getting fed up with DIY CO2...

I tried another run at the diy method. this time, with the smaller than hose hole in the cap with a hose, running straight into the tank, no diffuser or anything, I just wanted to see if I could get some bubbles happening. 2 days later not enough pressure to push it. it's making co2, but it is still escaping.

I've had it with 2 litre bottles, and figure by now I could have bought a tank... lol...

my problem is now that I don't think I have deep enough water for the hagen ladder and I don't want to add a power head or any electical device. there's already too much crap in this little tank (20gal, 2/3 full, tons of rock and wood)

does anyone have any experience running a hagen or red sea bottle with another diffusion method?

also, what is the IDEAL hose to use?
 
mellow, I found this how-to while poking around tonight, shows in graphic detail how to do what the fine folks here have been describing. Also gives some addtional details on diffusing. I realize you may be quite done with this option by now, but figured better late than never. You can always buy something like a Hagen for the canister if the ladder won't fit.
http://diyyeastco2.blogspot.com/

As for the ladder fitting, I would be willing to bet you can make it work. On one of my 10g's I had to push the ladder down into the gravel to make it fit just under the water line since I had a lot of substrate at the back (light gravel atop flourite, sloping down to the front). You could do the same if it's close without affecting the CO2 outlet. The other option would be to move the hose to the next setting if you had to bury the bottom of the ladder. I can measure the ladder if you need to know if you'll make it. BTW, why only 2/3 full in the tank?

Still looking for definitive tubing info, probly have something in my bookmarks. Some say it matters (i.e. no silicone) some say it doesn't matter. For what it's worth, the tubing that comes with the Hagen is a little larger diameter than the standard airline tubing I have. Seems a softer material too.

Edit: Found it! This was from an old article on the Krib, so there may be some more recent/accurate info out there, but this seems pretty solid.

From this link: http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/hurley-co2.html
CO2-approved airline tubing - get these at a chemical supply house. I use Vichem tubing. Tygon and silicone are also good. Don't use cheap aquarium airline hoses, they may become brittle and leak under long-term CO2 exposure.
 
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http://www.coleparmer.com/techinfo/...E,C&htmlfile=SelectingTubing.htm&Title=Search

The lower the number the better. Silicone leaks more CO2 than most any other available tubing.

I have learned over the years that a LOT of the information in The Krib needs to be taken with a very large grain of salt. A lot of that information is nothing more than a collection of posts from the Aquatic Plants Digest mailing list. And much of that information is suspect at best. It's one of the main reasons why I wrote my Guide. The Krib is static information. Just as a set of encyclopedias is.
 
Thanks for the info Rex, I figured there'd be something newer than '93 available. Now, where to find polyethylene, Tygon, nylon, or Viton tubing locally? I'll get it online if necessary, just would like to get it sooner rather than later.

Anyone know what kind of tubing the Hagen system uses?
 
mellowvision said:
I tried another run at the diy method. this time, with the smaller than hose hole in the cap with a hose, running straight into the tank, no diffuser or anything, I just wanted to see if I could get some bubbles happening. 2 days later not enough pressure to push it. it's making co2, but it is still escaping.

I've had it with 2 litre bottles, and figure by now I could have bought a tank... lol...

my problem is now that I don't think I have deep enough water for the hagen ladder and I don't want to add a power head or any electical device. there's already too much crap in this little tank (20gal, 2/3 full, tons of rock and wood)

does anyone have any experience running a hagen or red sea bottle with another diffusion method?

also, what is the IDEAL hose to use?
Click to expand...


OK mellowvision, I got the urge to tinker at about 4am this morning and made my first DIY bottle/mix. I used a 1 liter bottle instead of a 2L since I had one sitting around and the Hagen is roughly the same size. I used the directions from the link I posted about drilling the hole pulling the tube, verbatim. I connected the cap after and blew into the tubing, no perceptible leaks.

I made a mix based on snickle's recipe modified for the 1L bottle. I used:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 tsp standard bread yeast (just what I had handy)
- 1/3 tsp baking soda

I added dechlorinated tap (about 70degrees F.) to just below the upper curve. I stirred the mix a little, then stuck my finger in the top and shook the bottle a bit to make sure all the sugar was wet. Then I put my cap on and let it sit for a while before plugging it into on of my non-CO2 tanks, the time was about 5am.

When I got up at 11am I was already getting 1 bubble every 2-3 seconds. I don't have any diffusion happening right now, so its pretty much wasted, but I'm excited that it worked that fast. The Hagen mix always seems to take 24-36 hours to get started. I'm still going to go out and get some champagne yeast today, and make at least one, maybe two more setups (I have 3 non-CO2 tanks).

Has anyone here made a DIY diffuser that seems to work well? I'm thinking about fashioning a bell style with some form of screen on top to allow the bubbles to sit under the bell and get broken up by the screen as it moves from current.

Don't give up mellow, if I can do it, anyone can.
 
You don't need to dechlor the water, and if you use 100-105F water you will get bubbles within 20-30 minutes. Just don't go above 120F or you kill the yeast.

Adding a 2nd small bottle to your system with water in it will act as both a bubble counter and prevent the yeast gunk from clogging your equipment. Good idea especially for a glass diffusor which is a pain in the butt to clean out. I have had my DIY running for a year with no gunk buildup. I only changed the "filter" bottle once because of evaporation.
 
hey guys, thanks for the updates! I just got back fromt he LFS and picked up a hagen system while I was there. I also set up several test co2 systems last night, or rather, got them ready... new valves, more silicone, and one 1.5 litre with the jello recipe cut in half. I currently have a 2 litre with the normal recipe going, flowing through a big airstone.

My plan is to use the hagen ladder on this setup for 24 hours and watch, then add the jello unit and watch. eventually I am setting up a second 10 gallon tank, and the hagen will go on that. if I like the ladder I will use it in both tanks, otherwise I might use a powerhead in the ten gallon, as it won't have a ton of current with the hang on filter I have for it.

I'll let you know how things go.
 
wow. got the hagen ladder in there, and the lack of stone resistance really lets me see how much co2 I'm actually generating. I have a day old bottle pushing nearly a bubble every second or two... seems like they only make it 3/4 to the top before they make a big bubble and escape out the side, but at least SOMETHING is happening!
 
update, I still really like, and see the merit of the hagen ladder. the bubbles really do shrink in size as they roll up, and I think that's the important action, the rolling... it's like an anti-snowball, leaving traces of itself as it rolls through.

the DIY co2 bottle is still going strong. What I realize now is that the glass diffusers can only work with high pressure, but the diy style creates low pressure. I wish I could use the glass ones, but I think they are better suited for a tank setup where they can be regulated.
 
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