[John N.]

Yup, spoof, that's where one now ventures in the world of pressurized CO2 which typically costs around $150+ to start up.

The Red Sea Paintball Kit is exactly what you are looking for.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

The Red Sea Paintball kit fits the the small paintball cylinders that are typically sold at paintball stores, and local Walmarts. People like this kit because space is limited, and the smaller refill cylinders are easier to obtain for them. Cost wise, this is more expensive by initial costs of $50, than say a normal full size regulator w/solenoid and a 5-10lb CO2 cylinder, as you have to purchase new small paintball cylinders more often and the redsea kit doesn't come with a solenoid.

There are other threads regarding Pressurized CO2 options (Paintball or full size setups) to continue this discussion on. Here's one to start regarding paintball and full size regulator options.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

ATM,

1. A 2 liter bottle is fine. The bigger the container the longer it will last. I wouldn't worry about injecting too much CO2 with DIY. I used a 2 liter bottle on my 1 gallon nano without any problems.

2. I suppose you can try to make a ladder, but I had good results using a glass diffuser from aqmagic.com. Or you can even use a sweetwater stone (aquaticeco.com), or just have the bubbles go directly into the intake of a filter.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

Ok thanks yes I read that and think I will try just disolving it via my intake tube, that doesn't make a lot of noise does it?

I was wondering when you make the bubble counter how does it measure the bubbles?

thanks

I don't hear much noise on mine. When it hits a large bubble you'll hear a swooshing sound ocassioanlly. Most of the bubbles that come off the glass diffuser or sweetwater airstone are pretty "misty" and usually don't make much noise when they hit the filter's impeller.

The bubble counter doesn't actually count bubbles. It enables you to count the bubbles as you see them go through the water. This helps you know how much CO2 is being produced, and whether or not it is slowing down and needs replacing. Generally with DIY CO2 and a 2 liter bottle I got about 1 bubble per 4 seconds, so I imagine you should be experience a similar CO2 output.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

No Problem. We'll see if I can explain the bubble counter a little better.

As you can see from your diagram above, the bubble counter syringe (which is filled with water) is positioned so that you can see the CO2 bubbles as it course through the tubing, through the liquid in the counter and to your filter intake. You literally count the bubbles as they go through this counter. Why? It will give you a general idea of what your DIY CO2 yeast mixture is producing per minute. For example, if you see 1 bubble going through the bubble counter each second, then you know that your mixture is producing very well. When it starts slowing down to 1 bubble every 10 seconds then you know you have to think about replacing the mixture. The bubble counter is an indicator of how much CO2 you are producing. 1 bubble every 4 seconds is typical of a DIY CO2 setup in my experience.

If you didn't have a bubble counter, then you wouldn't be able to visually see if your DIY CO2 is working as optimally as it can. So again, you are literally counting each bubble as it courses through the system.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

It looks fantastic! Good job. Just curious, is it working and producing CO2 directly into the filter intake?

-John N.

 

[John N.]

1) Towel sound like it will keep the bottle warm enough.

2) 2 1/4 tsp of yeast will make your reaction go super fast. Most likely will have to replace in about 1-2 weeks.

3) No bubble counter is fine. You can let it run as is, and feel the pressure in the bottle or observe the buuble output instead. However, if you do decide to make the counter, epoxy glue is what you'll want to use. Other glues don't work very well. Epoxy can be found at target, walmart, home depot in hardware sections for $3.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

i don't have a KH test kit and since it's DIY I don't have to worry too much about overdosing right? just need to monitor ph and fish gasping for breath.

thanks

For DIY CO2, I wouldn't be concerned about injecting to much CO2. But if you do see fish gasping then that's a sign that there is either not enough dissolved oxygen, or there is too much dissolved CO2 in the water. As for pH, just make sure it doesn't go too low...say below 6.0.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

O yea, this doesn't create an acholol smell does it?

It sure does! Yeast + Sugar = Fermentation

-John N.

 

[John N.]

I'm happy to see you got your system up and running. It looks good!

This thread might help you with your pH question. Most likely though, you don't need to buffer your pH or KH much.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

It [the website] talks about the diffuser made with a powerhead and a siphon.. how would you compare it to the other diffusers mentioned?

namely, the hagen ladder, nano diffuser, the spiral one in the video, and the Spio VIII Co2 diffuser (which looks like a combination of the spiral one and a nano diffuser).

The Hagen ladder works very well, but is large and unsightly at times. Works best in 20 gallons or less.

The Nano glass diffusers and the other types of glass diffusers work well when placed under a flow, powerhead, or filter intake. This maximizes the dissolution of C02 while spreading the CO2 bubbles throughout the tank. Works best in 20-30 gallons or less (with DIY CO2).

The powerhead/siphon tube combo is another good one, which I've been prefering over the others. Dissolves CO2 well, and doesn't require much cleaning like the other two. I would purchase the Red Sea Reactor 500, since it's small. Works best in 20-25 gallons or less.


Same dissolving principle of the Reactor 500, and powerhead/siphon combos. Power Vortex Reactor at work.

Ultimately, since they all work pretty well, it's based on your preference of look and style.

-John N.

 

[John N.]

1) How do i connect the outlet to the filter that I use(picture attached) so that the filter outlet releases the CO2 in the tank using a diffuser.

2) How do I control the flow of CO2 and how many bubbles per second/minute need to be allowed.

3) Does the CO2 flow need to be stopped during the night when the lights are off,if yes how do I do it.

Hi Ravi,

1) People diffuse CO2 straight into their filter by placing the CO2 tubing directly underneath the intake or wedged in between the intake strainer. The filter will suck up the bubbles, break them down, and will dissolve the CO2 inside the filter and spit out what doesn't get dissolved.

2) You can't control the C02 flow rate with DIY CO2. But there is no worries, with DIY CO2 expect around 1 bubble every 4-6 seconds.

3) There is no need to turn it off at night. The amount of CO2 that gets "injected" and dissolved isn't going to harm fish in any way. However if you are really concerned about too much CO2 at night, you may place an air pump and airstone on a timer to run at night, thereby degassing any C02 in the tank.

Have fun with your DIY CO2 setups! You'll love it when you see your plants grow better.

-John N.