How-To on DIY CO2 Injection

Sounds like you've got yourself some CO2! Congratulations.

The next thing to do (IMNSHO) is to increase, as much as possible, the amount of absorption of the CO2 into the water. I assume that the bubble wand is an attempt to do this. What I initially did was to run the CO2 hose into a small concave decoration that was already in the tank. My reasoning was that by keeping it trapped I was increasing the contact with, and hence the absorbtion into, the water.
Many folks run the CO2 directly into their filter intake to accomplish this.
My latest approach was to break down and buy a CO2 kit from <somefishcompany>. It comes with a cannister and some secret sauce mix (yeah, I know, it's just some yeast and baking soda), and a really cool diffuser/bubble counter. The diffuser suction cups to the side of the tank and is a series of zig-zagging ledges that the CO2 bubbles are trapped under. The zigging and zagging cause the bubbles to gradually dissipate to the point that they are just about gone when they reach the top.
The 'kewl!' factor was a little too hard for me to pass up> :cool:

That said, the CO2 didn't start affecting my pH for about a week or so.
 
It sounds like the kit would be worth it just for the diffuser/bubble counter! Er ... how much is it? Expensive? The whole idea was to keep this cheap.

How do folks feed the tube directly into their filter intake? I've got an AquaClear 200; should I just place the tube against the bottom of the intake tube?!

Thanks,

-- Pat
 
Originally posted by Cichlid Woman
It sounds like the kit would be worth it just for the diffuser/bubble counter! Er ... how much is it? Expensive? The whole idea was to keep this cheap.
Click to expand...

I think it was around $20 - $25. Slightly more than I wanted to pay for the diffuser, but the cannister is also handy since it hangs on the tank.

A cheaper alternative that I considered persuing would be to find one of those little desk toys that are filled with colored water. You flip them over and a stream of bubbles travel up a zig zag path to the top. I figured I could bust one open, drain it, clean it, and use it for a diffuser.

Happy planting!
 
Thanks for the ideas! Maybe I'll try to find one of those diffuser kits.

Another question--I'm completely new at CO2. Is it normal for the bubbles to just stop for long periods of time and then start up again? (That's what they're doing ...)

Again, thanks,

-- Pat
 
The bubbles stopped. Nothing for over 24 hours. I don't think this system is going to work for me.

Saw something at the lfs today called CO2 Fizz Tables that operate with a "Fizz" chamber. It's supposed to slowly disburse CO2 over a period of time, cheaply. The lfs had the tablets, but not the chamber. Does anybody know anything about this?

-- Pat
 
I have seen something advertised and in use in my LFS lately that may be a good solution. It's called the Nutrafin Natural Plant System. It's a small, fancy-looking system that's basically a yiest reactor with what sounds like what one of the guys was explaining to you earlier. It forces the bubbles to slowly go back and forth, zig-zag style until they are almost completely gone. It uses water, sugar, and "activator" and "stabilizer" packs are included (yiest +baking soda I'm sure). You can buy refill packs on the two additives. The unit is about $25 , and about $5 for 3packs of both refill agents. These are found at PetSmart, BigAl's, and probably most LFS's. They are for 20 gal aquariums, and you may need more than one (depending the size of your tank). I think I may try them, myself.
 
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