Best sealant for DIY CO2 systems?

WinterWind

WinterWind

Mad pianist
Feb 11, 2005
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I made a DIY C02 system with the standard 2-liter bottle and silicon tubing, etc. I glued the tubing on the cap the way that is instructed. I glued the tubing into the hole in the cap using a lot of aquarium sealant and made sure there were no way the air could get out. But yesterday night I set up the mixture, put it into the bottle, let it sit overnight, then I hooked it up to my aquarium. The yeast was not bubbling and the system was working, so yanked the tubing slightly, and the tubing could be pulled up and down! I mean the tubing wasn't glued tightly to the cap and I could take it off easily! I though aquarium sealant was better than that! Well, what other sealant could I use that is stronger so that doesn't happen? Thanks.
 
I use silicone, it works well for me. I tried various glues, but it's hard to find something that will stick to both airline and pop bottle caps.
I put a bead of silicone around the base of the airline, then used my finger much as you would if you were caulking anything else - ran it around and flattened the bead out. Once it was dry (24h), I ran another, thicker bead over top (I really gobbed it on ;)) and pressed that into place. I'm careful to turn the bottle rather than the cap when I change the CO2, and have never had a problem with it. I'd suggest trying again - AFAIK, silicone's the best stuff for the job.
 
Kas makes a point, I forgot to mention the size of the hole in relation to the tubing. Before I sealed (and now that I think of it, most but not all the bottle caps are sealed) the bottles, I made the holes in the caps smaller than the tubing, cut the tubing on an angle, stuck the point through and used a tool to pull it through the cap - once it's in place, it doesn't budge. I found one or two on the 65g sprung a leak, so I sealed them all, just in case. There are two unsealed bottles on the 14g I keep meaning to seal but haven't needed to yet. If your tubing is sliding through the hole, you may want to drill some other caps with smaller holes.
 
Blinky - how many CO2 setups do u have on the 65G? I am about to setup a 75G and didnt really have the income for a CO2 system. Also, how much maintenance is involved as far as remixing and time ivnoved on average a week? Im just tryin to weigh pros and cons here. Thankya
 
mattskims said:
Blinky - how many CO2 setups do u have on the 65G? I am about to setup a 75G and didnt really have the income for a CO2 system. Also, how much maintenance is involved as far as remixing and time ivnoved on average a week? Im just tryin to weigh pros and cons here. Thankya
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There are 5 bottles on the 65g, but I don't use an efficient method of getting the CO2 into the water; I'm using a piece of bubble wall, which produces finer bubbles than an airstone, but some is still lost at the surface. If you go this route, you have to make sure you clean the airstone/bubble wall all the time - if it clogs, it can cause back pressure and make the bottle(s) explode. DIY seems cheap, and it is in the short term (which is why I don't get too worried about losing some CO2), but pressurized can work out cheaper over a year for large tanks.
I find it doesn't take much time;I have a weekly routine: I line up all the bottles (9 in all for the 3 tanks). Using a funnel, I pour 2 cups of sugar into each bottle, then 1/2 tsp of yeast into each, then 1/4 tsp baking soda. I fill them next to the kitchen sink, then when they're done, I run the tap and fill them with warm water one after the other. I place them all into a Rubbermaid tub on the kitchen floor and let them start to bubble overnight, and put replace them in the morning. Filling the bottles takes ~15 minutes, replacing the ones on the tanks and emptying & rinsing the old bottles takes about ten minutes the next morning.
 
You can use a product called Marine Goop and find it in any Home depot...sticks to anything and stronger then glue..

I used a close cousin called Plumbers goop ( because I had some ) it worked well to...I had leaks in my system, now they are gone gone gone !!
 
I think Kas means it takes ~10 minutes to prepare the bottle. CO2 mix should start bubbling within an hour or so, but like to wait about 8 hours to let it get up to full strength.
 
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