two more questions -- DIY CO2 diffuser, Tank top

[Evaunitone]

I'll kill two birds with one stone here so I'm not overposting. First, I'm wondering if its possible to make an effective and reliable CO2 diffuser diy? Second, I would like to get an acrylic or plexiglass cover for my aquarium. Any advice on that? Pros and cons? Where do I get one? etc? Thanks!!

 

[jsoong]

Yes on the DIY - several plans on the net & some here had built one.

Plexi cover - if you have a light on top (I assume you would for a planted tank), plexi is not a good choice. It will melt & sag with the heat from the light. Even if you use the expensive heat resistant acrylics (polycarborates), it will still yellow under the high heat. Glass is a much better choice under grow lights.

 

[mgamer20o0]

just go to a glass shop and have what you need cut. there so many ways to diffuse co2. some use power heads some use chop sticks other use what is it limewood air stone? others put it in the intake of the filter.

 

[partypalooza5]

I would go for the powerhead method, this way the CO2 gets dissolved with little waste. Better yet, a recirculating CO2 reactor that chops up the gas again if it didn't get dissolved the first time.

 

[timwag2001]

you can make the rex diy reactor How To Build A CO2 Reactor | Build a Regulator | Test Kit

and as far as a lid is concerned. if you can get away without one go for it. i find them to be a pain.

 

[joy13]

I found this Tiny super efficient CO2 reactor - DIY Aquarium Projects - Aquatic Plant Central The pictures of the mod isn't up any more but it is a very very simple mod to do.
Get a glass top easier to keep clean and the light penetrates much better.

 

[Evaunitone]

Ok so I'm ready to order my lights. I'm getting a 24 inch T5 HO light for my 20 gallon long. Yes I know, it'll be three inches too narrow on both sides but its an inexpensive setup and I can deal with "dark" corners. Now I just called Ace Hardware and they can easily cut my a piece of glass to fit the tank top...but they don't have tempered glass and if it were to break.....disaster. So, I'm not really sure what to do. Any advice? I'm having trouble finding other glass cutters in my city. I do have a regular wire mesh tank lid but its rusty and looks hideous.

 

[jsoong]

Glass lids are not usually tempered. <Also, you cannot get cut tempered glass, glass needed to be cut before tempering, usu. done in a factory.>

And tempered is not necessarily better for a top ... tempered glass shatters & make a big mess in your tank when broken. Regular glass usu. just crack into big pieces that you can easily fish out.

Also, you might want to check out a standard glass top since you have a standard size tank. It comes with hinges, the back plastic stripe, etc. and is usu. cheaper than a DIY top. This is what I have:
Aquarium Hoods & Canopies: All-Glass Versa-Tops
Only $20 for your size at DF&S, although I got it at my local PetSmart for a few bucks more.

 

[Evaunitone]

Wow, yeah definitely a better idea than a big piece of glass on top of the tank. Thanks!

 

[BigJim]

Versa-Tops are fantastic. You can cut the plastic strip to fit your equipment very tightly and it seals the tank pretty well. Cuts way down on evaporation. (My HOB filter does the gas exchange for me.)

 

[Evaunitone]

Ok so I got the versa top and put it on my tank and it looks great, however it instantly started to fog up and remains foggy now. I'm wondering if this will effect the lighting, having to shine through this foggy glass. Also, I expect that algae forming on the underside of the glass top will be a problem. Any experiences with that?

 

[timwag2001]

did you wash the versa top off first? mine had a residue on it when i got it that was foggy.

also when water evaporates it sometimes condenses on the glass.

and yes algae can be a problem. just clean the glass off regularly.

i dont like having tops on my tanks any more because i dont want to clean them

 

[jsoong]

If it is just water fogging up the glass, that is due to temperature difference. Once the glass warms up (with the lights on, it won't take long), the fogginess will be gone.

If it is a residue, just clean it with some vinegar & water. If you don't have the water level so high that the glass will get wet from splashing, etc, you won't have too much trouble with algae. You do get hard water deposits on the glass eventually. I need to clean that off every few weeks. After a year or so, the glass do get etched, so it looks faintly foggy. But the light pass through that pretty well.

 

[OhNo5000Bees!]

I found this Tiny super efficient CO2 reactor - DIY Aquarium Projects - Aquatic Plant Central The pictures of the mod isn't up any more but it is a very very simple mod to do.
Get a glass top easier to keep clean and the light penetrates much better.

Yeah, I did this mod and it is super easy. Cheap too, only about $15 for all the parts. Although it isn't 100% effciency it is a good mod to get things started.

Here is my setup: DIY CO2 Diffuser | Aquagarden

 

[Evaunitone]

My versa top cleared up, but its still full of water droplets. The water temp is 80F and the water level is probably an inch or so from the glass versa top. I have the water up really high because if I lower it the output from the filters is strong and makes huge pits in the sand. Once my plants fill in I can probably lower the water a little bit. I suppose I'll just have the wipe the glass off every few days.

 

[BigJim]

If you fill the tank all the way to the glass, it stays clear.