Here is a way to get nearly all of your CO2 dissolved into your water from a Powerhead. I used a Penguin 550 Powerhead, but I'm sure that you can use almost any kind of powerhead to do this. I used to hook up the CO2 source to the Venturi attachment on the powerhead, but this gave me bubbles about the size you would get with an airstone. One day, I was rearranging an airstone in my tank while it was on, and it went under the intake of the powerhead, and out came little bubbles that were barely big enough to see. And a thought popped into my head: I'll put the CO2 under the intake so the impeller chops them up into microbubbles.
All you need is:
A Powerhead (I used a Penguin 550)
Airline tubing (Who doesn't have this laying around?)
A "breathable" sponge about 6"x2"x2" (I used a 3 foot sponge from Wal-Mart that was supposed to be used for insulating windowsills for $3, totally fish-safe.)
An apple corer that is at least the width of the intake of your powerhead
A CO2 source
First, I cut the sponge to size with a box cutter. I had this sponge left over from using it to avoid sucking in fish fry.
Second, I used an apple corer to cut out a hole in the middle of the sponge. It's a little tricky to cut out, but as long as the sponge is straight when you cut into it, you will get a straight cut. And it's okay if the hole is bigger than the intake, the suction from the powerhead will keep the sponge attached to it
Third, I used a plastic straw to cut out a little hole where the airline tubing from the CO2 source will go. You could also poke a hole with a knife.
Fourth, thread the piece of airline tube into the hole you just made. Make sure that the airline is pointed down to let the bubbles come up on their own and not actually get sucked in.
Fifth, I detached the intake strainer from the powerhead so the tube would be aimed downwards as it gets sucked into the impeller and gets chopped up into tiny bubbles.
Sixth, I attached the rest of the powerhead onto the intake strainer. I also put a rubber band around it so the arline tube wouldn't be hanging everywhere and would not be where you want it. I pointed the thing that attaches to the output down so my fish won't go on a crazy ride around the aquarium.
Lastly, hang the powerhead onto the edge of your tank, hook up the airline to your CO2 source, plug the powerhead in, and watch the bubbles fly!
Your plants will thank you by providing many clippings that you could trade at the LFS. :grinyes:
The benefit of this article is that if you can't find a CO2 diffuser around you, you don't have to pay for the diffuser and shipping. Also this acts as an extra sponge filter that holds alot of biological bacteria. This acts as a very simple bubble counter too! It's so easy, a caveman could do it, by just putting your head next to it and count how many "psht" sounds you hear in a second. The "psht" sounds are just the CO2 bubbles hitting the impeller, and aren't audible if you stand more than 3 feet away from your tank.
-David
All you need is:
A Powerhead (I used a Penguin 550)
Airline tubing (Who doesn't have this laying around?)
A "breathable" sponge about 6"x2"x2" (I used a 3 foot sponge from Wal-Mart that was supposed to be used for insulating windowsills for $3, totally fish-safe.)
An apple corer that is at least the width of the intake of your powerhead
A CO2 source
First, I cut the sponge to size with a box cutter. I had this sponge left over from using it to avoid sucking in fish fry.
Second, I used an apple corer to cut out a hole in the middle of the sponge. It's a little tricky to cut out, but as long as the sponge is straight when you cut into it, you will get a straight cut. And it's okay if the hole is bigger than the intake, the suction from the powerhead will keep the sponge attached to it
Third, I used a plastic straw to cut out a little hole where the airline tubing from the CO2 source will go. You could also poke a hole with a knife.
Fourth, thread the piece of airline tube into the hole you just made. Make sure that the airline is pointed down to let the bubbles come up on their own and not actually get sucked in.
Fifth, I detached the intake strainer from the powerhead so the tube would be aimed downwards as it gets sucked into the impeller and gets chopped up into tiny bubbles.
Sixth, I attached the rest of the powerhead onto the intake strainer. I also put a rubber band around it so the arline tube wouldn't be hanging everywhere and would not be where you want it. I pointed the thing that attaches to the output down so my fish won't go on a crazy ride around the aquarium.
Lastly, hang the powerhead onto the edge of your tank, hook up the airline to your CO2 source, plug the powerhead in, and watch the bubbles fly!
Your plants will thank you by providing many clippings that you could trade at the LFS. :grinyes:
The benefit of this article is that if you can't find a CO2 diffuser around you, you don't have to pay for the diffuser and shipping. Also this acts as an extra sponge filter that holds alot of biological bacteria. This acts as a very simple bubble counter too! It's so easy, a caveman could do it, by just putting your head next to it and count how many "psht" sounds you hear in a second. The "psht" sounds are just the CO2 bubbles hitting the impeller, and aren't audible if you stand more than 3 feet away from your tank.
-David
