Update on Hagen Co2 system

[soonergirl]

I have had a Hagen Co2 system running on my 29 gal for a little over a week now, and I can't believe the difference it's making! The system didn't seem to be working enough in the beginning, but a couple of days ago, I noticed a lot of new growth and the plants are a whole lot more green!

I took the bubble counter off of it, and just attached a wooden airstone at the end of the tubing, cause that never seemed to function properly.

Just wanted to gush a little here, although I'm not an expert like y'all are! I'll try to borrow my parents digital camera, and hopefully it'll take some decent pics since there is no flash on it.

[thom336]

The counter is intended to slow the speed that the bubbles reach the surface so that more can be dissolved into the water - it does take a bit of adjusting to get them running right. But you have obviously got it going right for your tank, congratulations! Always great to hear a success story!

Thom.

[nvision]

glad to hear it's working well for ya.

i think the bubble counter/diffuser is the major selling point for me, as it works really well for smaller tanks. well, at least until snails start congregating in it... :mad:

[aquatrippe]

speaking of the hagen co2 thing..

I have one in a small 12 gallon and there was a discussion a week or so ago about how many bubbles per second you should be seeing..

I get one bubble every 8 seconds..it was suggested here that this is a low output and I should check for leaks in the system.. I have and there are no leaks..further I have talked to my LFS who says they get the same result..one bubble per 8 secs..

I have checked everywhere for leaks.. just isnt happening..my kh/ph tests are just now showing productive levels of CO2 but it took a few weeks..

anyone else getting more bubbles per second from this product?

[watergardens]

I'm using the Hagen system too, and while I haven't actually timed the bubbles, 8/sec sounds about like what I'm getting. The counter is right behind my hygrophilias, and they do seem to be getting some benefit from it.

[Alex]

I have a couple of them running and during the week of best production I get a bubble every 5 seconds on one and a bubble every 6 seconds on the other. The only difference is the 5 second one is a little deeper in the tank.

Alex

[Molino]

Originally posted by nvision:
i think the bubble counter/diffuser is the major selling point for me, as it works really well for smaller tanks. well, at least until snails start congregating in it...

Same thing happens to me, VERY annoying!

[thom336]

I dont suppose anyone knows of a home made mixture to use instead of the hagen ones, as I am about to use my last packets, and I cant find replacements anywhere at the moment, also I would like a cheaper alternative. :D

[valerie]

I have recently been trying my own recipe for the hagen co2. I use the same ammount of sugar they tell you to use, add water up to where they say it should be but instead of adding the packets i jsut add 1/8tsp of brewers yeast(i don't add baking soda but you could if you need to).

So far the co2 production is working better then when i tried the packets. I haven't counted the bubbles but it is more then what i was gettign with the hagen packets.

[tricksterpup]

I have had mine for about a few weeks now in my Regent/Galaxy 5 and the plants seem to be doing well. They seem to be doing well in the tank. I do not get the 8 seconds bubble but i have mine at a lower depth than what it should be for a small tank. The bubbles are large and it is really cool to watch them disolve as they travel up the diffuser.
jim

[thom336]

Cheers valerie...I'll give it a go!

[750t]

I just got one yesterday. I put in the tank last nite. This morning I got bubbles. Two questions. The bubbles seem stop before reaching the top and the instuctions didnt say to mix up the solution,so I didnt. Is that the way you guys are doing it? Thanks Tim

[Booswalia]

I've been using my own yeast in one for a few months now on a 10 gallon tank. It works pretty good but I find my plant leaves interfere with the path of the bubbles because they keep growing in that direction.

Also, I've had 3 different fish travel up the side of the counter and get stuck there. I had to take the counter off to get them out. They didn't seemed harmed, just panicked a bit.

Does anyone else have fish who go after the co2?

Oh, and no you don't need to mix up the solution. The yeast will find it's own way to the sugar.

[jdwyz]

the nutrifin system really works good.all you need is to buy the diffuser.dr fosters and smith sell them seperate for about eleven or twelve bucks.i just mix up some yeast ,sugar and baking soda and connect it to an empty juicy juice bottle.bubbles like mad.the only fault and i have to agree with Booswalia on this,the plants leaves get into the diffuser and block the bubbles from going up the steps.i still think its worth every cent.especially for the price you pay.

[aquatrippe]

hey...

thanks for the idea.. maybe I will buy another diffuser and put two on my 29 gallon..

question: how much of each component of your recipe do you use per bottle..can you break it down in amounts per ingredient?

Thanks

[jdwyz]

i have a 29 gallon and this is how i mix mine for use with the nutrifin system.1 cup sugar.1\4 teaspoon yeast,1\2 teaspoon baking soda.has been going now for 2 weeks and still has alot of bubble action.i seriously think you would not need another diffuser in the 29 gal instead put a tee in the line and run dual bottles of the mixture.you will get more than enough to supply adequate co2.my plants pearl like crazy and i only use 1 juicy juice bottle with homemade mix an 80 watts of light on my 29 gal.hope this helps

[nanahachi]

I too just picked up one of the Hagen's, seems like a great solution for those of us with smaller tanks.

jdwyz, thanks so much for your recipe. I'm glad I won't have to buy any more packets of the activator et al. Btw, what kind of yeast do you use? I know absolutely nothing about yeast, can it be bought at the grovery store? are there any specific brands? is brewery yeast *the* kind to get. wow, that sounds pretty newbish and lame, but I't completely clueless.

congrats to those of you are finding the benefits of the Hagen, I hope i will too.

[jdwyz]

i use red star active dry yeast.but any brand will do.every grocery store will carry yeast
.good luck.

jeff

[750t]

I was wondering after the co2 process gets going do you guys stop fertilizing? I use seachams flourish and flourish excel. I only have 36 watts on a twenty, but I ordered a 55 watt so as soon as it gets here I will have 75 watts. Should be more than enough light. But Iam curious about fertiization. Tim

[djlen]

Tim you definitely need to keep fertilizing when you inject CO2. Especially when you get that 75 watts going. You mention Flourish Excel and you don't need to dose that if you're injecting. Excel is basically carbonic acid, which is what you're injecting into the tank already. The Flourish contains your Trace minerals. You need to start dosing N, P, and K, the Macro nutrients. That will balance your tank out for you.
It just amazes me, how many people are buying that Hagen CO2 system when you can do DIY CO2 so cheaply using a 2 liter soda bottle, sugar and yeast. Don't understand it at all.
Len

[elgecko]

Continue to use the ferts. I purchased the Hagen system a few weeks ago. I really liked the diffuser, that's why I bought it. You can tell it works well by the size of the bubbles getting smaller as they dissolve into the water.

[750t]

Thanks, I have the basics down but I need to do more research on the planted tank. I bought the kit for the diffuser also. I just didnt trust the diy idea after trying the brine shrimp thing 3 times with negitive results. Tim

[jdwyz]

yeah myself and most pepes i know of buy the complete hagen co2 package just for the diffuser alone.which actually can be bought seperate for not much cash.actually the mixing tank that comes with the system is not big enough for most peoples needs.thus the best choice is use the diffuser with a big jug of your choosing of homemade mixture. ive used diy co2 injected into a gravel tube powerhead setup i had been running for 6 months.although this is an excellent way to diffuse co2 and probably one of the best.it was a little to much current for my setup caused by the powerhead.i now have a much smaller power head and would probably work much more to my liking.but the hagen diffuser works so good i have no reason to switch back.

[elgecko]

You can get the diffuser by itself, I believe when I looked into it, it cost around $15.00 just for the diffuser. I bought the whole set up for $18.99. I used to use a milk jug for my diy CO2 with an airstone. I'm trying there set up to see if it lasts as long. I know that I use more sugar and water then the Hagen set up. So far I'm happy. The Hagen has been running 3 weeks now. As long as I get 4 weeks I'll probably keep using the Hagen set up.

[Mantis_22]

i personally trust hagen products, knowing by there guidelines iI follow I know I wont mess up or eve get back pressure from my DIY CO2 in the basement. Its easy, already pre-made and nothing to mess with once you pop in the tabs and sugar :).

[Bk718]

Bringing threads from the dead.. Just when i was about to post a thread asking for reviews.. Any of these posters still active?!! lol

[phanmc]

The Hagen ladder works well for small setups using the yeast method. It's one of the better options for the yeast method as it requires no electricity (like reactors) and doesn't need high pressure to be effective (like ceramic and limestone diffusers). It does not work well with pressurized systems that generates bubbles per second. The bubbles will collide with each other forming bigger bubbles that will travel faster up the ladder, decreasing the time the bubbles are exposed to water.

A drawback of the ladder is that it does need to be cleaned occasionally so that bubbles don't get stuck, and snails blocking the path is a very common problem.