i have a couple questions about diy co2 - DIY Aquarium Projects

spstimie · 07-01-2009, 11:51 PM

the sticky threads don't look like they are very active anymore and i had a couple more...
1) does the bottle have to be plastic? I thought glass might look better.
2) what is the difference with/without baking soda?
3) I have a hang on filter so should I put the co2 into the intake or would it be better to get a diffuser?
these might have been covered in the sticky threads but I read till I had to sing in again and these were the only three questions I had. Thanks for any help.

Zapins · 07-02-2009, 12:27 AM

1) Don't use glass because if the tube gets clogged the pressure can build up enough that it explodes and shoots glass all over the place.

2) They say to add baking soda to keep the pH constant as the yeast converts the sugars. Its not really necessary.

3) I think it would be better to get a powerhead instead. If you put the CO2 into the intake of the hang on back filter you have it will just churn the bubbles out to the atmosphere. A powerhead or canister filter on the other hand mix the bubbles into the water.

Its no problem to re-post questions that have been asked before. Keep asking questions whenever you like.

Also, welcome to APC

spstimie · 07-02-2009, 01:07 AM

1) that was the only fear I had
2)kind of what i figured
3)I thought that may be an issue with the hob filter. I might just use limewood diffuser. Its a 3gal so its kind of small and it already has a lot of flow from the hob.

Is there a certain type of plastic I should use if I don't want to use a soda bottle? and do they make ridgid co2 tubing?

Thank you for the welcome and I'm glad to be here.

Zapins · 07-02-2009, 01:31 AM

Hmm... I suppose you can use any type of plastic container that is bottle shaped and able to hold some pressure. Generally soda bottles are the cheapest option to go with. As for rigid CO2 tubing yes, you can find it on this page http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...ategory=FICOTU

I'm also not sure about using lime wood. If it has lime in it the CO2 will quickly dissolve it since CO2 + water = carbonic acid. Try using a piece of a bamboo chopstick. It won't dissolve, is cheap, and makes a great diffuser.

spstimie · 07-02-2009, 11:37 AM

I think I found everything at this point. Now I just need to go shopping. I thought you were pulling my leg about the bamboo chopstick till I tried it. Thx for the help.

Zapins · 07-04-2009, 04:33 AM

glad its all going to plan.

Hopefully one day you will switch to pressurized CO2. Ahhhh the joy...

surpera1 · 07-04-2009, 05:32 AM

2 liter coke bottles

melauriga · 07-09-2009, 03:34 AM

I've read that some people use big plastic juice bottles. The advantage they cited was that the wider base on the bottle made it sturdier and less likely to tip over. I think the advantage of soda bottles if that they are more designed to contain pressure build up.

Seattle_Aquarist · 07-09-2009, 07:49 AM

Hi spstimie,

When I first started out, I did DIY CO2. I like the 2 liter soda bottles because they were inexpensive, good volume, and didn't break if I dropped them. I actually did two bottles and fed them into one line with a "T" which I fed into the input of my HOB (Aquaclear) filter. That way bottle one was always in peak production when the other one was ending/starting. I still feed my CO2 into my filters for all my tanks, it is easy to do, inexpensive, and one less thing cluttering up my tank.