Diy co2 maker help!

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...joey...

...joey...

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 28, 2011
Messages
259
So I'm going to make the DIY co2 thingy lol I need to know if I need to change the yeast and sugar mixture in the bottle and how often also any other information will help. Thanks!
 
My tip is make sure you change the yeast mixture as soon as you notice it run out! I had one of my co2 set up run out and it created suction and started suckin water out of my tank.
 
simple fix for that is to place a check valve between the bottle and the tank no more worries about it creating a siphon.
 
Evilgrin said:
simple fix for that is to place a check valve between the bottle and the tank no more worries about it creating a siphon.
Click to expand...

Hehehe dang I can not believe I never did that! I feel so frekking dumb -_-
 
It's done and bubbling away nicely il upload pics in two secs!
 
I would be careful with glass pressure is generated in there and if the glass isn't strong enough could make a nasty little shrapnel bomb.
 
BlaseMrNiceguy said:
I would be careful with glass pressure is generated in there and if the glass isn't strong enough could make a nasty little shrapnel bomb.
Click to expand...

It's a brewing glass it was born for this **** lol!
 
Yeah i agree with Blase... You should use a strong plastic bottle. Glass is dangerous. Also, you should either make a DIY bubble counter or buy one. Not only can you check the bubble rate, but the water in the counter acts as a filter/buffer to prevent any yeast seepage from getting in your tank--basically, it separates the gas. Lastly, did you install a check valve in the line?

Here's my DIY setup. I decided to go with a 1 liter bottle because the tank is a nano anyway. I get about 2 weeks oh reaction before i need to reload it with yeast/sugar.




ForumRunner_20121005_113523.jpg
 
Brian_Nano12g said:
Yeah i agree with Blase... You should use a strong plastic bottle. Glass is dangerous. Also, you should either make a DIY bubble counter or buy one. Not only can you check the bubble rate, but the water in the counter acts as a filter/buffer to prevent any yeast seepage from getting in your tank--basically, it separates the gas. Lastly, did you install a check valve in the line?

Here's my DIY setup. I decided to go with a 1 liter bottle because the tank is a nano anyway. I get about 2 weeks oh reaction before i need to reload it with yeast/sugar.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've got check valve on it and I'm going to add the bubble counter on Monday. The shop told me the glass will be fine maybe il try and find a nice big plastic bottle and add that Monday aswell thanks for the advice one more thing I want to know is what have you got on the end going into your tank to disperse the co2???
 
Brian_Nano12g said:
I'm using a Fluval Ceramic Diffuser. It works pretty well.. only thing though, is that it takes almost a full day for the gas to accumulate enough pressure to push through the ceramic disk and displace water - I suppose it's because the pores are really fine.

This one...
Amazon.com: Fluval Ceramic 88g-CO2 Diffuser - 3.1 Ounces: Pet Supplies

Oh and this is the bubble counter I'm using:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-88g-CO2-Bubble-Counter-Ounces/dp/B004GCPM6K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1349470927&sr=8-3&keywords=fluval+co2+diffuser
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm using that ceramic thing same as you well different brand and all but still same sort of thing and my problem allready is that it doesn't seem to let the co2 through it quick enough and the co2 is coming from the tube going into it! I've had a little tinker with it so il leave it half hour to build up pressure again and see how it goes this time. Thanks for all the help and I'm going to deffinately get the bubble counter Monday :).
 
Brian_Nano12g said:
I'm using a Fluval Ceramic Diffuser. It works pretty well.. only thing though, is that it takes almost a full day for the gas to accumulate enough pressure to push through the ceramic disk and displace water - I suppose it's because the pores are really fine.

This one...
Amazon.com: Fluval Ceramic 88g-CO2 Diffuser - 3.1 Ounces: Pet Supplies

Oh and this is the bubble counter I'm using:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-88g-CO2-Bubble-Counter-Ounces/dp/B004GCPM6K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1349470927&sr=8-3&keywords=fluval+co2+diffuser
Click to expand...

I've just seen a video on YouTube some guys rigged a co2 fire extinguisher to his fish tank and my ceramic diffuser has a built in bubble counter its 2in1 apparently it's like a glass cone before the ceramic plate half filled with water and you can see the bubbles pumping out :)
 
I think your diffuser might work well in a pressurized system, but unless you have a way to empty the water that gets inside that diffuser / bubble counter combo you have, you might have some yeast seepage in there. I'm not sure since I never used the one you have. I prefer to have a separate bubble counter (as the one I pictured above) to allow me to swap out the water (which get's some yeast in it). You can give yours a shot and see if it works out for you.
 
Brian_Nano12g said:
I think your diffuser might work well in a pressurized system, but unless you have a way to empty the water that gets inside that diffuser / bubble counter combo you have, you might have some yeast seepage in there. I'm not sure since I never used the one you have. I prefer to have a separate bubble counter (as the one I pictured above) to allow me to swap out the water (which get's some yeast in it). You can give yours a shot and see if it works out for you.
Click to expand...

Can a tank have too much co2 in it???
 
Yes, co2 levels above 70 ppm or so start causing issues with fish, and lower levels that that will cause issues with invertebrates. This is why we recommend you adjust co2 slowly (not really an possibility with DIY) and have a drop checker as a visual way to confirm co2 levels.


On the subject of the glass brewers jug. I would agree that it is less than optimal, but there is more to consider. First, can pressure build up? This depends largely on the diffusion method, with ceramic type diffusers being much more prone to creating line pressure when they get clogged than reactors or any open-ended diffusion method such as via powerhead. If you're using a canister filter, I suggest looking at an inline reactor as it will help you get the absolute most out of your generated co2. Second, where is the most likely fail point. Assuming all new equipment, I would certainly hope that the tubing going into the check valve would pop off before that thick glass breaks. That being said, after a few months of co2 exposure, the lines will probably start getting a little bit harder, and might not be as prone to fail (oddly a bad thing in this case). Third, what's the damage if it does go? Is it in a basement or similar location where the damage will be minimal, or is it in a family room where the shrapnel could seriously hurt someone?

Just some things to consider.
 
aqua_chem said:
Yes, co2 levels above 70 ppm or so start causing issues with fish, and lower levels that that will cause issues with invertebrates. This is why we recommend you adjust co2 slowly (not really an possibility with DIY) and have a drop checker as a visual way to confirm co2 levels.

On the subject of the glass brewers jug. I would agree that it is less than optimal, but there is more to consider. First, can pressure build up? This depends largely on the diffusion method, with ceramic type diffusers being much more prone to creating line pressure when they get clogged than reactors or any open-ended diffusion method such as via powerhead. If you're using a canister filter, I suggest looking at an inline reactor as it will help you get the absolute most out of your generated co2. Second, where is the most likely fail point. Assuming all new equipment, I would certainly hope that the tubing going into the check valve would pop off before that thick glass breaks. That being said, after a few months of co2 exposure, the lines will probably start getting a little bit harder, and might not be as prone to fail (oddly a bad thing in this case). Third, what's the damage if it does go? Is it in a basement or similar location where the damage will be minimal, or is it in a family room where the shrapnel could seriously hurt someone?

Just some things to consider.
Click to expand...

Well last night the bung in the top of the bottle popped out I've put it back in and fastend it with tape and I agree as the pressure builds up it is more likely to rupture a seal than the thick glass and saying that the diffuser is really thin glass cone with the ceramic plate at the top so before the bottle I would of thought it went seals then the thin glass cone and my tank is in a fish room with nothing but tanks and a washing machine lol. Also it's under the tank in the cabinet and I've put a lock on the door so if I'd does go bang it should be secluded :) thank you for your comment just one more thing how do I measure the co2 in my tank???
 
Best way would be to get a drop checker. You can get them on ebay, plus the needed 4 dKH solution, for super cheap on ebay. Basically, the color of the solution changes based on the co2 levels, with blue being insufficient, green being a good level, and yellow being to high.
 
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