"CO2 Proof" airline?

[jratuszn]

Does CO2 actually bleed through normal airline tubing enough no necessitate the use of "CO2 proof" lines?

If so, couldn't you make a super-simple and efficient reactor simply by plugging the end of a length of normal tubing, coiling up a sufficient length, connecting it to your CO2 supply (would have to be pressurized) and just submerging it in your tank? If the CO2 does leak through the tubing, it would be a really cheap way of making your own membrane diffuser.

Would this actually work?

-J

 

[justDIY]

it wouldn't work ... the CO2 that was doing to diffuse from the line would do so first outside the tank, where there is less pressure.

for super cheap, bubbling your co2 outlet into a canister or power filter / head is the only way to go.

 

[Guest]

It depends on what kind of "normal" airline tubing you are talking about. Vinyl tubing will lose about 50% of the CO2 in a pressurized situation. Silicone tubing will lose about 20%. I use polyurethane tubing and it will lose about 5%.