diy co2 question

[Irish.OG87]

I've added two 2l bottle generators to my 36g tank. I see bubbles in the gas separator but none in my tank. i checked all the airline tubing for leaks and its all fine. I think im having pressure issues, by adding another generator fix this?

 

[Karay]

How long has it been set up? I found mine took about a day to build up pressure

 

[Irish.OG87]

About 3 days..im gonna add another 2l hopefully that will creat enough pressure for the co2 to get into my tank.

 

[Karay]

You've double checked your recipe then?

 

[Irish.OG87]

I was using 2cups of sugar and 1/2tsp yeast.on the 3rd bottle I added 4cups sugar and 1tsp yeast

 

[Donkey Gun]

I know this doesn't help your current situation but i find a 1/4 tsp of yeast per 2 cups of sugar lasts much longer.

 

[aqua_chem]

How did you check for leaks?

 

[Irish.OG87]

When I press on the gas seperator co2 enters the tank...it has to be pressure issue.

 

[aqua_chem]

Try spraying slightly soapy water on the outside of the tubing near your connections and look for bubbles. This is the usual method to test for bubbles. I use windex to test my lines. Of course, you should be careful not to put any where it could get into the tank, and avoid getting any in the tank while you're spraying.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Not regarding leaks, you should add sodium bicarbonate to the recipe.

Regarding your specific issue, what type of diffuser are you using? How large is the gas separator / bubble counter? You might have excessive space for the co2 to displace before you get enough working pressure (taking into consideration the length of the tubing as well), depending on diffusion method.

Or... You just have leaks Did you use some silicone and tape up any connection points?

 

[Irish.OG87]

I checked the airline with soapy water..all was good. I use a 250ml bottle half filled with water

 

[Irish.OG87]

Think about it now..smaller bottle might work.

 

[aqua_chem]

So you could see bubbles in your drop counter but didn't have any bubbles forming in the soapy water? That's pretty conclusive against leaks in my opinion. My next question would have been your diffuser choice that Brain already brought up.

 

[Karay]

Do you have a check valve between the separator and the tank?

 

[Irish.OG87]

I have check valve on every generator and a check valve between the seperstor and tank..so yes. Do you think the check valve might be limiting pressure?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Diffuser method?

 

[Karay]

I have check valve on every generator and a check valve between the seperstor and tank..so yes. Do you think the check valve might be limiting pressure?

I removed the check between the separator and the tank and that solved the problem for me. Obviously you have CO2 going through the separator but not to the diffuser. Also water bottles have thin plastic. They are designed to hold pressure and can rupture. I would make the separator with a small glass jar like a small canning jar

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I feel hesitant myself to use glass anything in DIY CO2. Those plastic bottles are meant to withstand a good deal of pressure. However, as what I mentioned earlier, a gas separator/bubble counter that's too large would take A LOT of time to fill up with co2 to displace o2 for there to be enough working pressure. For this reason, you can use a small gatorade bottle for a DIY bubble counter OR do as what I did and use a Fluval bubble counter, which IMO, works great and is small and not expensive. You'll at least be able to eliminate that part of the DIY system as a potential source of a leak. I wouldn't remove a check valve, unless you want to come home one day and find that your tank water has siphoned out. I use a check valve between the bubble counter and the diffuser without problems. You just have to make sure that you placed the check valve on the line oriented correctly, as co2 will only pass in one direction in the CV. My CV has a little arrow showing the direction in which gas will flow through.

Anyway... here's my DIY setup.. works like a charm on my 12g and it's been going strong for about a year.

 

[Karay]

I feel hesitant myself to use glass anything in DIY CO2. Those plastic bottles are meant to withstand a good deal of pressure. However, as what I mentioned earlier, a gas separator/bubble counter that's too large would take A LOT of time to fill up with co2 to displace o2 for there to be enough working pressure. For this reason, you can use a small gatorade bottle for a DIY bubble counter OR do as what I did and use a Fluval bubble counter, which IMO, works great and is small and not expensive. You'll at least be able to eliminate that part of the DIY system as a potential source of a leak. I wouldn't remove a check valve, unless you want to come home one day and find that your tank water has siphoned out. I use a check valve between the bubble counter and the diffuser without problems. You just have to make sure that you placed the check valve on the line oriented correctly, as co2 will only pass in one direction in the CV. My CV has a little arrow showing the direction in which gas will flow through.

Anyway... here's my DIY setup.. works like a charm on my 12g and it's been going strong for about a year.

So essentially you don't have a gas separator then? Also if your system is sealed the possibility of tank water siphoning on to your floor is basically nil in my opinion. Other thing is the types of plastics used. Gatorade bottles are comparably different than water bottles. Water bottle are significantly thinner than the Gatorade bottles. I would agree that Gatorade bottles would be a good option for a gas separator.

 

[Karay]

I checked the airline with soapy water..all was good. I use a 250ml bottle half filled with water

Sorry I read this wrong and though he was using a water bottle as a separator. It doesn't state the type of bottle. I just assumed.