diy co2

[jasonmemo]

i need a diy co2 in my 55gallon tank since i use 160 watt. does anyone know how many 2 litter bottles i should use for this setup?

[Squawkbert]

I used 2 1gallon bottles for a 46g, it was *barely* adequate despite having minimal surface agitation and good dissolving of CO2 into the water.

[jasonmemo]

wow. so 2 litter won't work then. hmm. 5 gallon works?

[Squawkbert]

Well, a little CO2 is better than none (unless all it does is encourage hair algae to grow).

If you have little surface agitation, I'd shoot for a total of 2-3 gallons of DIY mix. That's going to get expensive in terms of sugar...
Pressurized would be cheaper over the long haul.

[rocker92]

i agree, look on ebay, they should have the CO2 regulators cheap, and most liquor stores should have the CO2 bottles for kegs, they are the same thing you need for your regulator!


good luck!

BTW: dont forget to get a CO2 tester! dont want to OD your fish!

[Wycco]

I use Florin-Axis as a liquid carbon source- it seems to have worked well for me (I'm only 2.2wpg though) despite having someone very much in the know tell me he was skeptical of it.

That is $8ish for a bottle that will last my 55gallon about a year. Probably not as good as pressurized CO2- but most likely better results than DIY CO2.

Ignoring the fact that liquid carbon sources arn't normally as good as pressurised CO2 sources... how much would set up fees and annual fees to keep running would pressurised CO2 cost? How long until the break-even point?

For DIY CO2 as far as sugar goes- it's what (guessing... my wife normally shops for groceries) $3 for a bag of sugar... and for 3 reactors which is what you'll realistically need at a minimum- changing one out every week- you'll probably go through a bag of sugar every 5 weeks or so... so $30 a year. (plus say a $10 start up fee for tubing, and valves).

I'm guessing start up fees for pressurised CO2 are probably going to be at least $200... again a guess I haven't looked... so, if there were no fees having to replace Co2 (which there is) - it would take 6 or 7 years at least to pay the costs of pressurised Co2 over DIY CO2. (unless my numbers are wrong which I'm sure they are- refine them for me if you can).



So whereas pressurised is going to give you your best control and results- I don't think it is cheaper over anything but a number of years.

[jasonmemo]

i found a pressurized co2 system for $170. is that cheap?

[chunkylover817]

how many lbs is it??? i use just a regular co2 diffuser like this one for my 55gallon, and my anubias and ferns and valls seem to grow great, btw i dont buy the packets of the "activator" and "stabilizer", i just get yeast, baking soda, and sugar and soon enough i get around 2 bubbles per second :)

http://www.petmountain.com/shop/standard/co2-systems/107639/nutrafin-co2-natural-plant-system.jpg

[jasonmemo]

it's 5lb. how much is the one that you have?

[chunkylover817]

its like the one in the link, under my last reply, its like 16oz or something like that, im surprised so many bubbles can come out of itX)

oh and bout that co2 tank,im guessing thats a pretty good deal for a 5lb, correct me if im wrong anyone:)

[jasonmemo]

do i need to put sugar and yeast for your product?

[chunkylover817]

yea, these two mixed make co2 gas bubbles, i was told by a guy i know at a lfs that mixing the yeast with baking soda to acclimate the yeast then add the mix into the bottle with sugar of course, and then add water

[andyjs]

yea, these two mixed make co2 gas bubbles, i was told by a guy i know at a lfs that mixing the yeast with baking soda to acclimate the yeast then add the mix into the bottle with sugar of course, and then add water
The baking soda helps keep the pH of the mixture more stable. During the CO2 production process, another byproduct is an acid and once the pH falls to a certain point, it can kill the yeast. Even without baking soda, this might not happen before the mixture needs replaced anyway, though.