[pigeonfood]

OK i have everything i need to build my diy setup and plan on using tomorrow morning. I have a 36g tank and i'm gonna use 2 soda bottles for the reactor and gas ex-changer and a syringe for the bubble counter.
The aim is to get 30ppm of co2 in the tank correct?
Is there anything I need to worry about? water (chemistry/equipment etc.)
The only thing I'm a little iffy about is the pH fluctuation if any.
I use AP pH test strips and my kH was 120ppm and my gH was 180ppm to check to see what my water chemistry was before adding co2.
I read are ppl using dkh..how do i calculate my kH and gH using these test strips?

 

[Rich Guano]

The DIY CO2 will be a good thing for your tank. Your plants will grow big and healthy looking as a result of your efforts.

I will caution you to not use the syringe. It is too small of a bubble counter. The bubble counter in this system also needs to act as a buffer between the generators and the tank, in case one of the generators decides to "vomit". Just use a soda bottle a third full of water.

Case you have not read this, here is a excellent treatise on the subject by John LeVasseur

http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

 

[yondertank]

When I did my first DIY CO2 I under estimated the importance of a check valve and once my first CO2 batch died out and the pressure was low in the CO2 bottle the tank water siphoned back out and drained about 1/2 of my tank water onto the floor. So with that in mind, don't forget your check valve to prevent that.

 

[pigeonfood]

The DIY CO2 will be a good thing for your tank. Your plants will grow big and healthy looking as a result of your efforts.

I will caution you to not use the syringe. It is too small of a bubble counter. The bubble counter in this system also needs to act as a buffer between the generators and the tank, in case one of the generators decides to "vomit". Just use a soda bottle a third full of water.

Case you have not read this, here is a excellent treatise on the subject by John LeVasseur

http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

I have read the diy co2 article by Levasseur many many times and plan on using some of stuff he has written. but the syringe bubble checker will not be attached to the reactor but to the gas exchanger. This is it as follows:
Reactor-->check valve/gas ex-changer-->check valve/bubble checker-->diffuser/tank.

 

[Rich Guano]

When you say "gas ex-changer" does that reference what LeVasseur calls a Gas Separator?

If yes, then you can count bubbles passing in the separator as it does create bubbles. Try to keep the system simple, as complexity adds possible leaks.

good luck, and be sure to post before and after shots.