when to replace DIY CO2

[lawdawg18]

I did some DIY CO2 last weekend just wondering how do I tell when its time for a new bottle??

[soko]

I think it is unusual for me, I use a 2L bottle, 2 cups sugar and 1tsp of yeast and I get steady bubbles for at least a month, but I am beginning to wonder if it's still co2 after the first week or two because my plants stop growing as fast. Anyone else have similiar encounters?

[Stephen]

I set up one of these DIY CO2 systems recently and have had very noticable results with it so far. Although it's only been a little over a week. I'm still getting a very steady stream of bubbles from it. All the things I've read about them say that they should last for 2 weeks or so before they should be replaced. There are stories of some having them last significantly longer. I'm changing mine when the amount of bubbles I currently and have been getting since setting it up slows down. At the moment I'm getting a lot of bubbles. Every 4 seconds I get a burst of about 10 bubbles. Far more than most the information I read suggests. My plants in the tank with the system have taken off. All the previous algea I had a small problem with has also vanished. Below is an immage of my setup. As well as the mixture of ingredients placed in the bottle. Below is the image of the system.

http://home.ripway.com/2004-4/95592/CO2.gif

- The green color in the side view is CO2
- I used a 4"W x 4"L x 3"H clear plastic bow for the bubble chamber. I attached it to a wood bracket and it hangs over the edge of the tank.
- The 2 liter bottle is under the tank in a cabinet.
- The airline is about 5 feet long and runs from the bottle to the bubble chamber
- The airline enters the bubble chamber about 1/8" from the bottom of the bubble chamber. This prevents water flow from redirecting the bubble somewhere else.
- As CO2 is produced it passes up the airline and into the chamber.
- Once it reaches a certain level in the chamber the powerhead sucks CO2 down an airline and blows it into the tank. It also disperses while sitting in the bubble chamber.
- The 2 liter bottle has a hole drilled into the cap with a airline connector forced in. It's a very tight fit and there are no leaks. Also the bubble chamber has a 90 degree elbow airline fitting placed into the side of it. This was also done with a drill and lots of forcing to make it fit. Becareful not to damage the elbow of connector.
- I also placed a check valve in the airline tubing near the bubble chamber.

The mixture I used is as follows
- 7 cups of warm (95 degree) water
- 2 1/2 cups of white sugar
- 1 packet of active yeast
I placed the yeast in 1 cup of the water and let it dissolve. I stirred it a few times while I was measuring out the sugar. I then dissolved the sugar into 6 cups of water and made sure it was all dissolved by lots of stirring. I then placed the water with the sugar mixture into the 2 liter bottle. I then add the water with the dissolved yeast into the sugar mixture and shake vigorously. I connect everything up and I'm good to go.

With this mixture and system I'm getting about 8-10 bubbles every 4 seconds. Far more than any of the instructions or disscussions I read about online. This system has been producing this amount of bubbles only after 2 hours of setting it up. It's not slowed down any in production except when I disconnect it to shake it up once a day. Basically it's still as much as when I set it up 9 days ago. I do plan on adding new sugar water to the mixture once the yeast start to settle to the bottom as a kicker. If that's not as productive I start over again with my first recipe.

Hope this helped and I'm willing to answer any questions you have if I can...

[OnyxFishies]

I think it is unusual for me, I use a 2L bottle, 2 cups sugar and 1tsp of yeast and I get steady bubbles for at least a month, but I am beginning to wonder if it's still co2 after the first week or two because my plants stop growing as fast. Anyone else have similiar encounters?


I'm a newbie at DIY CO2, but based on what I've seen and read about CO2, you might be running out of a nutrient the plants need to keep up the high growth. (either a macro or trace)

[daveedka]

I'm a newbie at DIY CO2, but based on what I've seen and read about CO2, you might be running out of a nutrient the plants need to keep up the high growth. (either a macro or trace)

I'm a newbie also, but tend to agree. there is also the case of DIY co2 steadily slowing in production as it goes. either way it still should be co2, but I would test you ppm's of co2 and see if the production is slowing and subsequently growth slows down.
Dave