DIY CO2 to supply a 55g ?

[Wrench]

Is it possible to construct a DIY CO2 setup to supply enough gas for a 55g? Some have commented that the amount of time put into re-charging the bottles outweighs the cost effectiveness of the setup and also that it would require at least 3 bottles to be worth while.

 

[oscar83]

i have diy co2 in both my 75 and 55 gallon tanks. for both i just use 1 2 liter soda bottle and have it split off to both tanks... so if you do the math its only a 1 liter bottle per tank. my recipe is 1 cup of sugar per 1/2 tsp of yeast and it works beautifully. i just tested my tanks today and in my 75 gallon the co2 was at 18 ppm and in the 55 it was at 10 ppm. so yeah, its entirely possible and for me, it works beautifully, but maybe im just one of the lucky ones, haha.

 

[Wrench]

What are you using for a diffuser? You think I can get away with an airstone or should I inject it into the inlet of the Fluval?

 

[Captain Hook]

I've heard you don't want to use canister filters that have the impeller at the top for breaking up CO2. I think it damages the filter, not sure, but I know there is a reason this is not recommended.

 

[reiverix]

I started by hooking up the CO2 into the intake of my Fluval 304 but it seemed to trap pockets of gas and then let it out in one big burst. It made me a bit paranoid so I just let the CO2 bubble up into the outlet of the filter. From there it gets blown into the outlet of my 204 at the other end of the tank. I'm using the end of a chopstick shoved into the airline as a diffuser and it lets out really tiny bubbles.

I'm also on a 75g and I'm getting 23ppm CO2 with two 2ltr bottles hooked up.