Hagen CO2 diffuser

[EvilKen]

i got my Hagen CO2 unit today and set it up. I just noticed that it has strated producing CO2 already. The question I have is, the CO2 bubbles get stuck and build up on the sides of the diffuser. The bubbles stay there until another bubble comes and either makes the bubble bigger or pushes part of the bubble throuh the rest of the diffuser. Is this normal for the diffuser to work like this? If yes, should i be worried?

Thanks.

[malkore]

Ken, no, the bubbles should smoothly slide up, back and forth, up to the top. At that point they will be quite small, and will escape and float to the surface.
You might wanna pull it out and wash it off, if you didn't do that in the first place. If you did, give it 24 hours. The plastic might have too much friction, but it won't take long for a little slime coat and invisible algae to form on it, making a slick surface for the bubbles to slide up.

also, make sure it's perfectly level. if the bubbles seem to stick only on one side, that'd indicate it's not level.

[Sumpin'fishy]

That is completely normal for that diffusor for the first day or two. Give it that amount of time and things will be just fine.

[EvilKen]

koo, thanks for the quick reply. I just set it up maybe 6 hours ago, so i will just wait and see how it goes.

thanks again.

[eds]

What is your bubble rate?
I set mine up on Sat eve, and got no bubbles for approx 18 hrs.
Now I'm getting no more than 1 bubble every minute or so.
Will this increase?

[majik1]

then somethings not right eds....unless the diffuser is in very deep water requiring lots of pressure to make a bubble......

[eds]

I have a 30g, and the diffuser is probably at the bottom 1/2.
Should I move it closer to the top?
The tank is on a standard wrought iron stand - maybe 2.5' off the floor, and the reactor canister is on the floor behind and below the tank. I cut the hose down, but there is still considerable slack.
Any ideas on trouble shooting?
Might I have used too warm water? It definitely was not hot to the touch. Just slightly warmer than my tank temp.
How fast do your bubbles come? How many do you have on the ramp at one time? I have one bubble go through the ramp. Then wait a bit. Then another bubble.

[EvilKen]

Ed, I get approx 2 or either 3 bubbles on the diffuser at each time. It took about 3 days since I set it up for it to reach this level. At first the bubbles would travel up quite fast through the diffuser and not get noticeably smaller, but now they travel a lot slower and the bubbles are noticable much smaller than when they are first released.
I would recommend you let the setup "break in" for a few more days before worrying.

[eds]

Thanks.
I was also going to comment that the bubbles don't seem to get much smaller.
The documentation said wait 24-48 hrs for optimum performance.
I'll give it some more time.

[malkore]

Typically you'll see a bubble within 12 hours, but during that time the yeast is still propagating and multiplying. after about 48 hours you should see the 'typical' rate.
I'm able to get mine up to 2 bubbles per second, and I keep it down low in the tank.
here's a few yeast 'start up' tips:
1. put your yeast in a half cup of 85 degree water for 10-20 mins. just pour it in and leave it..do NOT stir it
2. after 10-20 mins, pour it into the jug/container with the sugar/water solution, which should also be about 80-85 degrees.
3. give it a very vigorous shaking, for 30 seconds...to really aerate the hell out of if. (be careful as it will build up a little pressure from shaking a warm liquid)
4. make sure the temp of the room doesn't get too cold at night...yeast likes it no cooler than 65 degrees. If it does get real cold, wrap the container in a blanket to insulate it.

[anonapersona]

Move the diffuser to the top of the tank -- too much pressure to work against. Give the top of the reactor an extra 1/4 turn after you think it is snug - a tiny leak is a big problem, but much easier to fix this than a DIY.

Why not hang the reactor on the back or side of the dank as it was designed to hang? You have a lot of extra line there, and it may be losing gas. The shorter the line the better it works.

I always got 6 bubbles per minute, which meant that I saw 6 bubbles on the ramp most of the time, although the ramp is not exactly 1 minute travel time.

I never shook my reactor, I think getting that stuff in the line is a BAD thing.

I did find that if I added more sugar than was needed to cover the first rib inside the reactor, then the whole thing was slowed way down. Started slow, worked slow, died early.

Also, the first time you use it, it needs to break in somehow. The second time is much better.

[eds]

Thanks anona.

I'll check all those things tonight.

I thought I had tightened it as you and the directions say, but will check.

Had it on the ground just because that worked, figured it was easier than messing with the hanger. Didn't know if it would require punching a hole out of my hood. Will see tonight. Even on the floor, I could take some slack out of the line.

This a.m. I had to take the ramp off the tank wall, as 2 of my more stupid cories decided to get themselves jammed behind it and couldn't get out on their own. Stupid fish! Seem to be all right. In the process I moved the diffuser up a couple of inches. Will see if I can get it even higher. I was surprised the instructions did not say anything about shorter tube or higher placement.

Thought I was very careful to add sugar simply up to 1st rib. Will be extra careful from now on.

If this doesn't clear up in a day or two, at what point would you recommend tossing this batch and trying a new one?

Thanks. I'll keep you posted.

[malkore]

you don't shake the reactor when it's hooked up! doing so causes a massive CO2 release, and indeed you might shoot yeast solution into the tank.

You shake it up BEFORE you ever hook up the airline. The oxygenates the sugar/water solution...YEAST NEED TO BREATHE AIR for the first phase of their life cycle. Also it's FINE to have the diffuser near the bottom of the tank. You'll get plenty of CO2 pressure...or at least you should. Before I switched to a 1gallon jug for my yeast/sugar/water mixture, I had the grey canister on the floor inside my cabinet...3+ feet of airline, and I got almost a bubble a second.

Adding too much sugar does affect the yeast, and you'll end up with dead yeast before all the sugar gets used up.
It entirely possible that the packets of yeast that came with the Co2 kit are old/were mishandled and are dead. Buy a packet of bread yeast, use 1/2 teaspoon, and see if that gets things rolling.

(I used to make beer and mead, so I know all about the yeast, what it's doing, and how to make it work better)

[eds]

Thanks malkore.

Don't know how I missed your earlier post the 1st time.

I didn't shake it before hooking it up, as the instructions said nothing about it.

Could I just add yeast to the existing mixture? Or need I start from scratch?

Could I unhook the canister and shake it?

Like I said, I really don't think I overdid the sugar. I did not use a thermometer for the water, but to touch out of the tap it felt only slightly warmer than my 76 degree tank.

I think our thermostat is set around 70. The canister is somewhat close to the rear wall of our house, but I would be very surprised if it got below 65.

As the King of Siam said, "It is a puzzlement!"

[eds]

Last evening took the canister off the hose, shook it for 30 sec, and reconnected it.
Glad I disconnected it first, because when I took my finger off the top hole, there was a burst of gas.
Also tightened the cap a little more - it was already pretty darn snug.

This a.m. a second bubble would enter the diffuser as the previous one was 3 or so ramps from the top. They seemed to move more slowly, and get smaller as they went up.
Now we're cooking with gas!
Thanks for all your help, folks.
I wonder why the instructions couldn't have said something as simple as "Shake well before using."