DIY CO2 and a diffuser

sorry this is a little off-topic, but would anyone mind explaining what a diffuser is used for? Is it just to regulate the rate at which CO2 is allowed to diffuse into the tank? I'm just starting to looking into C02 systems so its all new to me :P

Thanks!
Keith
 
Okay neat. I did some more reading online on DIY co2, and am getting ready to order some parts. Will probably try and glass diffuser since they seem to have most consistent results with DIY.

Thanks for help :)
Keith
 
what about putting an air stone under a small terracotta pot with a terracotta saucer over it turned upside down?
 
i use a ladder for my DIY co2 and it took about 2 weeks before the bubbles got REALLY small ...

It just needs to build up a slime coating...

It takes forever for the bubbles to climb up it and it works really well imo ...

it is large and ugly, though ...

Another thing is I found one of my cardinals inside one of the ladder steps ... I took him out and he was OK but still 0.o
 
I have mine running into the air intake on a powerhead set near the bottom of my tank and it works really well. also the limewood diffusers have a great reputation for making tons of tiny bubbles. I beleive the limewoods cost about 5 bucks if you want to save some loot.
 
it is large and ugly, though ...

lol..I was thinking about getting one just because they i thought they looked cool.

Couple more related questions..

Is there any difference between a CO2 "diffuser", and a CO2 "reactor" or "generator"? At first i thought maybe the later involved a motor, and you had to plug into an outlet, but i've seen a couple since then that you do not need to plug in.

Also, if i'm just going to be using a DIY yeast setup, do i still need to worry about cutting off CO2 input during the evening hours? Or will the levels of CO2 already be low enough that i won't need to worry so much about that?

Thanks
 
generator is your bottle with your yeast mixture in a DIY setup.

reactor is a thing people build that mixes the CO2 into the water, which typically involves a diffuser of some kind, which is an airstone, powerhead, anything that breaks the large bubbles of CO2 into small bubbles.

I've seen reactors built that are basically a tube with tank water pumped through it and stuff like bio balls and whatnot inside with a CO2 hose hooked up and as the water gets pumped through the tube it picks up the big CO2 bubbles, then they break into smaller bubbles as they run over the bio balls and whatnot. IME they are mainly for larger tanks with more complicated filtration systems.
 
I use a diy power reactor for co2 diffusion. It's great and gets the job done. I have to be careful when adding more co2. Otherwise the fish start gasping for air at the surface.

The plants grow so well that I have to prune at least 2 x a week to keep them at a certain height and to keep them from overcrowding each other. I have an H. Corymbosa Compacta that went absolutely nuts. The plant's leaves were measured at 6 and 1/2 inches in length, and about 6 inches in height. Whoa.

Lissette

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