Hey.

Ive made a DIY Co2 unit with a 2L plastic bottle,tubing, check valve, yeast,sugar and warm water for my 20 gallon planted community tank,

according to the Practical fishkeeping Magazine (UK).

It said that bubbles would appear coming out of the tube after an hour or so but after 24 hours no bubbles were present coming out of the tube (i havent been able to find a bubble counter or coil in wgtn)

If anyone has any tips regarding DIY Co2 units it would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... s/home.php

:lol: :lol: :lol:

i have that pfk mag and have folloed th recipe also... however i attached it to the top of an elite mini filter--- doesn't do much but i see a few bubbles occasionally... do you just have the end of the air tube sitting in the water with nothingf to disperse it???

Yes i put it behind sum cabomba plant i have in the background in my tank.

Felt a bit funny about attaching it to my venturi outlet in my jebo as I thought it may reduce the oxygen level in the tank (am still not sure)

Have you had positive results attaching it to your venturi?

I would first take a peek for any leaks in the cap and tubing that may be allowing the gas out and thus not building the pressure required to force a bubble out the bottom of the line.

yes... check the silicon like zoban said... Oxygen is not vital in planted tank... as the plants will provide oxygen for the fish....

I don't know why you would use silicone anyway as it does not stick to pett bottles.

It would be better to go to your local hydroponics shop and get gromits like this...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/s ... 2Small.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/s ... 1Small.jpg

There some what dirty :oops: as there used to hatch B/S.

yeah i found silico didn't stick very well either- cheers for the suggestion

yea...silicon doesnt quite work. you could get some of those inline valve from lfs for $3.90. this way it is airtight , co2 force thru one way and you dont get the siphon effect from tank.

yea...silicon doesnt quite work. you could get some of those inline valve from lfs for $3.90. this way it is airtight , co2 force thru one way and you dont get the siphon effect from tank.

No you can't. The check valves in your LFS have rubber diaphragms and are corroded by CO2. Best to get some with plastic & spring innards for a few bucks more.

i had problems using silcone too, so i used clear nail polish and it worked a treat!

I drill a 4mm hole, then use 5mm tubing, to get it through you cut the pipe on a 45 degree angle and squeeze it in. I then use a little silicone around the hole on the inside, although a hot glue gun might be a better choice.

To check, I blow in to the bottle using the tubing as hard as I can, you'll be able to tell if it leaks.

Most important thing with the yeast mix is making sure it's alive. When mixed with luke warm water then shaken it should generate a small white froth on top, if not then the yeast has died and you need to get something fresher. Remember no 'hot' water, water should be warm, hot will kill the yeast on contact.

I also recommend adding a bit of baking soda to increase the water hardness which helps the yeast live longer.

My mixes normally produce little bubbles after an hour or so, I always ran in to problems with the check valves and found that the DIY setup often didn't have enough pressure to open it, and after a few weeks it didn't work anyway (water would go back through it). This is fine if your CO2 is always connected, only a problem if you disconnect it and forget about the tube (like I did once) or your bottles dont hold pressure.

Anyway here is the mix I use, done in 2.25L containers, I vary the amount of yeast depending on its age.

1 tspn heaped yeast

1 tspn heaped baking soda

3 cups sugar

Warm water up to the top of the label

Then I shake the boogers out of it until its all disolved and frothing like a rabid racoon.

If I'm not seeing any action after about an hour (at least some good foam) then I add another teaspoon of yeast.

Oh and I use the elite mini filter as well, $35 and it works well enough to get my plants pearling.