thank you! I'll let you know if I get this to work without little bubbles. I would much prefer clear water if possible.
DIY CO2 newbie support group
- Thread starter cobfreak
- Start date
thank you! I'll let you know if I get this to work without little bubbles. I would much prefer clear water if possible.
If your bubbles are rather large, chances are they aren't going to get captured by the intake. If you can get them smaller, then the intake will pull them in...providing of course you have it close enough to it.
Some people even take the strainer of the intake and cut a place in it to insert the tube.
As james said, you could just put the tube in the strainer. I didnt want to cut a hole in mine, so I used a lime wood diffuser. Small bubbles. And literally put that air stone(well wood) between the glass wall of the tank and the intake strainer. All bubbles went in to the intake.
Actually my second canister filter doesn't have an intake basket as it was a used filter and that piece was missing. I just drilled holes into the lid from a bottle that fit right onto the filter intake. So I could put the tube in there. I think I'm still leaning toward (sooner, rather than later) building a bell diffuser, because i really don't want to screw up my canister filter.
At least with the bubbles going right to the surface at this point I don't have to figure out whether or not to unhook something overnight.
At least with the bubbles going right to the surface at this point I don't have to figure out whether or not to unhook something overnight.
Today on my quest to break something, I bought (and drank) a bottle (16 ounces) of something called "hint".
Purely for the bottle. So I can make a gas-separator thingy. I'm not sure the point of these drinks that taste like somebody filled a just-finished juice bottle with tap water. But anyway, hopefully the bottle works.
Also I moved my output tube so that the bubbles are definitely going right into the intake of one of my canisters. There are more bubbles being produced than yesterday, I think. It's working at a pretty good pace. Not sure the best way to test for its effects or whatever yet. I tested my pH yesterday (which I almost never do) and it's maxed out on the high-range test. So something like 8.6. I think that's just due to my tap, hopefully it'll come down some.
More later when I botch the part where I make the separator bottle!
Purely for the bottle. So I can make a gas-separator thingy. I'm not sure the point of these drinks that taste like somebody filled a just-finished juice bottle with tap water. But anyway, hopefully the bottle works.
Also I moved my output tube so that the bubbles are definitely going right into the intake of one of my canisters. There are more bubbles being produced than yesterday, I think. It's working at a pretty good pace. Not sure the best way to test for its effects or whatever yet. I tested my pH yesterday (which I almost never do) and it's maxed out on the high-range test. So something like 8.6. I think that's just due to my tap, hopefully it'll come down some.
More later when I botch the part where I make the separator bottle!
sounds about right. Mine drops from 7ish to 6.6-6.4ish so it is certainly helping.
As far as dissolving it, I may go back to what you are doing, place the co2 into the cannister filter. NO bubbles. I will place my dual venturi reactor inline with my intake of my cannister filter. I have it might as well use it!
I'm actually getting some very, very fine bubbles out from the output of the canister filter. I hadn't noticed it at first. My water is not clear at this point anyway, so I don't know how much it affects clarity. Once some of the other issues settle down I'll be able to tell more about how much what's coming out of the filter causes cloudiness. It really is hard to see unless I'm really watching for it; the bubbles are much tinier than what comes out of the tube/airstone.
Are you sure yours didn't bubble at before? if so that could be a factor of the filter itself.
Okay I'm off to work on improving the thing some way or another. Make the gas separator, maybe, or string together multiple bottles.
what type of cannister filter do you have? Mine is a marineland c-220. water is supposed to go to the bottom of the filter and work its way back up to the impeller. Did the co2 take that same path I doubt it.(and yes on occasion I did get burst of bubbles, oh and if I shook it a whole messload of co2 bubbles came out) I was originally worried that having co2 in my cannister filter would maybe kill off the benificial bacteria...because I worried there wouldnt be enough oxygen. Now I realize I am wrong in that theory. My plants are produce enough oxygen in my tank to support fish, so why wouldnt there be enough oxygen in my filter to support the bacteria? Oh and the fact that I found 3 living red cherry shrimp in the cannister filter should attest to their being enough oxygen! When I make the switch on my cannister filter with my reactor I will let you know. I have a few thoughts in mind and those reactors are cheap to make.
