I can't get the CO2 to work, what am I doing wrong?

[smyke]

Hello,

I have decided to set up the DIY CO2 reactor for my 45g tank. I know my lights are barely above 1wpg and that many here would say that in that setup CO2 is pointless. But also few of you had refered others to this site for help.
www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html (http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html)
In that article Jon says: .

At low light and low CO2 there is not much energy to play around with for up or down-regulation of the pools of Chlorophyll or enzymes contained in the plant. If we then add a little more CO2 to the system the plant can afford to invest less energy and resources in CO2 uptake and that leaves more energy for optimizing the light utilization - Chlorophyll can be produced without fatal consequences for the energy.

So with that in mind I figured that it will not hurt at all to give it a shot.

I set it up with the 3L soda bottle with the check valve and an airstone at the end of the tubing and added double dose of his recommended mixture. I know the airstone is not the best way to difuse the gas in the tank water but that was the only way for now. the gas is being produced (the bottle gets hard) but it just doesnt want to come out of that bottle unless I shake it or squeeze it a little.
to me it means there is not enough pressure.

how much room should I leave at the top of the bottle? would it help if I added more mixture or just fill it up with water. the bottle right now is about 2/3 full.
Also is it OK for the bottle to sit in the cabinet under the tank? or should it be placed higher. between the cap and the airstone there is about 80" of tubing (my tank is 24" high). is it too long?
or maybe I should be using a different mixture recipe alltogether? here is what I used:

2 cups water
2 cups Sucrose (cane sugar)
¼ teaspoon Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
¼ cup tepid (ideally 104ºF) waterPlease let me know what you think about all this. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[FtwayneFish]

Sounds ok? the bottle is ok under the cabinet. are you using a old stone? I would use a airstone thats wooden. And have as little tubing as possible. If the mix isnt right it wont "push" to the stone. I also dont run a check valve, they break down after time and I cap my bottles after a hr so it doesnt run into the bottle- and if so no biggie. Hasnt happened yet tho.

my mix is 1/4 tsp with 1 cup warmish water
then 2 cups sugar
then 5 cups water
then shake really well
then after about 10 mins add the yeast mix
then after about a hr or so cap the bottle. then after 2-3 hrs its going good.

[smyke]

Thanks FtWayne,
I also noticed that when I took the airstone off (i thought maybe that was the problem) when I squeezed the bottle looked like the solution was coming out of the tube into the water. it was clear but thicker, so visible in the water. and even without the airstone there was not enough pressure.

how much room are you leaving from the top of the bottle for gas?

[FtwayneFish]

Well about 2-3 inches? I use a 2L tho. so with 2 cups sugar and a total of 6 cups water its right at the start of the curve to the top.

I thought it was your mix. I run DIY co2 on a 10g with 1.5wpg and its a bit of a difference. I see a larger diffrence with 4wpg and a powerhead as the diffuser.

you have lightS plural. so its 2 50w thats 2.5wpg?

If you have one bulb. see if you can get a new one. they say the life is gone ofter a year for plants sake. it will still light up and whatnot.

and if you have the room I'd use a powerhead to "eat" and "spit" out the co2 bubbles works really well.

you can see some of my setup in the link below in the later pics. but take a look at my tanks too if you want.

[smyke]

actually I only have 50watts total. I know its very little but I will be upgrading that soon.
do you have the power head diffuser on your tanks? how difficult was it to put together? is it as simple as blowing the bubble under the power head intake and let it suck that in?

[zanytomato]

How long have you had the CO2 mixture? I know I've had mine start slow sometimes, and take a couple days to really ramp up.

You can also find diffusers online on ebay really cheap, too... that's what I currently use and it cost me about 50 cents, and a dollar or two shipping. I don't know the exact rate that it dispenses bubbles, but it seems to work quite well. I had to take mine down after a minor disaster and my plants noticeably suffered (and I'm in the same boat as you... woefully low light due to a crummy hood).

[FtwayneFish]

I have crummy lights on some tanks. my 55g hex which is deep enough is only @ .6wpg!!! It looks nice tho. I also dont run co2 on it.

My other tanks have the CFL's or screw in type. Walmart hoods. Theres a spot for 2 bulbs. you can run 10w up to 26w in each socket. There larger hoods are the same way.

yes the diffuser's on ebay are cheap but they say they clog and dont put out under low pressure. I have one on the way for 7.00 to find out.

The power head does work really well. yes let the powerhead "suck" the bubbles in. I have mine on the side of mine. eats em right up and then disperses them thru out the tank.

[smyke]

and the CO2 doesnt damage the powerhead? I read that long exposure may damage HOB filters if the gas is injected into the intake.
also, since I will be using the powerhead only for CO2 diffusion, would I be able to get away with the smallest one out there? I found one rated for 80gph for $13 at petsmart.

[FtwayneFish]

Ive also heard of "long" term use can make plastics brittle. But whats "long" term? I dont know.

A 5.00 powerhead will work. Whatever size you wanna get to eat and spit the bubbles out around the tank. about the middle of the strata or middle of the tank placement should be fine.

[smyke]

and to answer your question tomato :) I only set up that mixture yesterday. I think I will add more to fill the bottle a little better.

[zanytomato]

yes the diffuser's on ebay are cheap but they say they clog and dont put out under low pressure. I have one on the way for 7.00 to find out.

Mine does get a little grungy from time to time, which will reduce flow, but I just rub my finger over to take it off. It terms of output, though, it's been great despite low pressure. Hopefully yours will work well, too!


and to answer your question tomato :) I only set up that mixture yesterday. I think I will add more to fill the bottle a little better.Yeah, could be a little slow going... my significant other mixed up my last batch and used hotter water than I normally do, and it was up and hopping lickety split... something else to keep in mind.

Just whatever you do, make sure your yeast bottle can't fall over (I speak bitterly from experience when mine fell and went unnoticed overnight... what a disaster :headshake2:)

[smyke]

I bought a powerhead from Petsmart last night. I cut off the top of the gravel vac and attached it to the inlet, placed the CO2 tube under it and now the bubbles get broken up to tiny little pieces. very few of them actually make it to the surface so I think its diffusing CO2 perfectly. what an easy way to make a diffuser. :)
the only problem is that the yeast mix is not working as needed yet. one bubble every few seconds if that. but we are getting somewhere.

[FtwayneFish]

awesome

[Squawkbert]

That may well be all you need. Get a drop checker going - best way to not overdo it.

[smyke]

I have to do that. If by drop checker you mean a smaller bottle half filled with water and then into the tank :). I dont know if I have the energy for a more involved project.

Then again I am not worried about overdoing it since the mixture hasnt really kicked in yet. Plus the tank is 45g and from what I read it may not be "enough" CO2 anyway.

I am just excited that something finally works in that tank. and that there is hope that my plants may start to grow.

[FtwayneFish]

good luck, and a drop checker prolly isnt needed but for 20 bucks on ebay its better safe than sorry. and you can search here for DIY drop checkers, fluid, baby jar, and funnel end.