warm water (NOT hot) and mix around to dissolve the sugar and yeast. Then fill to the shoulder (just above the label on a soda bottle) with warm water. Shake well and cap with the tubing-cap assembly. Run the other end of the tubing into the aquarium.

[Magician2899]

Here's the recipe:

1 empty 2 liter bottle
some airline tubing
3 cups of suger
1 tspn yeast
1 tspn baking soda


Take the cap off of the 2 liter bottle and drill a hole in it just big enough for the airline tubing to get through, push the tubing in about a quarter of an inch and seal it air tight with aquarium sealant. Let that sit for 24 hours(you want to make sure there are no air leaks). Your fermentation canister is now complete

Now, fill the 2 liter bottle with luke warm water until its about 2-3" from the top. Add the sugar, yeast, and baking soda. Put the cap on and put the open end of the tubing into the tank. Now comes the tricky part. You need to diffuse(or break up the bubbles)the bubbles coming out of that line somehow. I use an airstone, but I know some people who had airstones clogging up on them all the time with gunk, but this has never happened to me. You can get creative with how you do this, I know people who put the line right into the output of there filter, and one of my friends has line running into a piece of driftwood it holds the co2 bubbles there for awhile and lets the co2 diffuse into the water. And remember that it will take 1-2 days for co2 output to peak, and it should continue for about 15 days and then you need to mix another batch up. You should start seeing bubbles within 12 hours tho, they might be slow, but they will quicken. Each batch is different.

Total cost: $7.39

To maximize the benefit of co2 you should not have airstones in the tank and should have as little surface agitation as possible, which means you will have to make sure there is enough plants to keep a good oxygen level in the tank. And do not turn off co2 overnight, as this can cause huge ph swings on a daily basis in your tank. Good luck and remember to watch your ph, as co2 will lower it and your kh.

[fishaddict]

Thanks very much for those instructions, not even my lfs could tell me. I still have a few questions though. I have about 3 plants of gyant hygros in there and very soon i will be adding one more. They are not very big though. Will these plants be enough to consume the co2? Also are there any ways to monitor the co2 levels in the tank. Im also still a little confused on how to allow the co2 to dissolve. I think i can run the line into the output of my filter but would there be any other way. I know you said that an airstone clogs but would it still work. I have no problem at least for no unclogging or buying new ones. I also have a lighthose can i run the tubing into the light house and allow it to come out through there.
thanks

[AquariumBoiler]

Should you put an airstone on the end of your hose or not?

[SLO-Dean]

You got from the others most of what I learned online. But if you want to get lots more info...FAST, try searching Google and input DIY CO2 I didi and got that basic CO2 DIY recipe and lots of other information. Like use and airstone but be sure it is of the very fine dispersion variety or use wood.

[SLO-Dean]

oh yes, I forgot you use an aircheck valve about a foot from the bottle, that should prevent clogging or siphoning. (another $1.79 on the cost, but well worth it)

[fishaddict]

Thanks to all who helped but im still very nervous about killing offf my fish population with any drastic changes in ph or kh. Ph is about neutral and with what i think is a variety of fish i dont want to upset any balance i may have. Im going to try co2 on a planted 5.5 gallon with feeders that are going to be eaten anyway. Any changes in the 5.5 should resemble those in a 55 in a way, right. The conditions are the same.

[Magician2899]

okay, if you only have a few plants in these small tanks, co2 really isn't necessary, and if you do add co2 to these small tanks, lighting needs to increase too, photosynthesis(lighting) and co2 go hand in hand, to have a healthy planted tank they need to keep each other in check. So fish addict, if you have smaller tanks with only a few plants, no need to add co2, again, get some good test kits to watch oxygen and co2, as well as nutrients like phosphate and iron, as this is the only way to know for sure. But on the other hand, I have yet to talk to someone who overdosed a tank with co2 on a diy system, at max they only put out 1 to 1.5 bubbles a second, and if your diffusing them with an airstone I don't think you can, so if you want to experiment to see the difference, go ahead, the chances of harming your fish are slim to none. If your really unsure, research some more, get a good book, and make sure you know the tell-tale signs of co2 excess and deprivation. Good luck!

[1979camaro]

here is a question...do you need to regulate the amount of CO2 output based on your amount of gallons...for example, assuming you built the injector as described, wouldn't the amount of co2 in the water be greater on a 10 gal versus a 29 gal...is that not a problem?

Kevin