DIY CO2

[black hills tj]

Okay everyone...really debating CO2 right now. Producing the CO2 and building the DIY CO2 kit is the easy part. Now I need to figure out a way to diffuse it. I don't have a canister filter so some inline reactor is not an option. Could I just run an airline from the CO2 bottles to an airstone that would be right at the outlet of my powerhead(maxijet 400)? Would this be a sufficient way of diffusing the gas throughout the tank without wasting too much?

 

[neilanh]

Actually you could run it to the input of your PH. This blows bubbles accross the tank, known as the misting method.

 

[black hills tj]

Actually you could run it to the input of your PH. This blows bubbles accross the tank, known as the misting method.

The powerhead actually powers my UGF. Now...my AC 70 does get here in the mail today, but I think I will just leave the UGF running for the time being instead of tearing my substrate out to remove the UGF. Would it work fine right now if I ran the co2 to an airstone right at the outlet of my pwrhead though?

 

[Purrbox]

Actually the Inline CO2 Reactor is still an option. You would just need to power it with a small waterpump or powerhead. I used an Inline CO2 Reactor on all three of my tanks very successfully using a waterpump.

 

[black hills tj]

do you have an example of a setup with a water pump and inline reactor that I could see or could you link me to directions for how to set one up at all?

 

[Purrbox]

Basically you would have your water pump in the aquarium. Run a hose of the appropriate diameter (helps if both the waterpump and Inline CO2 Reactor need the same size, but reducing connectors can be used if not) from the waterpump out of the tank and to the top of the Inline CO2 Reactor. Run a second line of hose from the bottom of the Inline CO2 Reactor back up and into the tank. You can attach this to a spraybar, nozzle, or just leave the bare hose for the water return. The CO2 is plumbed into a small connector on the side of the Inline CO2 Reactor towards the top to maximize contact time.

These Instructions are the ones that I based my Inline CO2 Reactors (pictured towards the bottom) off of.

 

[black hills tj]

Which water pump would you suggest I use if I go with an inline reactor? Keep in mind I'm on a small budget here.

on another note, my powerhead runs my UGF(secondary filtration at this point in time as I just setup the AC 70 that came in the mail today). Neilanh suggested I run the CO2 to the intake of the powerhead. The powerhead's intake is inside a tube that runs down beneath the UGF plate. Would it be possible to simply drill a small hole in the tube(just big enough for some air tubing) and glue the air tubing from the CO2 source to the tube so that the CO2 is sucked into the intake of the powerhead and misted into the tank?

 

[Purrbox]

I used the ViaAqua 180 on a 2.5, 5.5, 10 gallon aquarium. It was probably right on the edge of being enough flow on the 10 gallon. I'd probably use the next size up for a 20 gallon. So really the size of your tank would be the deciding factor on which waterpump you'd want to use.

 

[black hills tj]

Do you think this would work alright?

http://pet-king.stores.yahoo.net/6903718745.html

What kind of tubing would I need to pickup at a lowe's or something?

How affective is the mist method compared to an inline reactor?

 

[Purrbox]

What size tank are you going to be using it on? If it's a 20 gallon then I would guess that it would be perfect.

You can just pick up the vinyl tubing (black or clear) at Lowe's or another hardware store. The 1/2" will work with that pump, so as long as you use 1/2" fittings on your Inline CO2 Reactor you wouldn't need and adaptors.

The mist method when done properly is more effective than an Inline Reactor, but has the drawback of tons of tiny bubbles floating around your tank. Either should be more than sufficient for most aquariums.

 

[black hills tj]

I am thinking of running the CO2 on my dad's 29g tank. I plan on dosing this tank with ferts as well.

I wanted to just leave my 20g alone, however it is right next to a sliding glass door, so I may go with CO2 but no ferts. The 20g has a T8 light on it, but I don't know the wattage of the lamp.

Will the mist method work fine on the 29g? I don't have a powerhead in the 20g as the AC 50 I'm running on it seems to provide good water flow throughout the tank. If I decide on running CO2 on the 20g it looks like I'll be running a water pump and an inline reactor.

So...it looks like I'll be using CO2 via mist method with ferts on the 29g, and I will run CO2 via water pump/inline reactor on the 20g. How does this sound to you guys?

 

[Purrbox]

That will also give you a chance to try both methods and decide which one you prefer. Keep an eye on your nutrients after adding the CO2 as you'll probably find that your plants go through them faster. If they start to bottom out (approach 0) then you'll need to start dosing.

 

[black hills tj]

When you say keep an eye on your nurtrients I am assuming you really mean "Go get yourself some more test kits, kid." Is that right or will I be able to see physical signs of nutrient deficincies?

 

[Purrbox]

If you don't have test kits for Phosphate and Nitrates, you might want to consider picking them up but it's not 100% necessary. Without them you'll have to rely on plant health and algae to tell you if you need to adjust dosing.

 

[black hills tj]

I do have a nitrate test kit(from API master kit). I do have a KH and GH test kit on the way since I am looking into adding a pair of GBR's to my 20g tank. Do you think a phosphate kit is necesary or would I be able to get by without it? I could not find the KH and GH test kit(API) locally so it's in the mail right now. If you think I can get by without the phosphate kit then I'll skip out on that. I've read about pressurized systems and bubble counters. Is a bubble counter necesary? I plan on setting up 3 2-litre bottles for my 29g tank and swicthing one out every week(alternating them of course).

Would each of these work for both my 29g and 20g tanks? 105gph, 2.5 feet max

http://cgi.ebay.com/2x105GPH-Submer...QQihZ001QQcategoryZ134662QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



The only thing I'm worried about with using the reactors is adding more equipment inside my tanks. My dad's tank has 3 tubes coming up from the UGF, a powerhead, a heater, and the intake tube from the AC 70l My tank has the intake for the AC 50, the heater, and it will have a sponge filter that will be used for a qt tank when needed.

I can pickup 2 105gph pwr heads for 20 bucks shipped and make 2 reactors and add 2 huge blocky pumps to the tanks.

OR

I can get a maxijet 400 for my 20g tank and feed the co2 to the intake, and drill a hole in the uptake tube for the UGF which is powered by a maxijet 400 on the 29g tank.

I know its personal preference and I think i'd rather go with the mist method in this case. Your opinions?

Are there any water pumps out there that can be placed outside of the tank and just run some tubing to the tank???

 

[Purrbox]

You don't have to have a Phosphate kit, but they can be helpful. If you do get one, I'd recommend the SeaChem Phosphate kit as it's easy to read, supposed to be nearly as accurate as the LaMotte kit, and comes with its own reference solution for calibration. Make sure to calibrate any kit that you base your dosing on, that way you can compensate for any error in the test results.

Bubble counters are nice to have since they allow you to check the amount of CO2 being injected with just a glance, but they aren't required. For DIY CO2 it is a good idea to have a gas separation bottle, which can double as a bubble counter. These will capture any junk that gets out of the CO2 generation bottles instead of letting it get into the tank.

Both sound like viable options, though I suspect those waterpumps you linked to won't have enough power for your application. I'd wait for someone who's more familiar with the amount of flow needed for larger tanks to chime in though.

There are water pumps that can be placed outside of the tank, but unfortunately they tend to be more expensive.

 

[black hills tj]

Hmm...for the sake of a tight budget I'll pass on the phosphate kit for now. I may setup a separation bottle(need to do some searching here first. I know I saw one of your links had instructions for one. At this time, I think I'm going to run CO2 via mist method on my 29g tank since I will be dosing it, and leave the 20g tank alone for the time being. If the 20g tank develops too much algae, I will setup CO2 for it as well.


Thanks for all the help Joy. I don't think I can thank you enough. Of course I will have pics as things progress.

Mike

 

[rkilling1]

Just a couple of thoughts:

I would get a drop checker to understand what is going on with the CO2 when you get it going.

If you aren't going to get a PO4 kit, I suggest you dose PO4's to ensure you have some in the tank. If you are not purchasing all the ferts online, then just pick up some "fleet enema" from the drug store and dose that.

 

[black hills tj]

Just a couple of thoughts:

I would get a drop checker to understand what is going on with the CO2 when you get it going.

If you aren't going to get a PO4 kit, I suggest you dose PO4's to ensure you have some in the tank. If you are not purchasing all the ferts online, then just pick up some "fleet enema" from the drug store and dose that.

I am starting a dosing schedule that includes KNO3, K2SO4, KH2PO4, Plantex CSM+B on Sunday.

 

[black hills tj]

purchased all the equipment today: 3 2 liter bottles of soda(lots of drinking to do now), 25 feet of air tubing, yeast, t connectors, one way air valve


As soon as I drink all the soda I will set everything up