DIY Co2?

[blazeyreef]

I have been reading everyone about this, and trying to figure out HOW to do it..I have been looking on google and still cant figure it out...so could someone please explain it to me

 

[mr funktastic]

very simple. get a 2 litre bottle. drill a hole in the cap the size of the co2 tubing. push it in about 1/2" then silicone it air tight. run that line into your tank into any kind of diffuser u want. most people run it into the intake of the filter. thats it. besides the mixture which is like this...

1. mix 2 cups of sugar into some water and add it to the bottle.
2. mix 1/4 to 1/2 tbs of yeast in some water to get it going then add it to the bottle.
3. fill the rest of the bottle with water to the beginning of the neck.

and your done lol. get it?

 

[Purrbox]

Here's a really detailed article with some great pics. Should help to clarify things.

 

[rkilling1]

As far as the cap is concerned, I have always just drilled the hole smaller then the air tubing and then sliced the air tubing at an angle and pulled it thru the hole with pliers. Purfect seal everytime. no need for sealent or bulkheads.

From: http://www.rexgrigg.com/co2.htm

HTH

 

[mr funktastic]

yes i do drill mine a size smaller but after a while the tubing shrinks a bit and the seal isnt quite as good. thats why i out abit of silicone around it. just an extra percausion.

 

[rkilling1]

yes i do drill mine a size smaller but after a while the tubing shrinks a bit and the seal isnt quite as good. thats why i out abit of silicone around it. just an extra percausion.

good point, seems that new a piece a tubing would also would also be just as good. sorry, back on topic.

 

[fish_4_all]

I use something a little different that I have found makes a seal so tight it is hard to remove. If you can find those little adjustable flow rate blue connectors in your LFS, they have a small piece that you can remove. Once removed, and with a little force, you can put the small piece in the end of tubing after inserting through the hole and push the connector through the hole. Hvae never had a leak by doing this. You can also use a T connector or anything else that is about the same size and it works jst as well.

As for the mixture, wine yeast seems to be the best from what I have read and I plant to switch to it soon.

 

[blazeyreef]

ok thanks!...how do I get the stuff into the tank....? cause I dont think the bottle is gona push the stuff out its self! HEHEHE thanks for the INFO!!!

 

[rkilling1]

ok thanks!...how do I get the stuff into the tank....? cause I dont think the bottle is gona push the stuff out its self! HEHEHE thanks for the INFO!!!

? what do you mean? the bottle DOES push the stuff out itself.

the yeast eats the sugar and produces CO2 (fermentation) and when enough pressure builds up, it goes into your tank.

The link that Purrbox listed explains a lot.

 

[mr funktastic]

lol i guess without actually seeing it in action it is hard to explain. it is so simple that it seems hard. since the tubing is sealed in the cap there is only one place for the gas to go... through the tubing. it will continue through the tubing untill it can get out which i what u want to happen. the end of the tubing in your water goes into your siffuser. it can be a powered one like the redsea kit or as simple as the hagen bubble ladder. or like i do just put it into the intake of your filter. this way the filter sucks the bubble up and the impellar breaks it up and it goes into the water. thats it. so unless the tubing is blocked and the co2 cant escape that way(which will casue it to explode, watch out for that lol) all u have to do is make your mixture and watch the bubbls flow. u can see the gas moving down the line in the water after u do the mix. if u shake the bottle it will move faster(since u are casue the mixture to kinda go into overdrive)

 

[blazeyreef]

oh WOW! that explaned a lot.... thanks mr tunktastic and rkilling1 for the link and everyone for all the help! that seems simple enough, thats soo awesome! thanks a ton!

 

[JustOneMore20]

You do need something to get the CO2 bubbles into the tank. You can use an airstone that makes really fine bubbles, like Limewood airstones. I use one in my 29g and it works well I think. If you have a HOB you could shove the airline into the intake, but sometimes it makes alot of noise when the bubbles get chopped up. Another option is to use a powerhead to chop up the bubbles...I'm going to try this in my 55g soon.

If you search for DIY CO2 on this site, you'll find lots of threads about it. There are atleast 2 threads that i know of that are about diffusing CO2 into the tank.

 

[blazeyreef]

I do have a HOB...but what is the intake?

 

[mr funktastic]

the tube that goes into the water. put the co2 line into that(u will have to cut a little part of the guard on the end of it) and then the bubble will get sucked up with all the water and the impellar will chop it up and it will desperse into the water. i run mine into my powerhead the same way. this way u get all the bubbles shoting around the tank as where with the filter u dont. here is a pic of my set up to help u. i use 2 2litre bottles. they are juice bottle. i find it easier to drill the hold with the larger cap. they are connected by a T splittle then the 1 line goes into my tank. very simple.

 

[blazeyreef]

oh wow! ok... I will do this! I will get the supplies (hopefully) tommorow ( like manely the selant and yeast! thanks a ton! I will post pics when I get it set up!

 

[mr funktastic]

cool. looking foreward to it.