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Disappointed with citric acid + baking soda DIY CO2 kit

24K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  jmeeter 
#1 ·
Bought a DIY CO2 kit off Amazon for $15 which calls for the citric acid + baking soda recipe, which is as follows

Bottle A: 200 grams citric acid, 20oz water
Bottle B: 200 grams baking soda, 6.5oz water

I've played around with the needle valve and the most I've been able to get out of the solution is about 6 days. If I want between 2 to 2.5 bubbles / second, I'll get about 3 days out of it. Citric acid isn't expensive but it's annoying making a new solution every 3 - 4 days.

Any solutions? 😤
 
#4 ·
I'm in the process lol. I found a local welding supply shop that sells filled 5lb CO2 tanks for $70 and charges $15 for each subsequent exchange. Not bad. I'm just trying to find a good regulator.

Does CO2 Art make good regulators? A guy online is selling this dual stage regulator for $55 + shipping...

 
#8 ·
So because it's single stage does that mean I am susceptible to end of tank dumps?

maybe a stupid question, does the CO2 gauge have an international fitting? as in, does it fit on any bottle?
It was an American buyer so I would hope he'd choose CGA320 threading. I'll confirm though.
 
#10 ·
Hmm. The fact that everyone is telling me I'll "need to upgrade later" is a bit disheartening. I wanted to upgrade from DIY to pressurized because I'm going out to sea pretty soon and wanted my aquarium to be as easy as possible for my wife to take care of lol. I guess my plants just won't have the extra CO2 for a few months... Hopefully nothing really weird happens heh.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Based on what Ive read from others experience, they are more of a mid-level product than entry level. There is no reason to assume you'll ever need to upgrade.....assuming there's nothing wrong with it to begin with.


*Edit: It looks like this model, which isnt much more than $55 to begin with. http://www.co2art.co.uk/collections...regulator-dual-gauged-solenoid-magnetic-valve

The working pressure not being adjustable is why it's so cheap. Its set to 3 bar (roughly 40 psi) That's plenty enough for most any diffuser, and one less thing for your wife to have to tinker with. :red_mouth

Having said that, in this case I would opt for a new one and get one of their better models.
 
#13 ·
My tank is very different nowadays, those are old pictures that I'm adding to show the progress. This is my current tank:



@burr740 can you recommend something better that isn't too much more expensive? I was thinking of going Aquatek but I've heard mixed reviews on those as well. Doesn't seem to be much of a 'mid range'... Either they're pure crap or incredibly expensive lol.
 
#15 ·
I am no expert by any means in fact I am in the same boat is you trying to upgrade from DIY to pressurized. I have decided to go with CO2 art. Why don't you get one of their more premium regulators. There only another 50 bucks more than the Aquatek. They do seem to be the middle ground between cheap ones like aquatek and more expensive prebuilt ones from gla. The regulator I am getting from Co2art cost around the 140 bucks, shipping is free. Cheapest GLA single stage was 205 plus shipping.
 
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