my temporary co2 setup

[Mr Burns]

i hooked up a temporary diy co2 system for the 10gal yesterday. it's a yeast/sugar generator with a diy reactor like the mini vortex (except it only cost $8 instead of $50.)

the reactor is comprised of a rio 50 water pump and a "reactor chamber." actually, it's just a wardly pH down bottle i cleaned off and cut up. there is a hole on the side at the top for the rio to pump water into, and the bottom of the chamber has a bunch of 3/16" holes in it. inside is a wad of open cell foam to help keep bubbles inside the chamber for longer. the holes in the bottom keep the foam from falling out, yet still out the (hopefully) co2 enriched water to get into the rest of the tank. there was an airline attachment that came with the rio, so the tubing from the co2 generator is plugged into that...

any comments or suggestions?

 

[TankGirl]

Very resourceful - I love it!

The only thing is that a clear bottle would be much easier (the rigid part of a gravel vac tube works great, since it has the fitting on the top already) so you can see how the bubbles are doing. The foam in the bottom really needs to be an open configuration or there will be too much back pressure and the bubbles won't flow freely - If you can see through it then it is probably a good open structure.

It's cool that you whipped this up - you already know how much $$ you saved

 

[Mr Burns]

funny...i was just thinking about what to use for a clear version. as for the foam, i can't see through it, but water flows through it pretty easily. should i change that?

i'll look around for a clear bottle and try to improve on the design.

anybody know what pump they use here? it certainly isn't a rio 50, looks much smaller...

 

[TankGirl]

I have used AC mini sponges cut to fit and they work pretty well as long as you rinse them out every other day at least.

 

[Robert H]

Its a Rio 50

 

[Mr Burns]

really??? it doesn't look like the rio 50 i have.... i would have guess a zoo medic mini pump or something like that, something smaller. the one big suction cup threw me off then, because my rio has four smaller ones.

i found a clear bottle that can be used for the next version of my reactor. it held steak seasoning (just dried spices, no liquid), so i'll rinse it out and let it soak overnight, then flush it with water for a while tomorrow. should something like an airstone be added to the top where the co2 tubing comes in? that way, many small bubbles with gets swirled around instead of one or two large ones... it looks like the mini vortex has one at the top. 50¢ for a penn plax airstone, i think i can handle that

any other ideas?

 

[malkore]

I can confirm it's a Rio 50. i have the 'full size' version which just has a larger clear tube...but the pumps remain the same.

 

[Mr Burns]

airstone? yay or nay?

 

[Guest]

Toss an air stone on. It will be the best buck you've spent in a while. I like the wood airstones myself. The Co2 seems to break down the stone ones quickly.

 

[Mr Burns]

malkore - could you describe what type of foam is used at the bottom of your reactor? from pictures i've seen, it looks like they used a nerf ball. i can't really tell what kind of foam is used in the mini vortex, but it looks like a fairly stiff foam...

 

[malkore]

it's like the foam filters for AquaClear HOB filters, just green instead of white. it's a little stiffer to start, but over time teh CO2 and water softens it up.

I removed the foam from my reactor a long time ago. It's not really needed, just keeps fish from swimming inside, or plants from growing up into the tube.

 

[Mr Burns]

ah, ok...that's what i needed to hear. i'll cut the bottom of the bottle off or drill plenty of holes in it. if the foam isn't needed, i won't add it. the air stone seems to make all the difference in this case, b/c right now on my set up, there are plenty of little bubbles that rush out the bottom and back up to the surface. then again, it could be that the bottle i'm using now is only about 3" long. the extra 1" may make a big difference with keeping the bubbles inside for longer.

 

[Guest]

Burns,

When you get a chance. Toss an air stone on. It probobly won't be a cure all for 100% saturation, but the tiny bubbles produced from the air stone will greatly better your chances of the O2 getting churned up. It sounds like right now your having much of the O2 bubbling to the surface. Are the bubbles headed for the surface this big ---> o Bigger???? LOL...If so, your loosing alot of valuable CO2. An airstone will make much smaller bubbles and easier to disolve into the tank.

 

[Mr Burns]

the co2 bubbles coming out of the bottom right now are actually smaller than the ones coming out when the foam was being used. right now, i'd guess them to be about --> o not very big at all, but there a several of them at any given time.

the airstone is a must. there are two ways i'm thinking about doing this next one, and if i botch it, oh well, there are other bottles of the same seasoning in the kitchen

the first would be to copy the mini vortex almost exactly, like i have already tried to do. co2 enters the chamber from the top and diffuses through an airstone. the rio50 will be mounted on the side, but i'm not sure where to place it, or if placement matters at all. the rio churns up the bubbles in the current and the water eventually find its way out the bottom. no foam here, just many holes drilled in the bottom of the bottle to allow water to pass through freely.

the second would be to have the co2 enter from the bottom and mount the rio50 at the top, forcing water down against the rising bubbles. this would be similar to what is on chuck gadd's page, only down in scale and with no bio balls. heck, maybe some lego trees would serve that purpose...i might still have some downstairs! if i remember correctly, lego is made of either pvc or abs plastic, so it shouldn't be a problem. foam probably used here.

 

[Guest]

Lego trees Your starting to concern me Burns.

How about that salid shooter cylinder thats been up in the cabinet for years? Yeah...thats it!

 

[TankGirl]

The mini Vortex does not have an airstone, but might benefit from one - never tried it. Nothing at all could be hurt by doing so, and I would like to see your results. It comes with a sponge very similar in density to the AC Mini, like Malkore says.

I notice that the bubbles flow much more freely without the sponge and switched to one of those rolled nylon net pot scrubbers, since it has such a coarse weave. It seems like there needs to be something there. I have seen Bioballs used for this.

Malkore - do you get the same CO2 concentrations without anything in the bottom of the diffuser?

 

[Mr Burns]

Lego trees Your starting to concern me Burns.

How about that salid shooter cylinder thats been up in the cabinet for years? Yeah...thats it!

now that you mention it..........

i just took out my current reactor and have the rio pump moving the water along the surface. when i turned the lights back on a few minutes ago, the false siamensis was darting around the top and popping it's head above the surface frequently. i have also been having a problem lately with a white/hazey film forming on the surface of the water if the rio isn't circulating the water...

 

[vega]

Hagen made surface skimmer which do a very good job in disolving the hazzy film.

 

[Mr Burns]

i'd like to know what is causing the film b/c i've never noticed anything like it in the 8 years my 29gal has been set up...

 

[vega]

food, dust, dead fish/shrimp's protein etc..