[Jimbo205]

Found the checkvalve in the Local Fish Store. $2.00
From the otherwise very good directions, I thought I had to create that also. This should be easy now!

 

[harbisgirl]

Hello,

I'm new, forgive me if this is a ridiculous question

I have a sand substrate, would it work to stick the tube under the sand to diffuse the bubbles?

 

[John N.]

Hello,

I'm new, forgive me if this is a ridiculous question

I have a sand substrate, would it work to stick the tube under the sand to diffuse the bubbles?

Interesting idea, but probably no, since a large bubble will still come out of the sand and rush to the surface. The key for getting CO2 in your tank's water is to have the CO2 gas bubble in maximum contact with the water so that it can dissolve. For example, the hagen ladder does this very well. The bubble travels up the ladder getting smaller as it goes up. Similar to this type of glass diffuser that New Guy has. See the cool video in post #10 of

Other options is to have the impeller of your filter or powerhead chop up the bubbles. So feeding the line directing into the intake of your filter wlll maximize the surface area of the tiny bubbles that get chopped up, and provide better chance of dissolution.

-John N.

 

[sean_chambers]

Strange I was expecting at least one person to mention using High Tolerance Champagne or Wine yeast as it can tolerate almost 3 times the Alchohol % of bread and beer yeast, aslo using sucrose instead of sugar, and adding the sugar in incremants per week and not a huge dose up front allows the brew to ferment at a more consistant rate, also have two of these bottles running so that as one finished the next one has finished its really busy inital phase and has settled down so the tank has a nice consistant suppy of CO2

 

[dgaddis1]

I have a question about bottle size...from what I've read using a 2L bottle vs. a nutrafin canister will last longer due to the decreased alcohol concentration levels. My question is about the peformance of the 2L vs. the Nutrafin canister. Basically, which will produce the greatest amout of CO2 a day? My current mix in the Nutrafin canister is lasting right at two weeks, so if the 2L will produce CO2 at the same rate, and last longer, I'd like to switch. However, since I'm running the system on a 29G I want to have the highest possible rate of CO2 production, even if that means starting a new batch every two weeks vs. every 3 or 4. Thanks for the advice!

 

[John N.]

It's really all dependent on how much yeast and sugar is supplied in the bottle. Since the 2L bottles types can hold more of both, the reaction will be last longer, and have a higher production rate in the short term (2 weeks) if supplied with more yeast (3/4 tsp).

You'll see an longer reaction, and increased CO2 production if you switch to the 2L bottle, and add a larger amount of yeast than recommended. This will shorten the life span of the CO2 from 3-4 weeks to 2 weeks, yet production will be dramatic more.

As Sean stated, wine yeast will also enhance the life of the reaction.

I recommend using (2) 2 liter bottles T-ed together for maximum CO2 production.

-John N.

 

[Jimbo205]

Both of my setups are still running fine. When done do they just stop?

Or do I have to somehow guess when it is 'slowing down'? My 3 Liter bottle has this real nice continuous tiny bubble stream going and the tinier the bubbles I assume the better the absorption.

The Nutrafin ladder is still going. Not like crazy, but still going.

So, how do you know when to 'recharge' ?

 

[invisibleshopper]

What kind of Glue can be used?

Hi,

I am going to try to make the bubble counter in this thread but am worried about poisoning the fish by using glue to fix the check valve into the syringe.

What kind of glue is recommended?

Thanks,

KLT

 

[John N.]

I've used standard Epoxy Glue without adverse problems. But I've used silcone glue with positive results but after a few months the silicone will need replacing placing.

You can also try a DIY Separator Bottle

Much like Mikee's DIY Separator Bubble Counter:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/gallery/files/7/3/3/2/Aquarium012_original.jpg

-John N.

 

[bioch]

wat if i use a bigger bottle, do i still fill it to 3/4

and also when i saw the check valve there is water in it? reason? thx

 

[viviparu']

How can I transform ppm in bubbles/second

Hi,

I read your posts about CO2 addition but I have a question: Let assume that ideal for my aquarium is to have and addition of 15 ppm of CO2. My question is: how many bubbles/second that means. I have a bubble counter and I want to set the number of CO2 bubbles released in one second in the tank in order to have 15ppm CO2 addition. So: 15ppm of CO2 means how many bubbles/second?

Thanks.

 

[ChrisGray]

cool thanks

 

[John N.]

Hi,

Let's assume that ideal for my aquarium is to have and addition of 15 ppm of CO2. My question is: how many bubbles/second that means. I have a bubble counter and I want to set the number of CO2 bubbles released in one second in the tank in order to have 15ppm CO2 addition. So: 15ppm of CO2 means how many bubbles/second?

Thanks.

Unfortunately this translation isn't as simple as that. PPM cannot be converted in BPS (bubbles per second). Each system will be different, see the CO2 Charts in the fert section to see how the drop in pH is effected by each additional bubble to get this rate.

In general I would say that most DIY CO2 setups will produce on average 15-20 ppms. The better setups with mutliple bottles will yield even more dissolved CO2 levels.

-John N.

 

[morefishies]

i dug up some 100% silicone sealant for concrete and masonry but it specifies that it makes a watertight seal. will this work for attaching the check valve to the syringe?

also, i found this: eBay: Spio VIII Co2 diffuser - Aquarium planted tank (item 250008857379 end time Oct-14-06 07:47:40 PDT)

it may be overkill for my tank (only 10 gallons) but it seems that it would almost guarantee a 100% diffusion rate. my only question is would the spiral lessen the co2 pressure so that the tiny bubbles wouldn't diffuse through the disc?

just caught my attention because it seemed so similar to this:

Similar to this type of glass diffuser that New Guy has. See the cool video in post #10 of
-John N.

 

[John N.]

The silicone may hold, but may have leaks later as things bend and break their seal. Use a small amount of normal epoxy glue. Or you can just do the separate Bottle bubble counter as it might be easier to make without the extra glue or silicone.

As for the Spio diffuser, the length of it might be distracting in a 10 gallon tank. However I am sure that it will work like any of the other types of glass diffusers. I use the Aquabotanic's Might Mini often switched out between cleanings with the Aquaticmagic's nano glass diffuser in my 10.

-John N.

 

[bioch]

thx, i finally got finished with drinking my pepsi lime and it seems to work out great. in only a few hours there were bubbles! and for the water seperator all i did was put the bottle over the tank.

 

[jlui83]

I still dont see any bubbles!!! Its almost 24 hrs... I did everything what the tutorial said..... HelP!!!

 

[John N.]

As suggested in my earlier PM to ya, check for leaks around the cap area, and make sure the yeast is still good. Since you're not using a glass diffuser or anything at the end of your airline tubing, we can take out the lack of pressure to run those items out of the equation. That leaves us leaks and bad yeast.

You can test the functionality of the yeast by putting it in a coke bottle and sealing it aff completely. It will pressurized the coke bottle in a few hours indicating that Co2 production is occuring and the yeast is good. And you can check for leaks around the cap with a soapy solution to look for soapy bubbles from the leaks.

-John N.

 

[jlui83]

As suggested in my earlier PM to ya, check for leaks around the cap area, and make sure the yeast is still good. Since you're not using a glass diffuser or anything at the end of your airline tubing, we can take out the lack of pressure to run those items out of the equation. That leaves us leaks and bad yeast.

You can test the functionality of the yeast by putting it in a coke bottle and sealing it aff completely. It will pressurized the coke bottle in a few hours indicating that Co2 production is occuring and the yeast is good. And you can check for leaks around the cap with a soapy solution to look for soapy bubbles from the leaks.

-John N.

What do I do after I put the yeast in the coke bottle and seal it off completely (no hole in cap)... Meaning how do I check THAT if it has pressure or not b/c I wont be able to squeeze the bottle.

What do I do with the soap solution and water? Sorry im new to this.

Currently I just squeezed the bottle and bubbles came out of the tubing....

 

[John N.]

If the bottle is seal off completely, the bottle will get harder and harder to squeeze because the yeast reaction creates CO2 gas that will fill up the open air space. This tells you the yeast is still working because it's making the gas.

Once you figure that the yeast is good, you can proceed to figuring out if you have leaks.
This is the way I would do it.

1. Mix the ingredients in the bottle.

2. Cap the bottle with the cap with your airline tubing through the top of it

3. Tie off the end of your airline tubing, so that no gas can escape.

4. Make some soapy water (make it similar to the toy bubble blowing solutions)

5. Take that solution and wipe it around the connection (cap area) and see if there's bubbles coming from those areas. In addition, since the tubing is tied, the bottle should feel pressurized (hard to the touch) indicating no leaks.

Once you figure out you have no leaks, and that the yeast is working, you are good to proceed.

-John N.