Red Sea Turbo CO2

[Sesos]

Any opinions on this system?

 

[mr funktastic]

i have heard it is fairly effective. but it is only a DIY with a nice diffusor. u are better off to build your own system and spend the money ona nice diffuser. its like the hagen system but with a power reactor instead of the bubble ladder. how big of a tank were u planning on using this for?

 

[newfound77951]

I am not handy, so while building your own system might be cheaper, for $20 online it was a great deal for me. I did add a second bottle to the system since I have a 55 gallon. I think it works great, the refills really do seem to produce for 4+ weeks and always start producing CO2 almost immediately. The pump diffuses quite well but can be touchy about getting clogged/airlocked etc but I've always been able to get it going again.

 

[Sesos]

I was hoping to add it to my existing 46gal.

I'm in the same boat as newfound77951 and I also think that for $20 I'll give it a try.

 

[mr funktastic]

i always got confused by the DIY co2 and it never made sense to me but then someone brok it down and i made my own system for the cost of silicone. i felt dumb looking at my hagen system that i paid 25 dollars for. it is as simple as drilling a hole (heat up a star screwdriver and melt a hole if that is easier) and shoving in the air line tubing. throw some silicone on it to make the seal air tight and u are done. u can buy any diffusor u would like for or even just the diffusor from the red sea system for less then hook up as many bottles as u want. i kill myslef for spending the money on the hagen one but i completly understand your thinking. here is what u have to do(i used juice bottles not pop but it doesnt matter)

the T splitter(just a simple airline splitter u can buy at any aquarium store)

and mine just sit next to the tank. the line coming out of the T splitter goes into my diffuser. i still use the hagen ladder since i dont have another one. if u bought a diffuser u would just simply run your line into it. alot of people use a check valve(another simpler air peice) to prevent water going into the bottle if anything weird happend to casue the water to back up. hasnt happend to me yet.

so if u want to drop the 20 bucks its up to you but it is worth the 10 min max u will spend to make it. and it will cost u $0.50 for the T splitter. like 5 bucks for a bunch of air line and maybe 4 bucks for the silicone. so mayeb 10 dollars assuming u dont have any air line or silicone. then buy a diffuser of your choice or just run it into your filter intake. this way u will get alot higher levels of co2 for less money. i hope i have convinced u!!! if not then just go for it and but it untill u are ready to do the DIY system or pressurized.

 

[JustOneMore20]

What recipe do you use mr funktastic? I have some DIY bottles ready to go for one of my tanks, but didn't know how much to use of sugar and yeast and stuff...

I have one Red Sea Turbo on my 55g and plan on ordering another this weekend. I like the diffusor alot so far. My plants have had some growth since I added it, but it could be the plants and not the CO2..lol. I'm going to hook up both reactors to one diffusor and then use the second diffusor with DIY on a 38g.

 

[mr funktastic]

for a 2 gallon bottle i use:
2 cups of sugar
1/2 tbls of yeast (fleichmanns baking yeast)
lots of water lol
i mix the 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of boiling water. then once the sugar is completly dissolved in the water i add 2 cups of cold water. i pour that in to the bottle and add some tepid water to a little over half. i then put some luke warm water into a container(usually the measuring cup) and add the yeast. mix it up till it is mostly dissolved then add it to the bottle. fill the rest with tepid water. and away u go. usually with in 15 min it is going full steam. alot of people will add molassas or syrup to the mix but i dont. it works for atleast 3 weeks usually but i normally change it after 2 so my levels dont drop. there are a million different reciepies but this is the one that works for me. i got it from GlenC.

 

[JRagg]

Wow, you use a lot of yeast. I use 1/8 tsp in a 2L mix and it's running full steam within about 6 or 7 hours. The yeast will reproduce, so there isn't a huge advantage to using a lot.

But hey, if it works for you then it works for you. And I bought the Hagen as well. I've been kicking myself for it ever since. Waste of $30.

 

[daquanecron]

Co2 Mix

for a 2 gallon bottle i use:
2 cups of sugar
1/2 tbls of yeast (fleichmanns baking yeast)
lots of water lol
i mix the 2 cups of sugar with 2 cups of boiling water. then once the sugar is completly dissolved in the water i add 2 cups of cold water. i pour that in to the bottle and add some tepid water to a little over half. i then put some luke warm water into a container(usually the measuring cup) and add the yeast. mix it up till it is mostly dissolved then add it to the bottle. fill the rest with tepid water. and away u go. usually with in 15 min it is going full steam. alot of people will add molassas or syrup to the mix but i dont. it works for atleast 3 weeks usually but i normally change it after 2 so my levels dont drop. there are a million different reciepies but this is the one that works for me. i got it from GlenC.

brd