DIY C02

[yeeahboy]

Heres part of an article about succesfuly growing plants in aquarium.

What do u think, good idea?

CO2 dissoves into (and escapes out of) water very quickly, so we need a way to produce bubbles of CO2 and to hold them in contact with a fast flowing stream of water so the CO2 has time to dissolve. CO2 is produced by yeast fermenting sugar into alcohol, so take a 2-liter soda bottle and fill it with lukewarm water to about 2" from the bottom of where the screw cap would be. Pour the measured water into a bucket and add approximately 2 cups sugar and 1/4 teaspoon baking yeast (e.g. Fleishmann's brand from the baking section of Safeway). Stir until both are dissolved, especially the yeast which is harder to dissolve than the sugar. Pour this stuff back in the bottle and fill to the point it normally would be filled with soda. Drill a hole in the center of the top of the cap which is just wide enough to tightly fit a piece of aquarium airline tubing into it, and glue the tubing into place with aquarium silicone sealant. Leave the cap off the bottle to dry for a day. Then screw on the cap and put the other end of the air tube into the intake tube of the filter, so that the CO2 will bubble into the filter. The CO2 may start bubbling the next day, or maybe not for up to 3 days. The bubbles get sucked into the pump propeller and some end up in the filter sponge where they slowly dissolve into the water where the plants can use it for photosynthesis.

[HaNs]

Been tried a lot. Iv never do it again.

I prefer flourish excel dosed

[yeeahboy]

yeah i'm dosing flourish excel at mo, just looking for cheaper and potentially better alternative.

why would you not use this method again?

[VinsonMassif]

Here is the best DIY CO2 page I have found. I am going to try it. I like the idea of the CO2 Reactor.

http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

[SpidersWeb]

DIY CO2 with yeast is a great experiment, and it works (but not as good or controlled as direct injection). Once you've done it though, you're unlikely to do it again.

To get serious growth with it you need to dissolve the CO2, not just bubble it, which gives you serious amounts of it in the water, but then it needs to be controlled and you can't control DIY CO2... if you just bubble it I never found it really did much.

Reason it needs controlling in heavy doses is that its acidic, and will stuff with your pH.

I get better results from Flourish Excel.

[yeeahboy]

ok i'm dosing flourish. just want to make sure i'm dosing correct amount.

i've got a 200L tank, should i just follow directions on bottle (which says 5ml for 200L daily). What have you found to be the best and how often, daily?

[SpidersWeb]

Careful, Flourish and Flourish Excel are different products.

I assume you mean Flourish Excel (as thats the dose rate on the excel bottle).

Daily dose rate on the bottle is good, and you'll get a much better effect with good fert + T5 or better lighting. You can dose significantly higher than the bottled rate (for killing black beard algae some members recommend 5mL per 20 litres of water, 10 times the normal daily dose). I don't like adding much more than the rate on the bottle, as I find some more sensitive fish find it slightly harder to breath.

I'd start with the recommended rate, then once you've seen the improvement, slightly increase it, and see if you see another step in improvement. There is only so much it can do, as plant growth requires light and fert as well

[yeeahboy]

yes excel.

you say a good fert is needed, I put jbl balls in when first planted. (is this a fert)

i also have another thread about pmdd (is this a good fert).

[PuffaDragon]

if you use a wodden air stone like a red sea the bubbles come out real small and they desolve better that works real well in my tank lots of o2 coming of the plants

[supasi]

I successfully use DIY CO2 on two of my planted tanks, and i have done for over a year now. Its cheap, simple and give great results.

The key to success if as stated in previous posts, is to get as much of the co2 disolved into the water and not bubbled to the surface.

I use ceramic type difusers and a small powerfilter. I allow the ceramic difuser to create minute bubble that bubble up into the powerfilter.The impellor of the filter smashes these bubbles into almost nothing.

HTH

[spoon]

if u use silicone airline drill a hole in the top of the lid with a drill bit that just fits inside the tubing without having to force it on there 2 much (also leave the blue plastic bit under the lid and drill thru this) cut the end of the airline on a massive angle and poke the fine end thru then pull it thru with pliers . this makes a nice neat gas tight seal better and easier than using silicone

[whetu]

Heres part of an article about succesfuly growing plants in aquarium.

What do u think, good idea?

CO2 dissoves into (and escapes out of) water very quickly, so we need a way to produce bubbles of CO2 and to hold them in contact with a fast flowing stream of water so the CO2 has time to dissolve. CO2 is produced by yeast fermenting sugar into alcohol, so take a 2-liter soda bottle and fill it with lukewarm water to about 2" from the bottom of where the screw cap would be. Pour the measured water into a bucket and add approximately 2 cups sugar and 1/4 teaspoon baking yeast (e.g. Fleishmann's brand from the baking section of Safeway). Stir until both are dissolved, especially the yeast which is harder to dissolve than the sugar. Pour this stuff back in the bottle and fill to the point it normally would be filled with soda. Drill a hole in the center of the top of the cap which is just wide enough to tightly fit a piece of aquarium airline tubing into it, and glue the tubing into place with aquarium silicone sealant. Leave the cap off the bottle to dry for a day. Then screw on the cap and put the other end of the air tube into the intake tube of the filter, so that the CO2 will bubble into the filter. The CO2 may start bubbling the next day, or maybe not for up to 3 days. The bubbles get sucked into the pump propeller and some end up in the filter sponge where they slowly dissolve into the water where the plants can use it for photosynthesis.

[Of course you would prepare your bottle well in advance of making your yeast mix, or the mix would start reacting and the CO2 would be wasted while you're waiting for your bottle to be ready!]

Like most fish-keepers who have been trying to grow great plants over the years, I have experimented with DIY CO2. Interesting, fun, cheap but also unpredictable CO2 levels, and needs to be regularly maintained (fresh yeast mix always needed).

By all means give it a whirl and see what you think. Maybe have two yeast bottles on the go, so when one is finished you can put in a fresh mix, then freshen up the other one a few days later.

Keep the bottles warm (but not too hot) to keep the yeast alive. It's tempting to put them on top of the tank to keep them warm but make sure the yeast NEVER bubbles over or syphons into your tank. Chaos will result!

Keep an eye on the pH of the tank and have fun with your experiment.

[whetu]

yes excel.

you say a good fert is needed, I put jbl balls in when first planted. (is this a fert)

i also have another thread about pmdd (is this a good fert).

JBL balls will deliver nutrients to a plant's roots, so it is a fert that is especially useful for plants that are heavy root-feeders.

pmdd and other liquid fertilisers deliver nutrients into the water column so they are especially useful for plants that like to get their nutrients that way.

Root ferts and liquid ferts often deliver a different range of nutrients, so ideally you would use both, in a combination that suits your particular plants, your type of substrate, your CO2 levels and (especially) your lighting.

It's a complex formula and you will really only find what works for you by patient experimenting. That's part of the fun of a planted tank!