DIY co2 help

[Millerman]

So everyone knows the activated yeast way to add DIY co2 for planted aquariums. I want to set this up for my aquarium but I'm a little confused on what "diffusing" the co2 into the water means. Will just running it through an airstone work? I saw someone using a wooden airstone is this better? Can I bury the airstone under the substrate? Can I run the airline tubbing into the filter intake or will it not be diffused? How do others diffuse co2 into the water, suggestions would be appreciated. Sorry for so many questions I'm just a little confused


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[Brookster123]

Best way would be into the filter intake, diy simply will not keep enough pressure to push through an air stone continuously, it also creates a bit of goop that would clog it as well.

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[rhsoto94]

I run DIY co2 through a nano diffuser and I feel like it runs way better than though filter intake just my experience tho. A few hours after I let the mixture sit in you would think it's coming out of a tank.


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[Millerman]

Thanks for the suggestions, I heard somewhere that diffusing co2 through the filter wouldn't actually get it into the water and it would just escape I'm not sure if this is true. I also heard that the co2 was acidic and would wear down your filter quicker so maybe i shouldn't do it this way. Is the goo your talking about from the yeast?


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[Millerman]

I'm just going to run a low tech planted tank and I was considering just buying one of these mini co2 diffusers. They are only rated for like 20 gallons but will it provide more co2 then DIY? I have a 55 gallon also. Here is the link to one, sorry for all the questions and if I'm asking dumb repetitive things I'm just a noob trying to figure out how to cheaply diffuse co2 into my tank?

http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Mini-P...1-5671261?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FSPBMJPDX1KM6R4E386


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[rhsoto94]

In low tech your better off using metricide/excel as a carbon source instead of co2. In a low tech your plant demands are not high enough to really need it not to say it's a bad idea. Those mini diffusers aren't worth it even in a smaller tank because refills are pricy and don't last plus being a 55 it'd be close to useless.


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[mudraker]

In low tech your better off using metricide/excel as a carbon source instead of co2. In a low tech your plant demands are not high enough to really need it not to say it's a bad idea.

Its not the size of the tank that determines the need for Co2, its the needs of the types of plants that decides that. Excel and even metro can be quite expensive in the long run.

I have firsthand experience with Excel, the mini, DIY and currently have 2 Milwaukee c02 setups going. In my experience, the mini was junk and excel not potent enough to really get high light plants going.

IME DIY is the way to go until you can fork out enough cash for a real CO2 setup.

 

[wildroseofky]

I run my DIY CO2 through my filter. I have been doing it this way for over a year with no impeller problems. I tried every DIY diffuser idea I could find. For deeper tanks you need something to pull the CO2 down into the tank. You can buy a cheap small power head or internal filter like this http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Inte...58&sr=1-2&keywords=small+filters+for+aquarium You can find instructions on youtube on how to set it up. I did that but my powerhead was really big and I did not like the way it looked in the tank. It did produce a fine mist of CO2 though. The filter method was just easier and it works. Make sure you run the tubing so that it has to go through the impeller. This chops the bubble up and makes it absorb into the water easier. My plants grow fast this way.

I have seen some creative uses for the Fluval mini CO2 setups. One guy made a series of glass viles layed out like a pan flute and used the Fluval setup to fill it once a day. It then passively dissolved in the tank. If I can find the post again I will post a link to it. You can buy a regulator for cheap that works with paintball tanks on most sites. I am thinking of doing that. Solenoids are expensive though. That is why I have stuck with DIY

 

[evil Nick]

Didnt want to start a new thread

Thinking of doing the DIY CO but two questions

I have a whisper style filter. Can I still put the exaust of the CO in or near the filter intake for the impeller to work or is it moot and would just get lost in the cartridge and re entry?

second what do you guys do at night when you are not running it?
Do you valve it off or will it create enough pressure to blow the bottle? Can a bladder of some sort be valved in to capture the gas for reuse when the system is started again? I would hate to simply let the gas loose in the house instead of utilizing it and dont want to encourage algae by running it with the lights off.

thanks

 

[Brookster123]

Def want it getting chop chopped through the impellar, at night an airstone will off gas. Not recommended to try and restrict these type systems..

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[evil Nick]

So just let it run 24/7 then?

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[Brookster123]

Yep, an airstone at night is advised if the DC hits the lime green/yellow..

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[wildroseofky]

I have a Whisper 40 and have the CO2 going into the intake pipe at the top. I drilled a hole just big enough for the airline and then put a little bit of gel super glue around the hole. Has worked great for almost a year. There is a way to shut it off at night. I used to do that until it just got to be too big of a hassle. You add a three way splitter in the CO2 hose and attach a balloon other the third stem. Use a rubber band and make sure it is tight and use a thick balloon. Add a shut off valve in front of the three way splitter. At night turn the valve off and the gas collects in the balloon. In the morning open the valve and the gas leaves the balloon. I did this for a long time and it worked. I just got tired of turning it on and off. Leaving it on constantly hasn't caused a problem.
Just keep an eye on it when you first renew the mix. I have two filters with CO2 lines in the out take pipe on my 29 gallon.

 

[evil Nick]

I have a Whisper 40 and have the CO2 going into the intake pipe at the top. I drilled a hole just big enough for the airline and then put a little bit of gel super glue around the hole. Has worked great for almost a year. There is a way to shut it off at night. I used to do that until it just got to be too big of a hassle. You add a three way splitter in the CO2 hose and attach a balloon other the third stem. Use a rubber band and make sure it is tight and use a thick balloon. Add a shut off valve in front of the three way splitter. At night turn the valve off and the gas collects in the balloon. In the morning open the valve and the gas leaves the balloon. I did this for a long time and it worked. I just got tired of turning it on and off. Leaving it on constantly hasn't caused a problem.
Just keep an eye on it when you first renew the mix. I have two filters with CO2 lines in the out take pipe on my 29 gallon.

this was my idea as well, to use a balloon as a bladder. How much would your balloon inflate?

For now I order some excel, so Ill see how that alone works before I go into the DIY CO. Not that its hard to make but a hassel it seem to use.
May just get an old paintball tank from my buddy and buy the regulator, even a solenoid and timer if I have to.