DIY CO2? who uses it?

[REEVESTA]

As the tiltle says im interested in who uses/has used DIY CO2? (yeast and sugar)

-Does it work?

-Are there any problems with it?

-Would you recommend it?

It seems eazy to set up, but how eazy is it to maintain?

[Jennifer]

Edit: misread the title... :oops:

[supasi]

Either I read the title totally wrong or its been changed, But I read it as DIY Co2

I use it as I am to stingy to buy a proper pressurized setup.

Learn the mixture rate and keep an eye on it as with DIY it tends to fluctuate with temp and age. This can cause algae problems if you are not careful.

Otherwise, go for it. Its cheap, interesting to experiment with and rewarding when it goes right.

Its really quite simple.

[REEVESTA]

What do you use for a defuser and bubble counter?

[the-obstacle]

Yep, I use it with a ladder. Having not used any co2 before this I can say it's 100 times better than no co2 but I'm sure it's nothing compared to presurised.

[Brennos]

I have 2 set up, one i use a diffuser off ebay with, the other I plumbed it directly into my canister intake.

No issues so far, and all my plants pearl...

[Bilbo]

I use the yeast and sugar system and a ladder. I haven't been able to buy a decent diffuser yet.

Plants a going totally crazy. Gave a shopping bag away today and have sold a similar amount last week too. My tank is only 600 x 300 x 300.

It works and its easy.

I find the only real issue is it isnt consistant, It will start off gang busters at 2 - 3 bubbles per second and slow to 1 bubble every 2 - 5 seconds after a few weeks.

[the-obstacle]

I plumbed it directly into my canister intake.

No issues so far, and all my plants pearl...

I'm interested int his idea. I can see how it would get melted into the water column really well - do you just put the end of the air hose into the strainer/intake and let gravity / syphon do the rest?

[Brennos]

I'm interested int his idea. I can see how it would get melted into the water column really well - do you just put the end of the air hose into the strainer/intake and let gravity / syphon do the rest?

Yeah lol. I just jammed it in the end of the strainer, and let it be. I have ran it for 4 months or so, and so far so good. I don;t know if it is/can do any damage to the pump. But like I said. It seems not to care. Only negative is when the mixture is fresh the "air in canister" sound is pretty bad. It doesn't bother me, as my pc is louder. but yeah, a normal person would probably get annoyed if it is right next to them for any length of time over the first 24-48 hours of the mixture..

[Joshlikesfish]

Yeah lol. I just jammed it in the end of the strainer, and let it be. I have ran it for 4 months or so, and so far so good. I don;t know if it is/can do any damage to the pump. But like I said. It seems not to care. Only negative is when the mixture is fresh the "air in canister" sound is pretty bad. It doesn't bother me, as my pc is louder. but yeah, a normal person would probably get annoyed if it is right next to them for any length of time over the first 24-48 hours of the mixture..

You can also run it straight into the impeller of a small powerhead. Just make sure there is no surface agitation as this starts the reaction that turns the CO2 into O2

[hovmoller]

this starts the reaction that turns the CO2 into O2

I think you should brush up your biology knowledge there Josh

The only thing (natural anyway) that can turn CO2 into O2 is a plant.. it's called photosynthesis

I think what you mean is that the CO2 dissipates quicker from the water the more surface agitation there is.

[Joshlikesfish]

I think you should brush up your biology knowledge there Josh

The only thing (natural anyway) that can turn CO2 into O2 is a plant.. it's called photosynthesis

I think what you mean is that the CO2 dissipates quicker from the water the more surface agitation there is.

Its late at night, what do you expect :oops: :lol:

When the surface is agitated, CO2 is released from the water and replaced with O2. Thats what I mean Or at least I think thats what I mean haha

[REEVESTA]

Could you guys put some pictures of your set ups on?

[supasi]

Why DIY?

Pressurized CO2 systems are an expensive investment. You may not be sure it will be worthwhile, and would like to try CO2 injection to see how it affects plant growth before spending the money for a pressurized system. Or maybe you have 3 tanks in 3 different rooms, which would require 3 pressurized systems. Perhaps you are on a student budget and just can't afford a commercial system. Or maybe you have a 50 litre tank and figure a full CO2 system would be overkill.

For any of these reasons, a DIY CO2 setup would be worthwhile. It costs very little, can be set up in a single day, and only requires a few minutes of maintenance every few weeks. And the difference to your aquatic plants can be dramatic.

So How Does It Work?

A yeast culture is started in warm sugar-water inside a closed bottle with tubing leading into the aquarium. As the yeast begins to reproduce and metabolize, it uses the sugar for energy and begins to produce CO2 as a byproduct. The CO2 builds up a slight pressure inside the bottle and then exits through the tubing into the aquarium. Various diffusers and reactors can be used to disperse the CO2 throughout the tank. The yeast culture continues to produce CO2 until all the sugar is used or until the alcohol level in the bottle reaches toxic levels.

How Do I Set Up a System?

You will need a 2L Fizzy bottle or plastic container with a screw cap which fits tightly, some standard airline tubing, and silicone glue from the hardware store.

Drill or punch a hole into the bottle cap to the approximate size of the airline tubing.I find that if you make the hole slightly smaller than the tube,it creates a tight fit and silicone is not required. Insert the tubing so that it extends 2 to 3 cm into the bottle cap. Glue the tubing to the cap on both inside and outside. Allow to dry overnight. At some point on the tubing, insert a check valve so that gas can exit the bottle but not return. This will prevent any siphoning from the tank into the bottle.

RECIPE: Using a funnel or rolled up paper, 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.

This setup will serve an aquarium in the 30-150litre range.

To disperse the bubbles, you can do any of the following:

- place the tubing into or under the intake to the canister, powerhead or power filter, allowing the filter impeller to disperse the bubbles. Caution - do not place the tubing in any high flow area which might create a vacuum in the tubing and collapse the culture bottle or siphon the culture into the tank!

- place an airstone on the end of the tubing and anchor in the aquarium.

Yeast mix usually will last for two to three weeks and with the occasional swirl will continue to produce sufficient CO2 bubbles for lush growth of plants.

REMEMBER: you will need more than just CO2 to grow plants

Also required are LIGHT and NUTRIENTS

[Joe]

Someone should make a sticky on DIY CO2 and how to make it etc.

I use it and I've had really good results. I have tonnes of Windelov fern, which grows very well in my tank, but before I had the CO2, it grew extremely slowly and sometimes died off. I have recently given a whole lot away, plus I have a heap more going to a new home. I found my Xmas moss also grows very well with CO2, and my Crypt. balansae is almost always pearling.

I use one of those little pollen glass diffuser thingies too. The ladders are too big and bulky.

[phoenix44]

I'll write one up, I don't have much to do today! :lol:

I will post it in the aquatic plants section.

[Caryl]

and send it to me for the magazine

[phoenix44]

It's in the plant section now. Can you copy paste parts of it?

If not ill send it to you when im back home.