DIY CO2 finally done!

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Coryluv

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I set it up about 3 pm yesterday and when I got up at 7 am I had bubbles.

It still appears to be ramping up. Last hour I had 20 bubbles per minute in the counter and this hour I had 23 per minute. How many bubbles is considered good or normal? I get a lot of conflicting (at least to me) information in my reading.

I took a lot of instructions I found around the Web and made this my own. What you don't see is a second check valve just below the level of the bottom of the tank. You also don't see the air pump on a timer set to go on at night.

My basic recipe was 2 cups water, 1.5 cups sugar, 1/4 t baking soda and 1/4 t Red Star quick yeast (what the nearest grocery store had) dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water.

Thanks in advance for any input. I know there are a lot of ways to do this. No two instructions I found on the Web were exactly alike.
 

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For whatever reason I couldn't post two pics from the iPad to one post. Here is my eBay diffuser working.
 

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Thanks! 29 gallon. I actually use 25 gallons for all my calculations for water changes and for dosing the tank with anything including ferts because that's closer to the actual water volume after accounting for the decor, substrate, etc.
 
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Kudos for getting it thru the ceramic diffuser. When I was using DYI, I lacked the patience for using the diffuser. I simply piped it into the intake tube of one of the HOB filters. Yep, it gurgles but it does spread the CO2. Also, any tiny CO2 bubbles trapped in the sponge/media extends the contact time with the water leading to increase gas transfer. Plus, with a low back pressure system, there is less chance for pressure related leaking to occur.
One suggestion I will add is for another one way valve for the 2L bottle that does NOT have one. Reason being, if you change out one bottle per week, then you can stagger the bottles and hopefully achieve a consistent output. Having one check valve per bottle allows you to remove the bottle without depressurizing the system.
I ran a dual 2L bottle setup for 10 months and had great results with it. Plants that had slow growth really took off. Finally got tired of mixing the batches and was looking for more consistency (and for something I can increase or decrease as needed). In April I switched to a regulator and solenoid with a 24 oz paintball tank. I like it.
 
Good idea on the additional check valve. I had pondered that. I've seen it online both ways. Can't have too many check valves in my opinion.

I plan on staggering the bottles one per week. I also plan on mixing it in a spare bottle that i can remove one bottle and replace it immediately.

I also plan to get an extra diffuser and swap them out as needed. I understand that you can soak them in bleach water and clean them as needed. If it stops working on me, or gives other problems, I certainly can always plumb it into my filter intake.

I have a drop checker too, but I need to get RO/DI water to make my 4dKH solution.

Thanks for your thoughts and encouragement. It really helps. Congrats on getting your CO2 system.
 
I would use hydrogen peroxide over bleach, but that's just my preference.
I used to use the Fleischmans yeast in the flat packets then later bought the Red Star jar of yeast. For some reason I am thinking the potency of the yeast declined over time, however, it was kept in the fridge. Then again, I switched from 2L bottles to 1L bottles to save room in the tank cabinet. I halved the ingredients accordingly I guess I should not be surprised that the output was less. Plus I was transitioning to GLA dry ferts (although the API Leafzone + Seachem Flourish Comprehensive is a good combo) and battling nutrient deficiencies. I wanted the CO2 to become a constant (or close to it) like the lighting and let the ferts be a variable (the less variables the better).
 
I use root tabs for my root feeders and the leaf zone flourish combo for my water column ferts.

As to variables, I hear you. I see this as a combination of art and science. We learn here by reading/listening combined with doing.

As to diy co2, it is a grand experiment to be sure. Feels like grade school science class and that's still fun stuff IMHO.

H202 for cleaning is fine, too. I tend to bleach, rinse and then soak with Prime.

Funny thing is I have black sand and not a planting medium because I decided to do live plants at the last minute when tank planning. This was going to be plastic plants originally and the sand was already bought. If I failed I could always still go plastic.

It appears that I'm getting sucked deeper and deeper into planted. It seems to happen a lot around here.
 
You should be fine with the sand (plus root supplements). Yes, it tends to draw you in (towards a planted tank). The natural look is very appealing.
Two years ago my tank had play sand with a few pieces of slate with moss tied to it and a banana plant. Single T-8, no ferts. And I perused this site and wanted more. So much to learn from this site.
But that is not my first attempt at it. I used to have a 55 with a wet-dry filter. I built a canopy out of pine to house four 48" 39w T-8 or T10 bulbs with ballasts on separate timers in the cabinet below. I had a Dupla regulator and a 5# CO2 tank. DIY sub gravel heating system. I cannot remember the ferts I used. 2-3 mm gravel over a laterite base. Grew lots of plants and they got big. I would trim the Vals when they got longer than 4'. Tank ran fine for about 3 years. Based all of this from one book ("The Optimum Aquarium") and articles from Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. The Internet and forums like this did not exist at the time. It was 1989.
 
In '89 we were on local BBS and Compuserve. I was not doing fish at the time. I had small aquariums from '75 to '85 and you are so right about the more limited information. I'm sure my Innes Book is in the attic somewhere, lol.
 
The pump on the timer: is this set up after the second check valve to push finished product into the tank?
 
No the air pump on the timer is totally separate from the CO2 set up on the other end of the tank. It is a little Petsmart (TopFin) pump (10 gal rated) attached to an airline to airstone with a check valve to prevent siphoning of course. The timer is a cheapie I got in a two pack for $4.90 at Home Depot.

It is only part of my CO2 system in that it is used at night to rid the tank of excess and unneeded CO2 since you can't turn a DIY system off at night. It is insurance so I can sleep at night. It insures the fish won't stress for lack of O2. It is probably overkill, but it is a nice touch which many use in this kind of set up.
 
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One more note. I don't run the air pump all night. I turn it off two hours before lights on so there's some CO2 in the water when the plants start photo synthesizing at lights on.
 
I did not run an air pump to off-gass the CO2. I initially kept an eye on the pH for changes. The drop checker stayed green pretty much all of the time.
One plant that was really affected by the addition of CO2 was the broadleaf chain sword. For the first few months it was not growing but not dying either. I changed the lighting and there was some improvement. About a month after adding CO2 it sent runners everywhere and would have taken over the tank if left unchecked. I removed all of it and replanted 3-4 specimens and it would still produce a few runners per week and the leaves would reach the water'a surface. I finally gave most of it away and put the rest outside. It definitely benefited from the addition of CO2.
Looking forward to seeing updates on your tank in the upcoming months.
 
Ty Fresh2o! I just planted some Staurogyne repens and I'm looking forward to seeing how it does with the CO2.
 
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