Is the Hagen CO2 bubble counter worth it

[maverick2402]

I was debating on buying the Hagen Natural DIY CO2 set up or making my own.Now what I was also wondering is ,I have a LFS that sells the Hagen bubble counter seperate and was wondering if I should get that if I go the way of making my own system out of the 2L Bottle.

 

[Mooch28]

I was debating on buying the Hagen Natural DIY CO2 set up or making my own.Now what I was also wondering is ,I have a LFS that sells the Hagen bubble counter seperate and was wondering if I should get that if I go the way of making my own system out of the 2L Bottle.

That would be the cheaper way, but from what i hear, the hagen bottle is safer and not prone to outburst, etc (spill resistent). Someone who has the system may want to confirm this. Personally, id get the Hagen system, and make my own mix and put it in there.

 

[knashash]

Ive been using the Hagen C02 system for a couple years. Its great. The initial cost of a nice clean prepackaged system is well worth it. Hangs cleanly on the back of your tank and very easy to take on and off and refill. Just use your own yeast and baking soda and your set for life. Why mess with the whole 2 liter bottle thing....in the long run the looks and cleanliness of the Hagen makes it $30 well spent and C02 injection a breeze.

 

[maverick2402]

Did you mix your own from the beginning or did you use what came with it first.And what is the yeast,sugar,baking soda mixture for that size canister if I were to go with that set up.

 

[knashash]

Yeah...you really dont even need to bother with their mixure at all. The great thing about the Hagen also is that there are markings on the inside of it indicating how much sugar to put in and how much water. So put the sugar in first up to the indicated level. Then just add 1/4 teaspoon of yeast and just a tad more than that of baking soda. Fill with warm water, give a gentle stir, close the top and you should start seeing bubbles in about an hour. The only negative thing about the whole Hagen system is sometimes youll need to adjust the tube that connectes to the buuble counter. You just want to make sure that the bubbles are going through the diffuser rather than just bubbling straight up to the water surface, but youll see what I mean once you get the system...its really no big deal at all.

 

[maverick2402]

thanks for the info.Just the advise that I needed

 

[knashash]

No problem. Also antoher quick tip...... I bought yeast from the store and just emptyed all the packets into an empty salt shaker. Makes adding a whole lot easier and no mess at all.

 

[happychem]

From what I hear, the bubble ladder is an excellent reactor, if kept clean.

As for the CO2 production, I'd make my own, it's too easy not to. All you need is airline tubing, an empty pop bottle and a 3/8" drill bit, I think that that's the size, just a little smaller than the airline tubing. Drill a hole cleanly though the cap, cut the tubing at an angle and use a pair of needle nosed pliers to pull the tubing through, about 1/2" aughtta do. As long as you made the hole clean, the tubing will self-seal with the cap, no leaks and no goop to deal with (or buy). Plus if you somehow end up with a block in the line, instead of exploding, gas just squeezed through between the tubing and cap making a little whistle that tells you there's a block.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have never used diy co2, only pressurized. My understanding is a bubble counter is used to get a visual on the flow rate so you can use the needle valvle to adjust the flow up or down. I thought that diy systems did not permit one to adjust the flow rate of co2 going into the tank since the amount of co2 being generated is not constant.

 

[tuchon35]

It is just a bubble ladder, It serves as a decent diffusor. Although, you can count the bubbles on the ladder to get an idea when it is time to replace yeast mixture