:confused: Help for first time DIY CO2 reactor.

WinterWind

WinterWind

Mad pianist
Feb 11, 2005
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I have a 10 gal aquarium, and I’m going to try to do a DIY co2 reactor. This is my first time, so I need some help.

How many liters should my bottle with the yeast have? I read that a lot of people use 2 liter bottles, but that seems to be for bigger tanks. Should I use the 2 liter bottles? Or 1 liter? Or even better, can you guys give me a good mixture amount I should use for a ten-gallon aquarium for example:

· 2 cups water
· 2 cups Sucrose (cane sugar)
· ¼ teaspoon Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
· ¼ cup tepid (ideally 104ºF) water

(But scaled for a ten-gallon aquarium).
 
The 2 litre bottle recipe is for 2 cups of sugar, a half teaspoon of yeast, and a pinch of baking soda to bring up the kh. This was good enough for my 25 gallon tank.

I'd do a 1 litre bottle and cut the recipe in half for your ten gallon. If you need more, you can just put up a 2 litre on the next batch.

Welcome to the fun! I'm running 5 x 2 litre bottles on my 66 gallon tank, but I'm thinking 3 might in fact do it.
 
You can use any container the liquid will fit in but pop bottles are strong since they have to support the pressure from the carbonation. Also, add a second container between your yeast bottle and tank.

Your yeast seems low. I use the standard formula with 1 tablespoon of yeast. 1/4 teaspon is very little. Maybe a second opinion would be good on this though. I haven't tried to tweak the formula too much yet.

I'm not sure that your mix will be creating very much pressure. The full formula that I use barelly has enough pressure for a 38 gallon tank after a few days.

You might consider to just use the full formula and change your diffusion sytem to fit your tank. I think that if you use an inverted bowl for the size of your tank, the excess Co2 will just go up to the top and not be adsorbed. I have heard that its very difficult to overdose with DIY. Maybe someone who has tweaked their diffusion system can suggest the way that they have done it. I would think that a smaller bowl with the standard formula should work for you. I'm sure someone has tried this and can verify it or suggest another way.
 
Ok, so I can probably go ahead and use the abouve formula but with 1 teaspoon of yeast instead of 1/4 teaspoon in a 2 litre bottle without worrying about overdosing on CO2?
 
BTW, what is a "check valve"? Is it like a T shaped thingy that is used to connect two more lines to one airstone?

Can check valves be bought at a LFS, or should I have to go the hardware store?

It would be good if someone could show me how to connect the check valve thingy. I see some diagrams that is connected to a check valve and then into another bottle, and then into the aquarium. Is it absolutely necessary to have the bottle before it goes into the aquarium?
 
WinterWind said:
BTW, what is a "check valve"? Is it like a T shaped thingy that is used to connect two more lines to one airstone?

Can check valves be bought at a LFS, or should I have to go the hardware store?

It would be good if someone could show me how to connect the check valve thingy. I see some diagrams that is connected to a check valve and then into another bottle, and then into the aquarium. Is it absolutely necessary to have the bottle before it goes into the aquarium?
Click to expand...
A check valve is a little cylindrical shape about 2 times wider than airline tubing that has nipples on either end to connect to your airline tubnig. You can find them at any LFS, Wal-Mart that carries fish supplies, PetCo, etc. You connect it by cutting the airline in two, connecting both ends to the check valvae making sure the airflow passes through in the direction you need it to, so in your case, from bottle to tank. You can look at the little arrow on the valve or simply blow on the airline and check. I used my DIY CO2 without an additional bottle.
 
How about the tubing?

I read a site that said you should only use silicon tubing, b/c regular aquarium tubing will rot b/c of the CO2. I also read a site where it said it was OK to use aquarium tubing.

And what width should the tubing be? Does it have to be thicker than usual, or smaller than usual, or the same as standard aquarium airline tubing, or does it even really matter?

Thanks.
 
WinterWind said:
How about the tubing?

I read a site that said you should only use silicon tubing, b/c regular aquarium tubing will rot b/c of the CO2. I also read a site where it said it was OK to use aquarium tubing.

And what width should the tubing be? Does it have to be thicker than usual, or smaller than usual, or the same as standard aquarium airline tubing, or does it even really matter?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
You can use regular old standard aquarium tubing if you want. CO2 will make even silicone airline tubing brittle over time, but it does take longer for that to happen to silicone whereas it happens more quickly with the standard stuff. For width, standard airline is what you need.
 
Harlock said:
You can use regular old standard aquarium tubing if you want. CO2 will make even silicone airline tubing brittle over time, but it does take longer for that to happen to silicone whereas it happens more quickly with the standard stuff. For width, standard airline is what you need.
Click to expand...

How long will it be before I have to replace non-silicon tubing?

BTW, is silicon tubing available at most LFS? Or would I have to go to specialty stores for that?
 
I'm using standard airline tubing, its pretty cheap. I would think you'd replace it once a year or whenever it looks like it needs it. A good check valve is important (you can get some that are made for co2, but I use a regular one py pennplax, $3.99) to keep the mix from backing up into your aquarium or worse, draining all the water out if your co2 bottles are kept under the aquarium. Like if the cat goes poking and knocks the bottles over, for example.

I've got 2 x 2 litre bottles on my 66g as of today and the ph is 6.8 and kh is 5, which means about 24 ppm of co2.

I'd really go with the 1 litre mix and add 3/4 teaspoon of yeast and a teasoon of baking soda for a buffer if its too bubbly. I'd rather be safe than sorry. The 2 litre bottle on my 25g dropped my ph as low as 6.6, and you don't want to go below 6.0, for safety's sake or the fish will show signs of stress.
 
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