Peer review needed

[shawmutt]

I finally got around to making the website of my construction of my DIY CO2, and would appreciate your thoughts on the site.

Thanks in advance!

http://members.myactv.net/~shawmutt/diy_co2.html

 

[nyghtone]

Nicely put together page, I now know how them weird looking things work, but I'll be sticking to bottles and guages, haha.

THanks for sharing that, Joshua...

 

[krap101]

yeah thats the best c02 site ive seen . anyway what did you use as the bubble ladder?

 

[TankGirl]

Great page- I love the way you test your seal - that is a great tip!

Danny, it looks to me like a Hagen ladder from their kit, the ladder being the most valuable part of their setup.

 

[dud]

I Really like the 'sealant proof' part where you put the bottle in water to test leakage.

 

[Sara]

Looks great, shawmutt. I actually think I could put one of those systems together with that page.

 

[Guest]

under "The Mixture" section, I found a mistake

"Add 2 tablespoons of yeast and 2 tablespoons of baking powder"

you really wanna change "powder" to "Soda" You know there's a big difference between the two.

Also, you use that much yeast and baking soda? I only use 1 Teaspoon of each. 2 tablespoons sounds like a lot, don't you have to change your mix very frequently that way?

Otherwise, looks really good, shawmutt! your pics are nice, and the descriptions easy to follow.

 

[TankGirl]

I did not notice 2tbsp. but that was the topic of discussion a while back.

To the best of my knowledge, a relatively small amount of yeast is required since it multiplies in the presence of the sugar, and the limiting factor is going to be the amount of sugar present, and the amount of alcohol produced (thus the baking soda). A larger amount of yeast will mean it will blast through the sugar faster. I only use about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp yeast and 2 cups of sugar, and the baking soda helps the mixture last for 3-4 weeks.

 

[Todd2]

Very detailed shawmutt. Looks awesome!

 

[greenfish]

Nice page and I agree that the leak test is a great tip. Have you thought about adding a gas separator to it? I hear it can really help prevent clogs.

 

[TankGirl]

I wish I had one on my DIY - I get a lot of white fluffy goo inside my diffuser.

 

[greenfish]

I wish I had one on my DIY - I get a lot of white fluffy goo inside my diffuser.

There isn't much to one. You just need to add another smaller bottle. You can see one at: http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

 

[shawmutt]

Thanks for the tips, I made the correction to the baking soda there.

About the amount, it's two teaspoons, not tablespoons--doh! That also is corrected. I just always used 2-2-2-2 (water, sugar, yeast, and baking powder) because it's easier to remember and tell people. If I was only changing one bottle once a month, I'd worry more about putting too much yeast in there, but each bottle gets changed every two weeks. Hypothetically, I could change one once a month--making the amount of yeast a more important issue--but again it's easier for me to remember to change a bottle at each water change.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[shawmutt]

Have you thought about adding a gas separator to it?

I will look into it--it looks like a relatively easy thing. Thanks!

 

[TankGirl]

When I first set up a DIY system my instructions included a gas separator, but I skipped it, and now I'm fixin' to get pressurized so I'll probably never do it. The goo is not exactly a major problem, I just have to snag it out occasionally.

 

[odysseysteve]

Peer Review - DIY CO2

Excellent job on the instructions! Most times when I view DIY pages there are always a few steps that are not complete or the supplies list comes up short - but yours is spot-on! Thank you for the info! I am now more likely to add more light and of course, the CO2!